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EDUCATION
follows a different pathway. Students enroll into
Pearson Business and Technology Education
Council Programme which gears students towards
vocational and technical education. Students
with special needs and learning difficulties have
a curriculum adapted to their abilities based on
the individualised education plan and remedial
education plan.
Government aid and scholarship
opportunities
The MoE provides scholarships for talented and
qualified students to pursue higher education
through its Government Scholarship Scheme
to study abroad, whether to pursue their First
Degree, Master, Professional or PhD.
Aside from the Government Scholarship
Scheme, students are able to study abroad
through the Government Education Loan
Scheme (SBPP). If a recipient successfully
graduates with a First Class (Honours), the loan
is treated as a scholarship, and the recipient is
not required to repay the loan.
Other scholarships available include the
prestigious Yayasan Sultan’s Scholarship
scheme, offered by Yayasan Sultan Haji
Hassanal Bolkiah (YSHHB) for the highest
achievers in the country. Bruneians also have
the opportunity of obtaining a scholarship
under the Ministry of Defence to study at the
world’s top and renowned universities. The
scholarship is aimed to develop outstanding
leaders who will contribute to the nation’s
defence and security. With the various
government aid and scholarship opportunities,
Brunei Darussalam strives to realise its Vision
2035 for an educated, highly skilled and
successful society.
Highlights on some outstanding public
and private academic institutions
Several academic institutions in the country
have achieved notable milestones over the
past year. One of them is Universiti Brunei
Darussalam (UBD), entering the Times Higher
Education (THE) World University Rankings for
the very first time with a global position in the
401 to 500 band. UBD is now the fourth-ranked
university in ASEAN, internationally recognised
for excellence in teaching and research.
In addition, UBD’s focus on novel and impactful
research with practical applications has
begun to show results. To date, UBD has filed
58 patents in various geographies including
the United States. Some of the patents have
resulted in commercialisation, such as the
licensing of a patent on anti-bacterial and anti-
fungal photo-catalytic coating to Smart Coating
Technologies (B) Sdn Bhd.
Meanwhile, Universiti Teknologi Brunei (UTB)
has improved its position in the newly published
2020 Quacquarelli Symonds World University
Rankings (QSWUR): Asia at 137. UTB has risen
44 places from its previous position, making
UTB among the top 25 per cent in the ranking.
This achievement follows an equally remarkable
accomplishment where UTB was ranked at
379 globally based on the QSWUR 2020. UTB
is the only university in the country rated
Five Star by QS. With regards to research
projects, UTB actively collaborates with its
partner universities in the areas of disaster
management, artificial intelligence, blockchain
and Internet of things.
Institute of Brunei Technical Education
(IBTE), on the other hand, achieved the ISO
21001:2018 management system for educational
organisations. The IBTE Jefri Bolkiah Campus
has been recognised as an Offshore Petroleum
Industry Training Organisation (OPITO)-approved
training centre to run International Minimum
Industry Safety Training (IMIST) courses.
On January 23, 2019, an agreement was signed
between LiveWIRE Brunei and IBTE Agro-
Technology Campus to support the development
of agropreneurs in Brunei. Approximately 10
hectares of paddy fields at the IBTE Agro-
Technology Campus have been designated for
paddy production.
Laksamana College of Business (LCB) has
also achieved several milestones in 2019. The
private academic institution launched the LCB
Incuvation Centre as a workspace for aspiring
entrepreneurs and new start-ups to get their
business dreams off the ground.
LCB Culinary School, the first of its kind in
Brunei, was officially launched in March
2019 to train students who aspire to become
proficient in local and international cuisines.
Located just beside the LCB building, the
Culinary School is designed to provide
an authentic and professional culinary
environment.