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DAY 8 MORNING

For Informational Purposes Only

13TH MARCH 2023 - MORNING​

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(The meeting began at 9.30 am)

Deputy Clerk​

In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful, the First Meeting of the Nineteenth Session of the National Assembly is convened for the eighth day, Monday, 20th of Syaaban 1444H, corresponding to the 13th of March 2023M, preceded by a Prayer of Safety.

PRAYER OF SAFETY​

The Prayer of Safety was recited by the Reverend Begawan Pehin Khatib Dato Paduka Awang Haji Emran bin Haji Kunchang. (Imam of Omar 'Ali Saifuddien Mosque).

ASSEMBLY MEETING​

Your Honorable Speaker​

By the grace and permission of Allah, we are able to gather here this morning for the eighth day of the First Meeting of the Nineteenth Session of the National Assembly.

Blessings and peace be upon the Great Prophet Muhammad, his family, companions, and followers who remain faithful until the end of time.

Honorable Members. The National Assembly Meeting is still discussing the Supply Bill (2023) and the proposed 2023/2024 Budget, which was proposed by the Honorable Minister in the Prime Minister's Department and the Minister of Finance and Economy II.

To enable us to continue our further proceedings in examining and discussing the topics contained in this Bill, I would like to adjourn this National Assembly Meeting and convene as a Committee.

(The National Assembly Meeting is adjourned) (The meeting continues as a Committee)

Your Honorable Chairman​

Your Honorable Members. The House is now in committee to consider the Supply Bill (2023) for the year 2023/2024, which has been proposed by Your Honorable Minister in the Prime Minister's Department and the Second Minister of Finance and Economy. Before this Committee Meeting resumes to discuss the topic of the Ministry of Education, I understand that some of Your Honorable Members have informed that some of their questions have not been answered or have not been fully explained by Your Honorable Members.

Therefore, I would like to advise those Your Honorable Members that it would be better if they submit their unanswered or partially answered questions in writing.

This will enable the concerned Your Honorable Members to answer the questions clearly and systematically in writing. As we know, one of the strengths of our Parliamentary system is that Cabinet Ministers themselves are present in this House and Cabinet Ministers are ready to answer questions about the direction of their respective ministries and especially about the Budgets of their Ministries.

I think it is not wrong if they write to them and the relevant questions are answered fully. I advise that this matter can be resolved openly and will not be repeated in the coming years.

I believe that it is impossible for these ministers to answer every question in this House accurately. I understand that I have also sat in the Cabinet and I feel that it is impossible for a minister to know in-depth from A to Z what is happening in his ministry.

Certainly, it requires the help of his officers to explain some things that may be misunderstood or not seen by him, as we are all human. So, with our understanding of our respective positions, I think we can resolve this matter thoroughly.

Your Honorable Members. Your Honorable Minister in the Prime Minister's Department and the Second Minister of Defense would like to make a statement or further answers to some questions from Your Honorable Members that have not been answered. This is also a way for the questions asked to be answered in this House.

Please proceed, Your Honorable.

Your Honorable Menteri di Jabatan Perdana Menteri dan Menteri Pertahanan II​

Thank you, Your Honorable Speaker بسم هللا الرحمن الرحيم

Thank you for the opportunity given by Your Honorable Speaker for me to add to the answer to the question presented by Your Honorable Awang Haji Mohd. Salleh bin Haji Othman on Saturday, 11th March 2023 in the morning session regarding the issue of human trafficking.

Firstly, I would like to express my gratitude for the question raised by Your Honorable regarding cases of human trafficking where victims are involved in drug-related scams on social media or cyber platforms, or other similar situations involving Brunei Darussalam citizens outside the country. Essentially, this question involves two different criminal issues, namely human trafficking and drug smuggling through drug mules.

Allow me to provide an explanation first regarding the issue of drug mules. The last case involving Brunei Darussalam citizens recruited as drug mules was in 2009. Since then, the Narcotics Control Bureau (BKN) and other law enforcement agencies have taken appropriate action to increase public awareness and provide guidance to students, parents and guardians, and the public on the modus operandi of international syndicates through briefings, promotions in print and electronic media, distribution of brochures, displaying posters in strategic locations, and others.

With the Whole of Nation Approach, the country has not recorded any cases of local residents being used as drug mules outside the country, especially due to fraud on social or cyber platforms.

Furthermore, regarding the issue of human trafficking, this crime is different from drug mules as it involves the exploitation of foreign workers or victims who are brought into certain countries without their consent.

In this regard, a committee has been established to address the issue of human trafficking, namely the National Committee for Anti-Trafficking in Persons, chaired by the Prime Minister's Department, whose members consist of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Home Affairs, the Attorney General's Office, the Royal Brunei Police Force, the Royal Customs and Excise Department, the Immigration and National Registration Department, the Department of Labor, and the Department of Community Development.

At present, there are 2 cases of human trafficking that are undergoing prosecution. The issue of human trafficking and activities of drug abuse and distribution in Brunei Darussalam or those involving international drug syndicates are considered serious by the Government of His Majesty the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam.

Therefore, the Royal Brunei Police Force, Narcotics Control Bureau, and other security and enforcement agencies will continue to monitor information and trends of criminal activities such as drug smuggling and trafficking, as well as human trafficking through cooperation with peer agencies at regional and international levels if there are cases involving Brunei Darussalam citizens.

That is all, Your Honorable Speaker, that I, myself, can convey in answering the question from Your Honorable.

Thank you, Your Honorable Speaker.

Your Honorable Speaker​

Now, I invite Your Honorable Minister at the Prime Minister's Office and Second Minister of Finance and Economy. Please.

Your Honorable Minister at the Prime Minister's Office and Second Minister of Finance and Economy​

Thank you, Your Honorable Speaker. السالم .عليكم ورحمة هللا وبركاته

I, myself, would like to express my gratitude to Your Honorable Speaker for allowing me to answer some questions that have been raised by Your Honorable Pehin Orang Kaya Laila Setia Dato Seri Setia Awang Haji Abdul Rahman bin Haji Ibrahim and Your Honorable Pehin Orang Kaya Johan Pahlawan Dato Seri Setia Awang Haji Adanan bin Begawan Pehin Siraja Khatib Dato Seri Setia Haji Mohd Yusuf, which I have not had the opportunity to answer before.

Firstly, there is a question from Your Honorable Pehin Orang Kaya Laila Setia Awang Haji Abdul Rahman bin Haji Ibrahim regarding the number of youths who have ventured into entrepreneurship and also data on the business categories they are involved in.

According to the latest statistics from the Companies Registry and Business Names Division (ROCBN) at the Ministry of Finance and Economy, there are a total of 20,147 youths who have ventured into entrepreneurship as business owners or sole proprietors or even partnership. In terms of the business categories they are involved in, most of them are in retail trade or wholesale trade and also mostly in food and beverages.

In terms of youths involving themselves as company directors, most of them are also in the construction sector, retail, wholesale trade, and also repair of motor vehicles. So, involvement as shareholders in companies is also mostly in the construction sector, rental, leasing, food and beverages.

However, these statistics do not include unregistered businesses that operate informally through social media platforms such as Facebook or Instagram, as well as those that sell in cube shops.

The second question from Your Honorable Pehin Orang Kaya Laila Setia Dato Seri Setia Awang Haji Abdul Rahman bin Haji Ibrahim is regarding the assistance provided by the ministry and other government agencies to individuals who want to venture into entrepreneurship or explore new fields, including IT.

I am pleased to share that through Darussalam Enterprise or (DARe), several initiatives have been provided, such as the Accelerate Bootcamp, which is a development program to help early-stage or start-up businesses grow by leveraging technology, increasing investment, and building innovative business models.

There is also a platform called DARe LINKS, which forms a business-to-business portal that offers opportunities for local Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) to supply goods and services to large companies in the country. In addition, there is also a platform under iCentre to provide incubation space and co-working facilities to encourage the emergence of new business ideas and strategies, especially among start-ups.

The Brunei Innovation Lab is also a platform established in collaboration with DARe, BSP, and Datastream Digital Sdn. Bhd. to drive the development of the country's innovation ecosystem, which is not only limited to information and communication technology but also innovation in overall technology development and technical skills development for local workers and entrepreneurs.

Furthermore, we also have the Energy Incubation Center, an initiative in collaboration between the Department of Energy, Prime Minister's Office, and DARe to provide an incubation program that offers suitable training programs, co-working spaces, guidance, and information on upcoming tender offers.

