Bandar Seri Begawan - The United Kingdom (UK) Education Fair was abuzz with eager students who wanted to learn more of courses offered at numerous universities when they pursue higher education.

Some students interviewed by The Brunei Times, said that they came to visit the education fair because Bruneian institutions did not offer courses they were interested in. However, they said that they were hoping to go abroad to study with the help of government scholarships.

Noorkhairana Hj Sapar, 20, said: "There aren't a lot of varieties of these kind of courses offered in Brunei, so I intend to go abroad and further my studies so I can come back and get a better Pay."

The students, who just completed a diploma in Travel and Tourism Services at the Sultan Saiful Rijal Technical College (MTSSR), hoped to obtain a government scholarship, and said she would return to Brunei and contribute to the tourism industry by bringing her ideas, skills and knowledge from UK.

Siti Bibi Shafiqah Hj Hannan of Meragang Sixth Form Centre (PTE Meragang) said she came to the fair to prepare herself for courses she would take, even though she has yet to complete her 'A' Levels until next year.

"I am preparing myself for the end of the next year when I have to start applying to universities. I also want to know how to write good personal statements first

hand from the university's representatives here today," she said.

The 17-year-old said she was interested in pursuing a course in Management and Politics. "When I come back, my hope is to work in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade. I want to improve bilateral relations between Brunei and other countries through communicating effectively," she said.

Abd Hannan Hj Mohd Yussof, 18, who just completed his 'A' Levels at the Duli Pengiran Muda Al-Muhtadee Billah College (Maktab Duli) said he came to the fair to identify what university suited his "taste".

"My future career is in law, because it affects our daily life. I just want to feel great by being able to represent people in Brunei," he said, adding that he hoped he could achieve higher education by obtaining a government scholarship.

He said he hoped to return to the Sultanate and help "modernise the legal system", as the country is progressing and moving forward.

"Law keeps on changing, and I want to be that person who sets the law for the benefit of the people," he said.

A total of 23 universities participated in the education fair at The Empire Hotel and Country Club in Jerudong, organised by HRD Services.

Representatives from the Brunei Darussalam National Accreditation Unit, the Ministry of Education's (MoE) Career Guidance Unit, the British High Commission's Visa Section and Takaful IBB Berhad were also present.

HRD Services Managing Director Hjh Rafiah Hj Momin said that she was pleased that the MoE recently held a briefing on rules and regulations for any foreign universities to be accredited before hosting an exhibition.

She said: "This is a very good (initiative) to protect out students' interests. We (HRD Services) have been working with MoE closely to safeguard students so they get accredited into the right programme of their preference."

Hjh Rafiah added that not only was it important for universities to obtain accreditation, but also for students to get into the right accredited university that was suitable for them.

The managing director said it was "excellent and alarming" to see the response of students who visited the fair.

"This shows that there is more interest now from students to study in the UK. I suppose because the population is increasing every year, more people are now open to studying abroad," she said.

A representative from HRD Services Global Education Link Dr Smita Wimmer said: "This is the third year that we are running an education exhibition at this time of the year."

"The exhibition provides a perfect platform for evaluating course options, and more importantly, an opportunity to meet university staff personally to gain further insight into the course and new developments in their chosen field," she added.

She added that it was important for students to make informed decisions about their final course selection, rather than "drifting" into a programme without having an understanding.

"There is currently a strong interest in widening tertiary education participation in Brunei and human resources development is a key issue in the development of the nation. The students in Brunei have excellent career options upon graduating."-- Courtesy of The Brunei Times

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