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Borneo Bulletin Yearbook 2019
EDUCATION
The Ministry of Education aims to achieve students’ fullest
potential by providing high quality and holistic education
to all. This is in line with Brunei’s Vision 2035, in which
the ministry has developed a vision of ‘Quality Education,
Dynamic Nation’ to meet future challenges in an ever-
changing world.
In the SPN21 education system, the ministry dictates a
minimum of 12 years of compulsory education for every child.
This includes seven years in primary education inclusive of
one year in pre-school and five years in secondary education.
Formal schooling begins at pre-school level at the age of
five. From the age of six, students follow six years of primary
education. Then they proceed to secondary level and will
have a common curriculum. At the end of Year 6, they will sit
for the primary school assessment.
Secondary (tertiary) education is divided into lower
secondary level and upper secondary level. Lower
secondary level covers two years of common curriculum,
Year 7 and Year 8. At the end of Year 8, students sit for
the student progress examination. Based on the student
progress assessment, students will be channeled into one
of the following programmes for the upper secondary level:
General Secondary Education Programme, which is Express
(two years) or Normal (three years), the Applied Secondary
Education Programme (three years), and the Special Applied
Programme (three years).
In the general secondary education programme and applied
secondary education programme, students sit for the Brunei
Cambridge General Certificate of Education ‘O’ level and
International General Certificate of Secondary Examination.
In the special applied programme, students will enroll into
PEARSON Business and Technology Education Council
Programme which gears to Vocational and Technical
Education.