In addition, DARe has also helped generate investments of $4.31 million Brunei dollars from several local angel investors and regional venture capital through the Micro Bootcamp and Accelerate Bootcamp programs to help start-ups obtain business models.

For your information, from March 16 to March 19, 2023, DARe and BEDB will be holding an MSME Festival at Bridex, specifically to help MSMEs promote their products and services while obtaining information on business-related processes offered by 24 government and non-government agencies.

The third question posed by Your Honorable Pehin Orang Kaya Laila Setia Dato Seri Setia Awang Haji Abdul Rahman bin Haji Ibrahim is regarding the number of local businesses, especially those owned by Bumiputeras, that have successfully obtained loans from Bank Usahawan and what assistance the bank has provided in enhancing the skills of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs).

To answer the question, as of now, Bank Usahawan has provided financing amounting to approximately $23 million to 515 Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs). Out of this amount, around 453 or almost 90% of the businesses are owned by Bumiputeras. Apart from financial assistance, Bank Usahawan also provides advice and guidance to MSMEs, especially on basic business and entrepreneurship matters or Business and Entrepreneur Basics and Fundamentals that are necessary for the MSMEs or entrepreneurs to know. Bank Usahawan has and will continue to collaborate with parties such as DARe and related agencies.

Among the initiatives that have been implemented include offering grant schemes to MSMEs. Bank Usahawan also receives customer references or client references from DARe and other initiatives.

Regarding the question on the increase in allocation from $309,000 to $7.5 million in Program 002-226 Treasury Department Revenue Management. This increase in allocation is due to the transfer of allocation for IT system maintenance from Title SD01A - Ministry of Finance and Economy to Title SD05A - Treasury Department, which is to finance the TAFIS One Common Billing System and e-Payment Gateway licenses that are controlled under the Treasury Department.

For everyone's information, these systems are used to further facilitate government revenue collection for government agencies that do not have their own revenue collection systems, where previously revenue collection from these agencies was done manually and less efficiently.

With these systems, revenue collection is more organized, efficient and recorded in real-time, where reconciliation will also be carried out automatically through these systems. At the same time, with these systems, it will also be able to reduce revenue arrears issues.

I would like to answer a question posed by Your Honorable Pehin Orang Kaya Johan Pahlawan Dato Seri Setia Awang Haji Adanan bin Begawan Pehin Siraja Khatib Dato Seri Setia Haji Mohd. Yusuf, which is to review the annual business license rates.

To answer the proposed question by Your Honorable, the Ministry of Finance and Economy is aware of the importance of annual business licenses in various aspects, especially in terms of rates, affordability for local traders, enforcement, and the Ministry of Finance and Economy will discuss with several relevant agencies to examine this matter.

The second question from Your Honorable Pehin Orang Kaya Johan Pahlawan Dato Seri Setia Awang Haji Adanan bin Begawan Pehin Siraja Khatib Dato Seri Setia Haji Mohd. Yusuf is regarding the Key Performance Indicator (KPI) reported in the budget under Title SD05A - Treasury Department.

I am pleased to explain that the KPI in question is to measure the percentage reduction in arrears. Therefore, the set target must be increased to show a reduction in government arrears from year to year.

For your information, as of December 31, 2022, the Treasury Department has exceeded its target by successfully reducing arrears by 3% compared to arrears from the 2021/2022 Financial Year, from $731.6 million to $712.5 million.

In this regard, the government will continuously examine measures and initiatives to strengthen and enhance the management of government revenue collection to meet the needs of government spending.

I would like to answer the two questions or proposals from Your Honorable Pehin Orang Kaya Laila Setia Dato Seri Setia Awang Haji Abd Rahman bin Haji Ibrahim and Your Honorable Pehin Orang Kaya Johan Pahlawan Dato Seri Setia Awang Haji Adanan bin Begawan Pehin Siraja Khatib Dato Seri Setia Haji Mohd Yusuf regarding the Brunei Darussalam Central Bank.

The proposal from Your Honorable for the regulators and players in the banking sector to reduce loan interest rates to stimulate the country's economic activity. Generally, I would like to answer on behalf of the Brunei Darussalam Central Bank, the financing rates offered by banks are determined by each individual bank based on various criteria.

In addition, the determination of these financing rates also takes into account the cost structure of each bank in administering banking operations. At the same time, the Brunei Darussalam Central Bank has also conducted a study to examine the financing rates offered by banks to the corporate and SME sectors.

Based on the study, particularly on financing for the corporate sector in the past 4 years from 2019 to 2022, the interest rates commonly given ranged from 5% to 6%. In 2018, the interest rates given for corporate financing were mostly from 6% to 7%. There was a decrease from 6% to 7% in 2018 to 5% to 6% from 2019/2022.

As for the MSME sector, in the past 2 years from 2021 to 2022, the pro-rata interest rate is between 5.9% to 6.2%. The lowest rate recorded in 2022 is 3.4%, a decrease from 3.7% in 2021, while the highest is 9.6%, a decrease from 9.9% in 2021.

Lastly, a question from Your Honorable Pehin Orang Kaya Johan Pahlawan Dato Seri Setia Awang Haji Adanan bin Begawan Pehin Siraja Khatib Dato Seri Setia Haji Mohd Yusuf suggested that regulators should be more flexible in encouraging financial institutions to truly help and facilitate financial loans to companies, especially MSMEs.

In general, to answer this question, the Brunei Darussalam Central Bank (BDCB) does not have any regulations to restrict banks from providing any loans to companies such as MSMEs.

Borrowers with a net monthly salary below $1750.00 are exempted from the Total Debt Service Ratio (TDSR) rule to ensure they have access to financing according to the discretion of the bank or financial institution.

In October 2015, the Brunei Darussalam Central Bank provided flexibility on the Total Debt Service Ratio (TDSR) notice, especially for traders where non-fixed income such as rental income and other business income can be taken into account in the calculation of net monthly income subject to certain conditions.

On August 10, 2017, BDCB amended the Total Debt Service Ratio (TDSR) notice and allowed those banks, including Perbadanan TAIB, to increase the TDSR limit from 60% to 70% specifically for financing the construction or purchase of properties such as houses. Starting from November 9, 2017, TDSR for borrowers with a net salary exceeding $10,000 was given flexibility to exceed the 60% limit.

However, this is subject to the internal policy of the bank, as well as fully secured financing loans and mortgage equity loans. That is all that I can answer for the question asked. Thank you.

Your Honorable Speaker​

Thank you to the two honorable ministers for the additional information provided.

Honorable Members. As we are aware, on the past Saturday, the Committee Meeting began discussing the Ministry of Education's topic, in which the Honorable Minister of Education has completed his introduction on the direction in preparing the Ministry of Education's budget and its institutions for the Financial Year 2023/2024.

Honorable Members, with me here is a list of names of Honorable Members, particularly those who have given early notice to participate in discussing this Ministry of Education topic. I will start by inviting the Honorable Awang Abdul Aziz bin Haji Hamdan.

Your Honorable Awang Abdul Aziz bin Haji Hamdan​

Thank you, Your Honorable Speaker. In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. Assalamualaikum Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh.

I would like to congratulate and thank the Honorable Minister of Education for his informative introduction on the direction and planning for the progress of the education system in Brunei Darussalam, which was explained last Saturday, 11th March 2023.

On this occasion, I would like to express my gratitude to the teachers for their service in educating the children of our nation, including myself, who have benefited from the sacrifices of the teachers and have had the opportunity to be in this honorable Parliament as an Honorable Member.

  1. I would like to touch on the topic of SF01A - the Ministry of Education Department regarding the participation of students in the Celebration of the Birthday of His Majesty the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam for the Royal Audience and Meet and Greet with the people and residents.

    The participation of school students, especially for special performances in front of His Majesty the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam, is important as a platform to create a sense of loyalty and obedience to the king.

    In this regard, I suggest that the Ministry of Education can incorporate the participation of school students in national and state events as a special subject towards enhancing the sense of belonging among students;

  2. Regarding students from Year 1 to Year 7 who are categorized in special education, where the learning system uses a combination of sound words, namely KGBK, and will be incorporated into formal education with other students starting from Year 8 to face the SPE student search examination.

    Your Honorable, Kaola would like to know the effectiveness of the KGBK learning program and whether there are other methods such as skill learning that can be used in special education besides KGBK?

