Experience Scotland by studying there
Message from Mr Jim Wallace, Scotland's Deputy First Minister & Minister for Enterprise and Lifelong Learning

Jim Wallace.

If you look at a map of the world, Scotland and Brunei appear a long way apart. And indeed in terms of physical distance, there is no doubt that it is a long way from Northern Europe to the shores of the South China Sea. But the advent of the Internet and improved transport systems across the world are undeniably bringing us all closer together. Brunei and Scotland are no different to anywhere else in this respect.

Today there is the real opportunity for people from both countries to do more than just visit as tourists. One particular area of opportunity is in education. Students from across the world are welcomed in Scotland. They come to learn in our excellent universities and enjoy all the country has to offer. We hope that people from Brunei will be among the increasing number of people who are taking advantage of the opportunities to study in Scotland.

Scotland's tradition of excellence in education is world-renowned. It has 13 universities, 6 specialist higher education institutions and 46 further education colleges. And from the summer of 2005, all overseas students graduating from a Scottish university will have the opportunity to stay on and work in the country for an additional two years.

As long ago as 1696 the Scottish Parliament passed an Act establishing a school in every parish, making Scotland the first country in the world to introduce universal school education. When other countries like France and America got round to developing formal education systems it was to Scotland they looked for a model.

The concept of education as a lifelong learning process is also a distinctive Scottish tradition. The philosophy behind it, whatever the individual discipline, aims to teach people how to think rather than what to think.

Scots know the value of good education; more than half of all school leavers go onto college or university - by far the highest proportion of any part of the UK - and there are also more than 20,000 overseas students taking degrees in Scotland.

And we already have links to Brunei. The University of Glasgow's Electrical Engineering department has a twinning Agreement with the Universiti Brunei Darussalam (UBD). This department has had a joint degree programme with the Physics Department of UBD for 12 years.

Glasgow University takes 12 Brunei students on average each year into the 3rd year of its Bachelor of Engineering programme. The students having completed the first two years of the degree in Brunei in the Physics Department of UBD and also have taken some courses in the Institute Technology Brunei (ITB). The twinning agreement has generally been regarded as a great success - some members of staff in the Physics Department of UBD graduated from the programme.

So the foundations are there - but we are keen to encourage more young people from Brunei to make the journey to Northern Europe to study. Those who do decide to come will be able to enjoy not just our excellent higher education system - but also the many other advantages that come with living in Scotland.

Scotland is a nation with rich history - a history which you can still discover and explore today. But we are not stuck in the past - quite the reverse. Twenty first century Scotland has everything you need - culture, diversity, opportunity, creativity, community and confidence. And there's room to breathe, surrounded by spectacular wide-open spaces and big horizons.

Scottish people have always been outward-looking 'citizens of the world' driven by a desire to understand and to achieve that has produced some of the greatest names in the fields of philosophy, science, engineering, and medicine.

Add to that a strong tradition of fair mindedness and hospitality and you will see that this country is an exciting place to be. Scotland's culture is present in the heritage of castles and kilted pipers, in the vibrancy of the cultural scene, in the dynamism of the everyday working environment, and in the sheer scale of the world's largest arts festival, the Edinburgh International Festival, which always brings with it the irreverent and sometimes anarchic energy of the Festival Fringe.

Whether your taste runs to grand opera or heavy rock, museum displays or mountain biking, dance or design, or literature, you will find it happening somewhere in Scotland.

As global citizens we all have more choice than ever before. The opportunities exist to experience the best of what is on offer across the world. As a result I would urge people from Brunei and across the world to come to Scotland, regardless of whether it is to study, make a living or simply enjoy yourself.

Yesterday November 30, was St Andrew's Day, which is the national day of Scotland. In conjunction with this year's St Andrew's Day, the British High Commission in Brunei has chosen the theme education link between Brunei and Scotland. Two messages to mark this day are published today. A message from Brunei's Deputy Minister of Education was published yesterday in the Borneo Bulletin.

Courtesy of Borneo Bulletin