Bandar Seri Begawan - The Minister of Development yesterday highlighted that the next generation plays a vital role in realising Vision 2035.

In his opening address to mark World Town Planning Day at the International Convention Centre in Berakas, Pepin Orang Kaya Hamzah Pahlawan Dato Seri Setia Hj Abdullah Begawan Mudim Dato Paduka Hj Baker said that this year's theme "Reaching Out to the Next Generation... Planning for a Better Tomorrow" was important in engaging the youth at an early stage and developing the concept of sustainable development.

"The involvement of the next generation, which consists of students from a variety of academic levels, as partners in the planning process and implementation of the national long-term plan is imperative, as it is their hands which will continue the efforts of achieving Brunei's Vision 2035," he said.

The students involved in the World Town Planning Day activities came from secondary, collegiate and university levels as the Ministry of Development aimed to expose the youths to the challenges of sustainable development, and the planning needed to tackle those challenges.

The minister said that involving the public and stakeholders in preparing strategies and in planning development in a meaningful way was important in ensuring that plans are accepted and easily carried out. "This process has been used in the land-use and district development plans currently in place," he said.

Steps taken to boost public awareness are expected "to create a better understanding, including throughout the public sector," said the minister. He added that both the public and the government agencies must realise the obligation of using land as best as possible so that our future generations can enjoy" the development without adversely affecting their quality of life.

As the event was held in conjunction with World Town Planning Day, students had taken part in three projects to mark the occasion. The first was an essay competition for students in secondary four and five, which saw participation from 22 schools nationwide.

The second, named "Planning for Real", engaged pre-university students from five Sixth Form centres throughout Brunei. This project required groups of students to prepare a conceptual plan for housing in Kg Keriam in Tutong. The objective was to teach the students the basic principles, justification and rationale behind preparing development plans.

The third initiative saw eight groups of students using Muara Town as a case study. This project for higher-education students included the identification of issues, preparation of reports, strategic plans and development plans, and the submission of working papers.

"The participation and encouraging response that we received has shown that the next generation exhibits enthusiasm, thoughtful insight and planning, which is good and relevant," said Hong Kok Seng, Commissioner of Town and Country Planning.

He added that the interest shown by the youngsters showed that the students are committed and clearly want to be involved in making the country's development initiatives sustainable for future generations.-- Courtesy of The Brunei Times

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