  3. Your Honorable, Kaola would like to touch on the topic of SF04A - Universiti Teknologi Brunei regarding the courses offered. There are issues raised by students regarding courses in the petroleum field. Kaola understands that these courses have been temporarily suspended due to the contract of the lecturer in charge ending. Students are given the option to either wait for a new lecturer or take another course.

    This issue could affect UTB's reputation as a top-notch institution. Kaola believes that the process of placing new lecturers to replace the expired contract lecturers should be carefully examined and given due attention so that the courses are not disrupted or halted.

  4. Your Honorable, touching on the matter of Special Education Needs Assistance (SENA). It was introduced in 1994 under the Prime Minister's Department with the aim of providing inclusive education. As of June 1, 2021, SENA is now under the Ministry of Education and is placed under the Department of Special Education. SENA teachers for the first group have completed their training in the Special Education Certificate Course in 1997. Kaola understands that this course is no longer offered at Universiti Brunei Darussalam. Kaola would like to know what efforts and plans the ministry has to increase the number of SENA teachers to meet the needs of schools, including religious schools in Brunei Darussalam. Thank you.

Your Honorable Menteri Pendidikan​

Thank you, Your Honorable Speaker. First, Kaola seeks permission from Your Honorable to provide explanations to the questions that have been raised.

Assalamualaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh. In the name of Allah, I begin.

Kaola would like to express gratitude to Your Honorable Awang Abdul Aziz bin Haji Hamdan for the questions that have been presented, which are four in number:

  1. Regarding the first question, Kaola would like to suggest the inclusion of school students in national and patriotic events as a special subject to further enhance their sense of belonging. The sense of belonging is a reflection of good morals and pure values, which are already taught in the Malay Islamic Monarchy subject that focuses on the students themselves. In this subject, students are required to have at least five (5) responsibilities:

    1. Responsibility towards oneself;
    2. Responsibility towards family;
    3. Responsibility towards neighbors and community;
    4. Responsibility towards school; and
    5. Responsibility towards the country.

    It must be made a practice and culture in daily life. Therefore, the proposal to involve school students in national events is highly encouraged as it is a translation of these pure values.

    In this regard, I would like to share that more than 15,000 students were involved in events in conjunction with the Celebration of the 76th Birthday of His Majesty the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam last year in 2022, and nearly 4,000 students participated in the 39th National Day Celebration.

    In addition, the spirit of 'togetherness' or sense of belonging is also instilled through extracurricular activities or CCA such as singing the national anthem during morning assemblies and several other CCA activities such as briefing events conducted with certain stakeholders.

  2. KGBK or the Combined Word Sound Method KGBK for special needs students.

    In planning the Individual Education Plan (IEP), teachers can refer to the Special Education Curriculum Book which covers several domains. These domains include academic basics, readiness to learn, communication, fine motor skills, social communication motor skills, emotions, and self-management.

    Meanwhile, the Combined Sound Word Method or KGBK learning is one of the strategies to help students learn in terms of literacy skills. Actually, besides KGBK, there are several other methods such as phonics, look and say, alphabet, and syllable methods.

    Actually, students with special needs do not necessarily have to follow the special education pathway because students with special needs can be classified into 5 priority levels, namely:

    1. Very mild or PL 1
    2. Mild
    3. Moderate
    4. Severe
    5. Profound or Multiple Diagnosis

    If Priority Level 1 to 2, or even 3 sometimes, they can follow the general curriculum and only those in Priority Level 4 and 5 will follow special education. That is why special education students follow the curriculum until Year 8 to strengthen their literacy and numeracy skills.

    Regarding Universiti Teknologi Brunei, there are issues where lecturers have ended their contracts. This question refers to the BEng Petroleum Engineering program where some lecturers have not renewed their contracts, maybe two people.

    Actually, the BEng Petroleum Engineering program is still being offered and they will complete their studies until graduation. It is true that some lecturers did not renew their contracts, but UTB has replaced them by taking temporary lecturers through the Locum Tenen Scheme and also recruiting new lecturers. InshaAllah, this will not affect the students' learning.

    Regarding this offer, if they agree to be transferred to BEng Energy Engineering, there is actually a new program that will be offered to replace BEng Petroleum Engineering, namely BEng Energy Engineering, but it is not necessary for students in petroleum engineering to move there. If they want to, they can move, but if they still want to follow BEng Petroleum Engineering, they can stay.

  3. Regarding the SENA Special Education teachers, what is the ministry's plan to increase the number of SENA teachers to meet the needs of schools, including religious schools in Brunei Darussalam?

    The Ministry of Education will continue to recruit special education teachers through the trainee program at the Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah Institute of Education (SHBIE), Universiti Brunei Darussalam, which offers a Master of Teaching with a specialization in Special Education. Candidates who wish to participate in the trainee program for special education will be directed to this program.

    The second initiative is the recruitment of teachers at the G1 level. Previously, it was the G13 level that required a degree. In addition, teachers are also recruited at the G8 and G3 levels. For the G1 level, it is shared here that 45 teachers have been appointed.

    The Special Education Department will collaborate with Universiti Brunei Darussalam to provide a Diploma in Education program for those who do not have a degree. They will participate in a BESPOKE Diploma in Education program, which is specially designed for these teachers to obtain certification to be recognized as certified special education or SENA teachers.

    Among the existing teachers, the Special Education Department has another initiative to train and encourage them to become special education teachers. For this purpose, the Special Education Department will collaborate with the Brunei Darussalam Leadership and Teacher Academy to provide appropriate courses.

    I would like to share that currently, there are 22 teacher trainees through the Trainee Program in Cohorts 3 and 4 who are pursuing a Master of Teaching degree in Special Education at the Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah Institute of Education, and they will increase the number of existing special education teachers. That's all, Your Honorable Speaker. Thank you.

Your Honorable Chairman​

Saya persilakan sekarang Your Honorable Awang Haji Mohamad Danial @Tekpin bin Ya’akub.

Your Honorable Speaker​

I now invite Your Honorable Mr. Haji Mohamad Danial @Tekpin bin Ya'akub.

Your Honorable Mr. Haji Mohamad Danial @Tekpin bin Ya'akub​

Thank you, Your Honorable. In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful, peace be upon you. Your Honorable Speaker and may Allah's blessings be upon you. I, myself, express my highest praise to the Minister of Education for delivering a clear and concise opening speech. I hope that whatever is planned, God willing, can be achieved successfully.

Your Honorable Speaker. I would like to ask 3 questions as follows:

  1. I am speaking on Topic SA01E - Ministry of Education Department with issues raised by teachers and educators regarding the pressure they face due to the shortage of teachers. This is not a new issue and has been raised in this House during previous sessions.

    The issue of teachers being burdened with teaching tasks and a tight schedule, as well as administrative work including managing school equipment and logistics, can affect the quality of education provided by teachers.

    Your Honorable Minister of Education, what efforts and plans does the ministry have to address the issue of teacher shortages and workload? Furthermore, I suggest that non-teaching tasks such as administration, supervision of school property, and the like should be delegated to supporting staff as an effort to provide opportunities for teachers to focus solely on teaching tasks.

  2. I would also like to address the issue raised regarding the function and role of the Facilities and HSSE Division for the Disposal and Estimates Division, Ministry of Education. I understand that this unit is facing a workload beyond its capacity due to a shortage of staff. I understand that only 4 staff members are assigned to carry out disposal tasks in schools for the Brunei Muara District under the Ministry of Education.

  3. It is noted that English language teachers who have been provided through the Centre for British Teachers (CFBT) for the Ministry of Education have exceeded 20 years. During this time, what benefits or impacts have been obtained by students in terms of improving the achievement of students in English language, especially in the BGCE 'O' Level public examination?

  4. Your Honorable Minister of Education, I would like to know how many CFBT teachers are still serving in schools at this time? And what is the total cost to place the services of these CFBT teachers? I would also like to inquire if there are plans to replace these CFBT teachers with local teachers or teachers from abroad on a contractual basis.

Thank you and I look forward to your clarification on this matter.

Your Honorable Menteri Pendidikan​

Thank you, Your Honorable. There are 4 questions:

  1. To address the issue of teacher workload and shortage, the Ministry of Education has provided guidelines for schools to follow through their school leaders. For teachers who carry out administrative tasks, they are given a lighter workload compared to other teachers, teaching only 10 to 16 periods per week, equivalent to 5 to 8 hours per week.

    In addition, the Ministry of Education has implemented the Ideal Number of Teachers in School (INOT) initiative and right-sizing of classes to ensure that the teacher-student ratio in each school is maximized with appropriate workload and tasks.

