Brunei's Local News - Brudirect.com

Bandar Seri Begawan - Universiti Brunei Darussalam (UBD) is looking to strengthen its partnerships with Korean universities through increased student participation in the education experience at higher learning institutions in Korea and vice versa.

Dr Haji Zulkarnain Hj Hanafi, the Vice Chancellor of UBD, highlighted the cooperation between UBD and universities in Korea during a courtesy call by 'Kim DaeSik, the Ambassador of Korea to Brunei Darussalam, at UBD yesterday morning.

The Vice Chancellor of UBD said that UBD has announced changes to its undergraduate programme as of this year. One of the highlights is the "discovery year" whereby in year three of the new generation programme, students are encouraged to spend a semester or a year abroad at another higher learning institution or spend some time on internship in some industries.

He said, "I hope that together with the Korean

embassy, we can work hand-in-hand to start identifying more higher learning institutions where some of our students can actually partake in the education experience in Korea. We would also like to invite Korean students or faculty staff to come to Brunei Darussalam to enrich us with their culture and various expertise."

He commended the Korean embassy for its effort in assisting UBD in establishing partnerships with various universities in Korea, saying that the collaboration has been conducted successfully and will continue to be strengthened.

Kim Dae-Sik, the Korean Ambassador, pledged to provide assistance in helping UBD to further reinforce the cooperation in various fields with top Korean universities.

During the courtesy call, it was revealed that UBD has established links with the Korean Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, SookMyung Women's University, Daejeon University and Hankuk University of Foreign Studies.

The donated items, which include books, DVDs and tapes, are currently at the UBD Language Centre and Library.

The highlight of the courtesy call was the presentation of 67 books donated by Kim Dae-Sik. Dr Haji Zulkarnain Hj Hanafi received the books on behalf of UBD. -- Courtesy of Borneo Bulletin