UBD Wraps Up 20th Anniversary Celebrations
By Azrol Azmi

Bandar Seri Begawan - Celebrations for the 20th Anniversary of the establishment of Universiti Brunei Darussalam (UBD) officially came to a close yesterday.

For more than 20 years, UBD has provided access to Brunei through excellence in higher learning. The University was established on October 28, 1985, six months after His Majesty announced that Brunei have a university of its own.

The culmination of the anniversary celebrations was declared yesterday by the Minister of Education, Pehin Dato Seri Setia Awg Hj Abdul Rahman who was the guest of honour in a ceremony held at the UBD Chancellor Hall yesterday. Also in attendance were cabinet ministers and deputy ministers along with other invited guests.

The guest of honour was greeted on arrival by Dato Paduka Dr Hj Ismail bin Hj Duraman, the Vice Chancellor of UBD. The initial celebration for the 20' anniversary, a 'Doa Kesyukuran' ceremony, was held more than year ago on October 28, 2005 at the UBD mosque. The official launch was held earlier this year on January 13, 2006.

Yesterday's ceremony included a forum entitled `Issues and Challenges of Higher Learning in Negara Brunei Darussalam'.

The panel members included Pg Dato Seri Setia Dr Hj Mohammad bin Pg Hj Abdul Rahman, the Deputy Minister of Education, Dato Paduka Dr Awang Hj Ismail bin Hj Duraman, Vice Chancellor of UBD, Awg Hj Shazali bin Dato Hj Sulaiman, Partner, KPMG and a student representative from UBD. Chairing the forum was Dr Matiam bin Bakar, Director of Language and Literature Bureau, Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports.

When the University was established, the majority of the staff were expatriates but as of 2006, 55 per cent of the University's academic staff are locals, with expatriates making up the remaining 45 per cent. The UBD student population has also grown from 176 in 1985 to 3,600 students - including about 100 overseas students. - this year.

As of last year, student figures have increased by an average of up to seven per cent within the year, and it is hoped the percentage of students will increase further in the years to come.

To date, UBD has produced a little over 8,000 graduates since the first convocation in 1989. Towards the end of the ceremony, the guest of honour launched 11 books published by UBD, which included the 20th Year Commemorative Book, "Professor Dato Saedon dalam Kenangan", a collection of the Chancellor's Titah during the UBD Convocations, a collection of the Vice Chancellor's speeches during the UBD Convocations, "Ihniah" books and a Special Volume - Collection of Essays. These books were sold after the launch and are currently available at UBD. -- Courtesy of Borneo Bulletin

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