    At the same time, the Ministry of Education will continue to recruit new teachers and educators every year through the Trainee Teacher Program or by replacing CFBT teachers.

    Immersi, if there are still qualified candidates who wish to become teachers by completing the Initial Teacher Preparation or Master of Teaching program, and God willing, for Cohort 5, it will be opened this year.

    Based on the data available, the Immersi and Trainee Teacher programs started in 2019, and for the first cohort alone, 29 educators have received their monthly salary, and 40 trainees. This is only for 2019, not including 2020, 2021, and 2022. The number of trainee candidates may decrease as those who have completed their Master of Teaching decrease, so those interested in becoming educators will follow the Trainee Teacher Program.

  2. Regarding the membership of the HSSE Unit in the Ministry of Education, there are currently 16 officers, including 4 i-Ready personnel, serving in the HSSE Division, Brunei Muara District Office. Meanwhile, there are also 16 officers and staff in the Disposal Unit, representing all four districts.

    For Your Honorable's information, the division and unit are currently assisted by HSSE representatives and teachers assigned to disposal tasks from each school, not just those who will monitor, but also representatives from the school level. Therefore, the ministry has no plans to increase the number of officers and staff in the relevant division and unit.

  3. Regarding CFBT. What is its impact in the English language, especially in the GCE 'O' Level public examination? Actually, CFBT has been established in the Ministry of Education since 1985, approaching four decades, and what are the outcomes of this initiative to bring native speakers as part of the responsible English language teachers?

    It is undeniable that literacy proficiency, both in the Malay language and English language subjects, at the primary and secondary school levels is crucial and will continue to be a priority of the Ministry of Education to ensure that our students achieve the appropriate level of proficiency in both languages. Bringing in English language teachers is one of the initiatives of the Ministry of Education to ensure that this goal is achieved.

    What is the impact in terms of their GCE 'O' Level achievements? Actually, I have data here showing the results of BGCE 'O' Level for school candidates that have been plotted in a graph since 1999. However, it is not clear to see here, but after this, I will share it with Your Honorable.

    If we look at the students' achievements from 1999, where 11.86% of students obtained credit in English in the GCE 'O' Level, and what has happened after several decades later, in 2001, it has increased to 73.57%, these are schools under the Ministry of Education.

    Alhamdulillah, there is a combination of CFBT and local teachers that have contributed to this increase. This increase is not solely due to CFBT teachers because their numbers are small compared to local English language teachers. Therefore, credit is given to local teachers because they have collaborated with CFBT to produce such results.

  4. How many CFBT teachers are there this year? It is almost 200 people. If exact, it is 196-197 people, but the quota is 200 people, and this contract will end this year. Actually, there has been a decrease from 2015 to 2020, a decrease of 24% in the number of CFBT teachers. That's all to answer the four questions of Your Honorable Speaker. Thank you.

Your Honorable Chairman​

I would like to invite Your Honorable Mr. Mohammad bin Abdullah @ Lim Swee Ann.

Your Honorable Awang Mohammad bin Abdullah @ Lim Swee Ann​

Thank you, Your Honorable Speaker. In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful, peace be upon you. First of all, I would like to express my gratitude for the opening remarks by the Honorable Minister of Education. I find it clear and comprehensive about the aspirations and efforts to improve the quality of education in the country and to be recognized globally.

Your Honorable Speaker, I would like to raise three questions under the topic SF01A - Ministry of Education.

  1. I am concerned about the closure of schools due to a lack of students, especially those with historical value that can be passed down to future generations, such as the Orang Kaya Pemancha Berandai Primary School in Kampung Bukit Sawat, Belait District, which was established in 1932 and closed in 2021.

    Therefore, I would like to request clarification from the Ministry of Education on how to preserve the value of such schools.

    In addition, I suggest that a roundtable discussion be held with grassroots leaders and relevant parties to obtain their views and find the best solution. If possible, any unused schools could be handed over to those in need, such as the Village and Community Consultative Councils, to be used as activity centers or galleries for the residents.

  2. Does the Ministry of Education have plans to build a permanent building at Merangking Primary School, considering it is the only school in the Bukit Sawat area?

    For your information, Merangking Primary School was built in 1962, making it 61 years old. The condition of the school building is old as 80% of it is made of wood, and every year the school has to apply for repairs as the body and floor of the school are often eaten by termites, even though there are already contractors to handle it.

    In addition, the prayer room is insufficient to accommodate all teachers and students if they need to pray in the prayer room. The Principal's Afternoon Room is also forced to be combined with the religious teacher's lounge because there is no sufficient special room for them.

    The school has applied for a teacher's house to be used as a prayer room and an afternoon religious teacher's lounge, but with the absence of a connecting bridge and walkway from the school to the teacher's house, it is very difficult for students and teachers to commute.

  3. Regarding the duties and workload of teachers in the Belait District, it is related to the issue of activities outside of school hours when attending workshops, courses, and meetings held in Bandar Seri Begawan.

    Basically, the distance from Pekan Belait to Bandar Seri Begawan takes 1 hour and 30 minutes, subject to road conditions, with a travel distance of approximately 100 kilometers. Imagine how much time is needed for the round trip. Kaola also understands that there is no mileage allowance provided to teachers who are involved and use their own vehicles.

    For the consideration of the ministry, Kaola is pleased to suggest that any workshops or short courses involving the participation of teachers in the Belait District in large groups, be held in the same district or any nearby location.

    And the method of virtual meetings through Zoom is one of the suitable approaches to exclude teachers from attending physically, considering that sometimes meetings only take 10 to 15 minutes. Thank you, Your Honorable Speaker.

Your Honorable Menteri Pendidikan​

Thank you, Your Honorable Awang Mohammad bin Abdullah @ Lim Swee Ann.

  1. The first question is regarding the Orang Kaya Pemancha Berandai Primary School in Bukit Sawat, which was merged with the Merangking Primary School on March 27, 2021. At that time, in 2020, the student population at the Orang Kaya Pemancha Berandai Primary School in Bukit Sawat was only 7 students, with 9 teachers, and if I am not mistaken, only 4 students attended the religious school in the afternoon.

    Under the initiative of the Ministry of Education to restructure small-sized primary schools, the Orang Kaya Pemancha Berandai Primary School in Bukit Sawat was merged with the Merangking Primary School, which is only 3 kilometers away. It was merged because the activities that would be very limited for students, such as learning skills of the 21st century, such as communication, collaboration, discussion, presentation, and so on.

    If there were only 7 students, they would not be in one class but across various levels, which means that it would be a challenge for teachers and especially for the students themselves to further enhance their 21st-century skills. The second is the implementation of co-curricular activities because the number is too small, so co-curricular activities will be very limited. We also realize the importance of preserving these historical values.

    Therefore, the ministry will discuss and collaborate with relevant parties, including Your Honorable, especially on how to maintain the history of the school.

    Actually, before the decision was made to merge these two schools, several meetings and discussions were held almost a year before the decision was made to merge the schools so that we can all be happy with whatever decision we make.

    The second is the condition of the Merangking Primary School. As Your Honorable mentioned earlier, it needs improvement, and God willing, this matter will be given due attention.

  2. The second is the condition of the Merangking Primary School. As Your Honorable mentioned earlier, it needs improvement, and God willing, this matter will be given due attention.

  3. Thirdly, workshops or short courses in Belait. Thank you, Your Honorable, for the suggestion regarding workshops involving teachers in the Belait District.

    Currently, there are plans to hold them either in the Belait District or in the Tutong District to facilitate the travel arrangements of the teachers involved, God willing. And for any meetings or workshops that can be conducted online, they will be done online, except for activities or workshops that involve practical work, where the teachers will have to attend physically. God willing, these workshops will be implemented separately later, either centered in the Brunei-Muara District, God willing, or in the Tutong District.

Thank you, Your Honorable Speaker.

Your Honorable Speaker​

I now invite Your Honorable Pehin Orang Kaya Laila Setia Dato Seri Setia Awang Haji Abd. Rahman bin Haji Ibrahim.

Your Honorable Pehin Orang Kaya Laila Setia Dato Seri Setia Awang Haji Abd. Rahman bin Haji Ibrahim​

Thank you, Your Honorable Speaker, for allowing me to participate in this discussion, Your Honorable. In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful, peace be upon you and God's blessings.

Firstly, I would like to express my utmost gratitude to Your Honorable Minister of Education for sharing comprehensively and in detail about the achievements of the programs and projects that have been implemented thus far, as well as the focuses that will be implemented in the Financial Year 2023/2024.

Therefore, I would like to congratulate and applaud Your Honorable Minister of Education, the leaders, educators, and all members of the Ministry of Education for their virtuous efforts in improving the national education system as a whole.

The role of parents, guardians, and students themselves is also crucial in the success of these initiatives. Hopefully, with an efficient, effective, and transparent implementation and monitoring system, the Ministry of Education will be able to overcome all challenges and achieve the desired goals, إن شاء الل.

Your Honorable Speaker, I have several matters that I would like to address as follows:

I understand that COVID-19 has caused learning loss among some students. This is a problem that is not only specific to our country but also to the whole world. What is important is the way forward to address the challenges that lie ahead.

I observe that in terms of the performance of students in core education, namely the lower and middle levels, we are still far from reaching the set targets. We all know that the performance at this core education level will certainly shape the performance of students at the subsequent levels. I would like to ask some questions for clarification:

  1. What tracking system or monitoring system is used by the ministry to monitor and measure the performance of these schools? Does it also strengthen independent assessment from third parties to measure the significant impact on the ground? This includes feedback from school leaders, teachers, parents, and students themselves. If the performance of these schools is below the set targets, what intervention programs will be implemented to assist these schools and students?

  2. Of the 43.2% of candidates who obtained at least 5 'O' levels in 2022, has it been studied which subjects these students obtained? I think this is important because to move on to the next level or penetrate the job market, in addition to the subjects of Malay and English, it is necessary to have marketable subjects such as Maths, Science, Technology, Arts, to name a few.

  3. What efforts has the ministry made to further expand STEAM skills as recently mandated by His Majesty the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam?

Regarding the education ecosystem, I welcome the efforts of the Ministry of Education to generate an innovative education ecosystem. This initiative is in line with 21st-century learning where digitalization and the Fourth Industrial Revolution are at the forefront of the present and future. I congratulate and commend the ongoing efforts on this initiative.

Your Honorable Speaker. Regarding the Education ecosystem, I welcome the Ministry of Education's efforts to generate an innovative education ecosystem. This initiative is indeed in line with 21st-century learning where digitalization and the Fourth Industrial Revolution are at the forefront of the present and future. I congratulate and commend the ongoing efforts on this initiative.

In this aspect, I would like to ask two questions:

  1. Is our digitalization infrastructure available, sufficient, and ready? Kaola means not only in terms of network connectivity and hardware but also software. In other words, is our national education system existing and future-ready to meet the demands of our learners to be adaptable to this digitalization system so that they are always future-ready?

    To what extent have we provided national capacity building from the grassroots level and upwards to adapt ourselves to the standards of 21st-century education? For example, not only in terms of academics but also how our education system processes or blends our students' holistic thinking to include strategic, tactical, positive thinking, and openness in learning without neglecting and compromising the practice of our country's MIB.

Your Honorable Speaker. One of the important strategies for any country to eradicate poverty is through education. Although the Compulsory Education Act has been enforced, there are always some students from poor families who fail to attend school due to other family needs given priority. The question is:-

  1. What efforts has the Ministry of Education made to ensure that every resident within school age is truly attending their schooling as desired by the government through the Compulsory Education Act so that they are not left behind in the mainstream of education?

  2. Besides the financial assistance provided through the Welfare Assistance, Community Development Department, are there any more comprehensive strategies or programs to help these students attend their schooling? This is especially important for primary and lower secondary school students who need it as the foundation of their education.

    Examples of assistance that I mean include book loan schemes, lunch, hostels, and others. I am aware that the Ministry of Education has been allocated $1.5 million for this purpose, but is this allocation sufficient as it also involves students from the Ministry of Religious Affairs?

Furthermore, I would like to touch on Local Contract Teachers. If I am not mistaken, this program has been running for more than six years.

We have been informed that some of them have already been appointed to permanent positions and some have chosen other jobs. Therefore, I would like to get some clarification: -

  1. Are these selected teachers also given the task of being trainers for new teachers as originally intended for this position; and

  2. What types of training have been or will be given to the selected teachers to be appointed to this permanent position?

As a thought, as a capacity building and exposure step for these teachers, does the Ministry of Education have plans to place these teachers on attachment, for example, for a period of three months or more in government-owned private schools such as Jerudong International School (JIS) to learn teaching and learning methods in that institution.

Kaola suggests this matter because of its positive impact on students in terms of emphasizing and focusing on human development such as confidence building, positive thinking, more interactive personal development, and improving communication skills.

If we look at the student-teacher relationship and peer group in this institution, it is very prominent and encourages students to participate in extracurricular activities.

Kaola is not saying that this does not exist in other schools. In fact, there are excellent government schools in this category, but this institution has been recognized as one of the best boarding schools in the region.

Why don't we use the experience we have in our own country for the good and improvement of the education system as a whole, when it is easily available and accessible.

Furthermore, Kaola welcomes the efforts of the Ministry of Education to add a Centre of Excellence to accommodate the physical needs and facilities of special needs students. This matter has been raised by Honorable Members and some have been answered by the Honorable Minister of Education. ْلح ْمدُ ِ هلِل and congratulations.

However, Your Honorable, it is understood that the number of students requiring this service is increasing from year to year. I am aware that the Ministry of Education has already organized programs for the students involved.

I just want to request an explanation regarding the programs that have been implemented so far and what further programs will be implemented in the future. This explanation is necessary to help parents involved in planning for the needs of their children in this category.

The Honorable Minister of Education has already explained his ministry's efforts to increase the number of student teachers for Special Education.

In this regard, I also suggest that a special scheme for teachers for students with special needs be developed if it does not exist yet, so that it is commensurate with the expertise and responsibilities borne by these teachers who require special skills, patience, and high commitment in educating students with special needs.

I also tend to suggest that government scholarships should also include this field in addition to existing fields.

Lastly, as understood, His Majesty the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam has commanded to see that the Regular and Religious Education Scheme can be united under the same management so that educators can be integrated during school hours to meet the convenience of parents and guardians when sending and picking up their children from school. I just want to request clarification from the Ministry of Education on the following matters:-

  1. When will this change be implemented, Your Honorable?;
  2. What is the Ministry of Education's strategy to integrate this change so that stakeholders such as students, educators, and parents will be ready to embrace this virtuous effort, Your Honorable?; and
  3. Has preparation been made in terms of logistics, scheduling, and communication to ensure a smooth and orderly transition, Your Honorable?.

I believe that this issue can be complemented with a comprehensive improvement of the public transportation system, which will undoubtedly help and facilitate parents in confidently sending and picking up their children.

The impact will be significant in terms of reducing traffic congestion, improving the course of business, and increasing the productivity of civil servants and private sector workers.

I suggest that stakeholders such as the Prime Minister's Department, the Ministry of Religious Affairs, the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Transport and Communications, and others at least come together to discuss this issue so that there is an amicable formula that can be applied comprehensively.

Thank you very much. Once again, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Your Honorable Speaker for allowing me to participate in this discussion, thank you.

Your Honorable Speaker​

Honorable Members, I would like to propose that we adjourn this Committee Meeting for 20 minutes.

(The Committee Meeting takes a short break) (The Committee Meeting resumes)

Your Honorable Speaker​

Honorable Members, the Committee Meeting now resumes to consider the Supply Bill (2023) for the year 2023/2024, proposed by the Honorable Minister in the Prime Minister's Department and the Second Minister of Finance and Economy.

The Committee Meeting is still discussing the topic of the Ministry of Education and its related institutions.

Before we continue with the next discussion, I would like to give the floor to the Honorable Minister of Education to answer the questions raised by the Honorable Pehin Orang Kaya Laila Setia Dato Seri Setia Awang Haji Abdul Rahman bin Haji Ibrahim earlier before we took a break.

I now invite the Honorable Minister of Education to speak.

Your Honorable Minister of Education​

Thank you, Your Honorable Speaker, and also thank you to Your Honorable Pehin Orang Kaya Laila Setia Dato Seri Setia Awang Haji Abdul Rahman bin Haji Ibrahim for raising several questions. Your Honorable Pehin's questions are very valuable.

Insha'Allah, Your Honorable Speaker, I will try my best to answer.

  1. Regarding the issue of learning loss and what the way forward is, and whether we are still far from the target, and what monitoring system can measure the significant impact of the COVID-19 learning loss.

    To answer this, after 185 days of school closure, schools were reopened to lower-level students starting in April of last year, 2022, and what happened during that month, in May, the Ministry of Education conducted a student learning survey to monitor where they stand against the expected competency. Three core subjects were used to measure this competency, namely English, Mathematics, and Science.

    What I want to share here is that students from Year 1 to 6 and Year 7 to 11 have shown a very low level of achievement in terms of the expected competency for their standard.

    Very low, lower than the KPI results from data collected every year, and this is the reason why the Ministry of Education's priority has been formulated and changed to make learning loss a primary activity in any activities carried out by the Ministry of Education.

    If we look at the average for English, the highest is 32% for Year 4, which means it is lower than 34%, whereas if we look at it from our KPI, we expect the target of 80% of students to have reached their level, but after COVID-19, it is very frustrating. This is what actually happened.

  2. Regarding the subjects obtained during last year's 'O' Level examination.

    Praise be to Allah, the Ministry of Education has also analyzed the subjects that have improved their achievements and those that have declined.

    For the 'O' Level examination, if compared to the year 2021 where the examination was conducted online instead of physically.

    The most affected achievement is Combined Science, Malay Language, and Islamic Religious Knowledge, while other subjects such as English Language, Physics, Biology, Chemistry, and Mathematics Syllabus D, have decreased their achievements by less than 10%.

    Meanwhile, if compared to the year 2020, where the examination format was the same, there is actually an improvement in three subjects, namely Biology, Chemistry, and Islamic Religious Knowledge.

    A decrease in performance of less than 10% was also observed in less than 5 subjects, namely Mathematics Syllabus D, Malay Language, Combined Science, Physics, and English Language.

    We see from the A Level examination that although Your Honorable Pehin Orang Kaya Laila Setia Dato Seri Setia Awang Haji Abdul Rahman bin Haji Ibrahim asked about the performance of students in the 'O' Level examination, I would like to add a little information about the 'A' Level examination.

    The significant decrease is in non-Science subjects such as Travel & Tourism, Usuluddin, Geography, History, Malay Language, Physical Education, Art & Design, and so on.

    While subjects such as Mathematics, Art & Design, Economics, Biology, Physics, and Chemistry, although there is a decrease, the decrease is far less than the subjects that I mentioned earlier.

Regarding STEAM, as Your Honorable has mentioned in the opening speech last Saturday, the Ministry of Education will review the offering of core elective subjects in the 21st Century Education System. This is to add more subjects related to Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics, making it broader and a catalyst for future development.

In terms of innovative education system, digitalization, infrastructure, and capacity building for teachers to handle changes towards this digitalization era, the Ministry of Education is actively implementing several initiatives. These include upgrading school network infrastructure, providing internet services with wider access to digital educational resources.

The third initiative is providing computers to teachers and students, and the fourth is replacing school computers. To improve the stability and safety of IT infrastructure networks in schools, the Ministry of Education has started upgrading school network infrastructure since 2022.

Through this recognition, it will provide wifi coverage throughout the learning areas in schools and support digital learning methods more effectively.

So far, four primary schools have been completed, while 31 primary schools and two secondary schools are currently being implemented. The rest are still in the planning and implementation stage, and this recognition is expected to be completed in all schools by 2025, with an estimated cost of over $15 million through the annual allocation of the National Development Plan.

Meanwhile, to support the implementation, the Ministry of Education has started providing high-capacity internet services in schools. Through this initiative, schools will have wider access to digital educational resources in the virtual world.

For short-term implementation, the Ministry of Education has provided broadband internet services in 36 secondary schools and 24 primary schools that have been identified to implement the blended learning program on a pilot basis.

The provision of internet services began in October 2022 for a period of 1 year with an estimated expenditure of $179 thousand.

Meanwhile, for long-term implementation, the Ministry of Education, in collaboration with the National e-Government Centre, will implement a national education network to provide high-capacity internet services in all schools in the country, including private schools that opt-in.

The National Education Network is expected to be provided starting this year for a period of 5 years. Regarding the ministry's efforts for less privileged students, there are several initiatives to assist them. The first is through the Ri'ayah Wa Mahabbah Program, which is for Year 6 students who will be taking the PSR examination and who also face challenges in attending school.

As a result, they have attendance problems. They will be placed in the Maktab Duli Pengiran Muda Al-Muhtadee Billah hostel in Gadong and transported by bus to the nearest schools, namely Pusar Rulak Primary School, and it will be extended to the secondary level on a case-by-case basis. This is the first initiative.

The second initiative is through the Harapan and Anak Harapan Programs, where the Ministry of Education provides food and drinks to underprivileged students. There is a breakfast program, a breakfast and milk program, and a lunch program.

Until 2021, a total of 9,444 students from 46 primary and secondary schools have participated in this program, and these students are expected to receive proper nutrition, which will improve their attendance and subsequently their performance in learning.

The third is through the BIBD ALAF program, which is a contribution initiative by Bank Islam Brunei Darussalam towards education. It is referred to as supporting learning throughout 32 lifetimes for a high-achieving future or advocating lifelong learning for inspiring the future.

It is an expansion of Bank Islam Brunei Darussalam's contribution to early childhood education. This is a Ministry of Education assistance program for less privileged students.

The third is LCT. LCT stands for Local Contract Teachers, which is actually a project under the Literacy and Numeracy Coaching Programme (LNCP), one of the ministry's initiatives aimed at improving the quality of English and Mathematics teachers.

The LCT service is on a contractual basis, which is for 1 year and can be renewed for up to 3 years.

Starting in January 2018, there were 102 people in that year's intake, and in January 2019, another 108 people participated in this project, making a total of 210.

As of January 2023, only 83 local contract teachers are still serving in the Ministry of Education, and the remaining 60% or 127 local contract teachers out of the 210 have almost half obtained teaching positions in government and private schools, 14 have obtained jobs in various public and private sector fields, 39% have continued their studies, and the remaining 9% have completed their service as LCT for personal reasons.

This project will end in January 2024, next year, and in this opportunity, the ministry advises LCT participants to apply through the Department of Education Management's training program, JPP, and they can apply for teaching positions in the Ministry of Religious Affairs as well as private schools so that they can be fully utilized by all three ministries or institutions.

Regarding attachments, the teachers at the Ministry of Education in international institutions such as JIS have been seconded, especially for the Malay language subject at Jerudong International School. In sha Allah, this activity or initiative will be extended to other subjects.

At the same time, the Ministry of Education always shares and follows best practices not only from Jerudong International School but also from the best educational institutions both locally and internationally.

So, we will see what best practices they use and also guidelines, so the Ministry of Education will always explore opportunities to follow the best practices they use so that we can further improve the quality of education in Brunei Darussalam.

Regarding students with special needs, Kaola has already mentioned the Ministry of Education's initiatives to increase the number of teachers, but in this opportunity, I would like to add one more information.

Indeed, the number of students in categories PL1 to 5 is increasing, and because of this, we are grateful to His Majesty the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam for giving the Ministry of Education permission for any establishment of special needs children's institutions to register as special schools for all categories of students from priority level 1 to 5 starting from September 29, 2021.

Therefore, students categorized in PL4 and PL5 can attend private special schools, which, after these institutions or organizations register to become a special school under the Ministry of Education, will be the same as other private schools such as mission schools and other private schools.

In this opportunity, Kaola would like to suggest that any organization intending to establish a special school should register with the Ministry of Education because, as we know, every student who registers under the Ministry of Education and attends a private school will be given certain allowances.

Therefore, in this opportunity, any institution or organization that wishes to enter the private special education school is welcome to contact the Ministry of Education through the Private Education Department.

This is also one way to reduce the density of students with special needs in schools because now they can also choose to pursue their studies or learning either in government schools or in private schools under the full view of the Ministry of Education.

Regarding the Integrated Education System, when will changes be made? What are the strategies and preparations? Actually, to answer this, these matters cannot be informed yet as the Ministry of Education is still in negotiations with the Ministry of Religious Affairs and the Prime Minister's Department to detail the definitions of the Integrated Education System.

In sha Allah, let us pray that it will provide a good solution for all parties. Perhaps, Your Honorable Speaker, Kaola has answered everything. Thank you.

Your Honorable Chairman​

Thank you. Now I invite Your Honorable Haji Awang Sulaiman bin Haji Nasir.

Your Honorable Haji Awang Sulaiman bin Haji Nasir​

Thank you, Your Honorable Speaker. In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful, blessings and peace be upon our great leader, Prophet Muhammad, his family, and his loyal companions who have defended and fought for the Islamic religion until the end of time.

In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful, peace be upon you. Your Honorable.

First of all, I would like to express my gratitude for the honorable Minister of Education's opening remarks regarding the SF01A Title - Ministry of Education yesterday.

I hope that whatever is planned can be successfully implemented towards achieving the Vision of 2035, InshaAllah.

I would like to take this opportunity to represent the people of Temburong District in expressing gratitude to His Majesty the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam and his government, especially the Ministry of Education, for the continuous efforts in building the new Sultan Hassan Secondary School building which is more comfortable.

With the construction of this new building, it reflects the government's concern towards providing inclusive education to the people of Temburong and Brunei Darussalam in general.

Your Honorable Speaker, I would like to touch on the issue of learning that leads to general and civic knowledge for low and middle school students.

Based on the information I obtained from the Tutong Destination Program through educational visit activities involving government and private school students from 2018 to 2022.

From the feedback received from students, only 15% are aware of the historical and tourism sites in Brunei Darussalam, while the remaining 85% are unaware.

I believe it is important for students to know about what is happening around them, especially the value of history and heritage, community and tourism sites in their respective areas, and not just limited to specific subjects involving a few students.

Iconic places such as historical sites and early industrial sites such as the Rubber Industry Site in Labu, Merimbun Heritage Park, Batang Duri Recreational Park, Luagan Lalak Recreational Park and Bukit Tempayan Pisang Recreational Park should be introduced to future generations. This effort requires the participation of all parties to uphold the excellence of our history and culture.

In this regard, I suggest that Outreach Programme activities or related activities be further enhanced to complement formal education and general knowledge.

Secondly, I would like to ask if there are any initiatives and plans by the Ministry of Education regarding the old Sultan Hassan Secondary School building?

Terima kasih, Your Honorable Chairperson. Thank you, Your Honorable Awang Haji Sulaiman bin Haji Nasir. There are two questions here:

  1. Regarding the Community Outreach Programme activities to be further strengthened to complement Formal Education and General Knowledge, the Ministry of Education has indeed implemented out-of-school learning activities such as visits to interesting and historical places for relevant subjects, which will be further increased post-COVID-19, God willing. Perhaps in 2020, 2021, 2022, the frequency may be reduced, but it will be increased again.

    And for Community Outreach Programme activities, the Ministry of Education through the Co-Curriculum Department has also established a volunteer team consisting of secondary school students aimed at providing various community services such as aid distribution programs, beach cleaning, mosque cleaning, and so on.

    These programs are aimed at instilling values of compassion, caring, and responsibility while strengthening relationships with the local community. Such activities will continue to be given attention so that more and more of our students will participate or be involved in volunteer teams; and

  2. Regarding the plans for the old building of Sultan Hassan Secondary School in Bangar, Temburong District. Actually, there are 42 cabins and 32 porta cabins there, but only 10 are still in good condition. Therefore, the others will be removed as their floors are already broken and some are lifted.

    With only 10 remaining, the Ministry of Education wants to open it up to agencies that are interested in occupying the porta cabins if there is a need that is deemed suitable. Insha'Allah, we will sit together to occupy the porta cabins.

    Meanwhile, there is a new building there in the middle, but it has 3 levels and is blue in color. There were hairline cracks before, but they have been repaired now. However, due to its structure being possibly weak, it is not suitable to be used as a classroom with heavy equipment. Therefore, it can be used as an office and insha'Allah, officers from the Department of Schools in Temburong who are currently located in the old building will be temporarily placed in that building.

    As for a building that was previously used for probation students, it has 3 levels. It is actually not a school building, but an IQ building or housing.

    Since the students have moved to the new building of Sultan Hassan Secondary School in Kampong Batu Apoi, there is a high possibility that the building will be returned to be an IQ building according to the needs that will be evaluated.

Thank you, Your Honorable Speaker.

Your Honorable Speaker​

I now invite Your Honorable Awang Haji Mohd. Salleh bin Haji Othman.

Your Honorable Awang Haji Mohd. Salleh bin Haji Othman​

Thank you, بسم الل الرحمن الرحيم Your Honorable Speaker and Salam ال َسلاَ ُم َعلَ ْي ُك ْم َو َر ْح َم َةُ ّالل َو َب َر َكاتُهُ. First of all, I would like to express my gratitude for the opening remarks from the Minister of Education towards realizing Brunei Vision 2035.

I, myself, am pleased to touch on the matter of Topic SF01A - The Ministry of Education's Department of Private Education Function and Role, Registration Unit and Supervision and Monitoring Unit. There are issues regarding the quality of infrastructure, unsatisfactory private schools such as uncomfortable classrooms and toilet facilities that need proper attention.

In addition, there are also concerns from some parents regarding the qualifications of the provided educators. This matter needs to be taken into consideration to ensure that the quality of education remains a priority, whether it is in government or private schools.

It is not Kaola's intention to put pressure on any private school, but safe and comfortable school infrastructure with qualified teachers are among the factors contributing to the creation of quality learning for students.

Kaola would like to know if the Ministry monitors private schools and what specific requirements need to be met to establish a private school.

Thank you, Your Honorable Speaker.

Your Honorable Minister of Education​

Thank you, Your Honorable Speaker and thank you to Your Honorable Awang Haji Mohd. Salleh bin Haji Othman for the two questions earlier.

The first question is whether the Ministry of Education monitors private schools. To answer this question, all Private Education Institutions (PEIs) registered with the Ministry of Education are indeed monitored and supervised by the Ministry of Education.

Monitoring of Private Education Institutions (PEIs) is carried out based on 3 situations:-

  1. There is a monitoring visit for registration extension applications. They will be visited for suitability to be extended.

  2. There are unscheduled periodic visits, either conducted by the Private Education Department (JPS) or in collaboration with certain agencies; and

  3. There are visits due to complaints or raised cases.

If earlier, Your Honorable mentioned about unsatisfactory facilities, if the name of the school is given, perhaps the school will be immediately visited. However, in any case, the Private Education Department (JPS) will continue to make scheduled or unscheduled visits to private educational institutions.

Regarding specific requirements, there are many specific requirements here for establishing a private school and allow me to list them, Your Honorable Speaker.

The applicant must be a citizen of Brunei Darussalam. The school name is not in conflict with the country's philosophy and is registered in the company registration section and business names or ROBCN, establishing or appointing and registering members of the School Management Board and proposed educators meet the criteria and are sufficient before approval can be given.

Regarding the quality of teachers that Your Honorable Awang Haji Mohd. Salleh bin Haji Othman mentioned earlier, there is indeed a minimum qualification for educators who will be placed in private schools and it is based on the different levels of education. For example, for kindergarten level, the minimum qualification is 4 'O' levels or Alicia Hood Education Certificate, and for lower levels, they must have at least 4 'O' levels. For secondary schools, a Higher Education Certificate is required.

The land area must also meet the minimum requirements set by the Ministry of Development, based on the level of the school. For primary schools, the required land area is different from that of secondary schools.

The land requirements must be in line with the specific requirements of the school, such as facilities and amenities like laboratories and classrooms, which must be sufficient and approved by the Ministry of Development.

For your information, the approval of a premise to be used as a school not only requires permission from the Ministry of Education but also from relevant government agencies such as the Department of Town and Country Planning, Land Department, Building Control Authority, Construction Institutions and Industries, Fire and Rescue Department, Traffic Investigation and Control Department, Environmental Health Division, District Office, and Municipal Department. These are the specific requirements that must be complied with to establish a private school. Thank you, Your Honorable Speaker.

Your Honorable Speaker​

I now invite Your Honorable Awang Zainol bin Haji Mohamed to speak.

Your Honorable Awang Zainol bin Haji Mohamed​

Thank you, Your Honorable Speaker. In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful, and greetings to all. First of all, I would like to say that I am pleased to record my congratulations and thanks for the introduction by Your Honorable Minister of Education regarding the planning and direction of the country's education.

Brunei Darussalam is capable of becoming the best destination for international students from all over the world to continue their studies at local higher education institutions, following the high quality of higher education in this country, which is at a good level.

Foreign students are more interested in studying in a country based on the reputation of higher education in that country. In addition to the quality of competitive education programs, cost of living, good campus infrastructure, and safety are also major factors in attracting international students to choose Brunei Darussalam as a study destination, especially at the postgraduate level. With the presence of international students in our country, it indirectly has a positive impact on the value-added economy of the country.

Regarding this, are there any efforts made by the Ministry of Education to promote higher education in the country at the regional and international levels? Also, what is the current number of international students studying in higher education institutions in Brunei Darussalam? How many local graduates have successfully found employment overseas? Lastly, I would like to seek clarification on the recruitment of teachers in the Ministry of Education.

In the past 2 years, the process and system of recruiting teachers have become more difficult and stringent compared to the old system. For example, graduates with a Bachelor's degree and a Master of Teaching have to go through a difficult test, even though they have been trained to become teachers.

Why do they need to undergo teaching training again for a period of 1 year? I would like to seek clarification on this matter. Thank you, Your Honorable Chairperson.

Your Honorable Minister of Education​

Thank you, Your Honorable Chairperson and Your Honorable Awang Zainol bin Haji Mohamed for the 3 questions. What are the efforts made by the Ministry of Education to promote higher education in the country at the regional and international levels?

To answer this, the Ministry of Education has made various initiatives to improve the quality of Public Higher Education Institutions (IPTA) by strengthening our areas of strength and advantages, such as recording international academic talent through the Academic Service Scheme that is equivalent to the global market, upgrading infrastructure and technology for postgraduate research and learning, and so on.

When officials from the Ministry of Education and lecturers from IPTA attend various workshops and meetings abroad, these strengths will be shared. This is one way to promote our quality to them.

Although so far, the Ministry of Education has not participated in any higher education expos abroad, the Ministry of Education has explored virtual platforms to promote our country's higher education through the Higher Education Virtual Expo, which has been held 3 times before. Alhamdulillah, we have seen some students expressing their interest in getting to know our IPTs by participating in the expo.

At the IPT level itself, some have participated in higher education expos abroad, for example, UBD has promoted its programs in Beijing, China, Jakarta, and Malaysia, and this is highly encouraged by the Ministry of Education.

Regarding the number of international students, there are a total of 196 postgraduate international students, which is 15%, while for undergraduate international students, there are a total of 464 students, which is 4%. As for international students in public and private higher education institutions, the total number is 660 students, which is 5% of the total number.

Regarding the recruitment of teachers, previously those who were interested in becoming teachers would apply for vacant positions in the Tanggagaji - Skim G for those with a G13 degree or less than that, they would apply for the Skim Perkhidmatan which is less than G13.

However, a teacher recruitment program through immersion and apprenticeship was introduced in 2019. Immersion is for those who have already undergone initial teacher preparation and have obtained the license to teach.

They will be recruited if they meet certain criteria and undergo placement in schools. Once they obtain TPA3, they will be placed in salaried positions the day before they receive their monthly salary.

For those who do not have MTeach, they will undergo an apprenticeship program first. They will be selected and placed in schools, monitored, evaluated, and if they meet the requirements such as at least TPA3, they will be supported to enter MTeach.

As I mentioned earlier, MTeach is an Initial Teacher Preparation Program or licensing for them to teach. Once they complete the program and pass, they will be placed in schools as salaried teachers the day before they receive their monthly salary. And why does it seem difficult? Actually, it is not difficult. During their placement, they will receive certain allowances, just like degree holders placed in any organization, department, ministry, public or private organization as i-Ready. But they will be monitored first to see if they are teacher material, then we can support them to become teachers.

This is perhaps the difference and provides them with an opportunity to ask themselves if they really have the teacher material. If they are suitable to become teachers after placement in schools, they will continue in the program. But if they feel that being a teacher is not a field they like, they can quit the program.

This is something that we take as an opportunity for the candidates, whether they are ready to become teachers or not. Thank you, Your Honorable Speaker.

Your Honorable Speaker​

I invite Your Honorable Dayang Hajah Safiah binti Sheikh Haji Abd Salam.

Your Honorable Dayang Hajah Safiah binti Sheikh Haji Abd Salam​

Thank you, Your Honorable Speaker. بسم الل الرحمن الرحيم Your Honorable Speaker and Members الَّسلاُمعلْيُكْمورْحمةُ ِاللهوبركاتُهُ, Your Honorable and greetings.

In this opportunity, first of all, I would like to express my highest appreciation and congratulations to Your Honorable Minister of Education for the clear introduction of initiatives planned for the Financial Year 2023/2024 that "Support the achievement of the main goals of Wawasan Brunei 2035" which was presented last Saturday.

Your Honorable Speaker and Members of Parliament. I refer to the statement made earlier by Your Honorable Pehin Orang Kaya Laila Setia Dato Seri Setia Awang Haji Abdul Rahman bin Haji Ibrahim regarding local contract teachers and the clarification provided by Your Honorable Minister of Education.

I am interested in the statement made by Your Honorable Datin regarding the remaining 83 contract teachers whose contracts will end in January 2024, where Your Honorable Minister of Education advised these teachers to register for the Apprenticeship Program or apply for advertised positions.

  1. In this regard, I would like to seek clarification on whether there are opportunities for these teachers to be given permanent positions through the Apprenticeship Program? And what I understand about applying for permanent positions through advertised vacancies is that these teachers will go through the usual job application process where they will be evaluated in an interview session with other candidates. In this regard, I would also like to suggest that these teachers be given priority for permanent positions, taking into account their competencies and work experience gained through the training they have undergone during their 1 to 3-year contract period, which is in line with the requirement for the appointment of civil servants after a 3-year probationary period.

    In addition, this matter also takes into account the performance of these teachers in their teaching, as a result of the training and guidance they have received, which can make them mentors to other teachers.

    In addition, consideration must also be given to the courses that have been issued to guide these teachers by bringing in International Coaches to train them so that there will be no losses to any party if they are not taken on permanent duty.

  2. Regarding the issue of workload, which refers to the statement of Your Honorable Awang Haji Mohamad Danial @ Tekpin bin Ya'akub regarding the issue of workload of teachers in addition to their main task of educating students, I agree that non-teaching tasks can have an impact and contribute to a decline in the performance of teachers in their main tasks.

    Here, I draw the attention of Your Honorable Speaker and Honorable Members in this noble House, regarding the issue of the use of social media by teachers who express their dissatisfaction with work-related matters and the like. Compared to the initiative of the Ministry of Education which has provided 3 welfare lines for the needs or use of these teachers in voicing their problems or issues they face.

    According to the statement of the Honorable Minister of Education during the previous Muzakarah Session, these lines only received 34 complaints last year compared to complaints and grievances that we see rampant on social media.

    So the question is why does this happen, why do teachers use social media more than the special lines provided. In this regard, I would like to share the feedback that I have received from some teachers in government and private schools regarding the use of social media being given priority over the provided lines. I hope this sharing will provide an overview to the Ministry of Education on the next initiative in this matter.

    One of the reasons why teachers use social media and not these lines is because they feel that complaints and grievances submitted through the proper channels are not being taken seriously by the higher management of the ministry.

    In addition, teachers have less trust in these provided lines because they have found that there is a breach of privacy where the identity of the caller has been detected by parties who should not know.

    Then another concern of teachers is that these complaints will affect their professionalism development and negative reactions are feared to be imposed on them by the ministry.

    Regarding this issue, I would like to request the opinion of Your Honorable Minister of Education on it and what initiatives have been and will be taken to address the issue of social media usage.

    In this matter, I am pleased to suggest that the management of these welfare lines be improved and handled by counseling officers who are not from the ministry's staff. And ensure that the complainant's identity is guaranteed confidentiality and not disclosed to any unrelated parties.

    In addition to what I have stated earlier, the ministry should also develop appropriate strategies to maintain the well-being of teachers in dealing with related issues.

    Taking into account what I have learned from Your Honorable Minister of Education's presentation on the plans to be implemented for the 2023/2024 Financial Year regarding Human Resource Development, it is to increase awareness and understanding of the importance of maintaining and addressing issues related to the well-being of teachers and school leaders. That's all from me, Your Honorable Speaker.

Thank you, May Allah guide us all. Peace be upon you and Allah's mercy and blessings.

Your Honorable Speaker​

Honorable Members, I think that's enough for our discussion this morning.

It is advisable to adjourn this Committee Meeting and reconvene at the National Assembly Meeting.

(Committee Meeting adjourned) (National Assembly Meeting reconvened)

Your Honorable Speaker​

Honorable Members. We are now reconvening at the National Assembly Meeting.

I suggest that we adjourn this meeting to allow us to rest at noon and we will reconvene this afternoon as usual at 2.30 pm, God willing.

Thank you, May Allah guide us all. Peace be upon you and Allah's mercy and blessings.

ADJOURNED​

(National Assembly Meeting adjourned)

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