HIS Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu’izzaddin Waddaulah, the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam, Universiti Brunei Darussalam (UBD) Chancellor, said he hoped UBD can continue to be the university of choice where outstanding students can raise the standards of education and research.
The monarch, in a titah at UBD’s 27th convocation yesterday, said this following the graduation of 15 local and foreign graduates of UBD’s flagship programme in Master of Public Policy and Management.
The flagship programme produced its first graduates yesterday, including six from East Asia Summit participating countries, who were recipients of the Brunei government’s scholarship.
His Majesty noted there were a few students in the programme who had excelled during their term of study at reputable universities in the United States.
“This is indeed recognition of quality for the educational system at UBD. This development will almost certainly be capable of raising the image and visibility of UBD,’’ the monarch said.
The Sultan said he was pleased to see UBD growing from strength to strength, and multiplying efforts towards its aspiration. This, His Majesty said, included UBD’s accomplishment as the fastest rising university in the QS Asia University Ranking this year.
However, His Majesty reminded that many more important aspects needed to be taken into consideration in assessing such achievement, such as the marketability of graduates and results of research which can contribute to economic growth.
The monarch noted that the increasing number of graduates at the global level could result in rising rates of unemployment. This, His Majesty said, could further lead to job market becoming more competitive.
However, the Sultan said he believed the innovation component in UBD’s GenNext curriculum coupled with the initiative to inculcate entrepreneurship values among students have given great hope for the birth of a proactive generation who are resilient and not overly reliant on the government.
To address the current issue of unemployment, His Majesty called on all agencies to work together and form a consensus to adopt “a whole of nation approach”, which does not stop at “a whole government approach”.
Institutions of higher learning, His Majesty said, also need to be more innovative and creative in looking for alternative sources of funding, such as forging collaborative partnerships with an allied industry.
This is so the costs of an activity could be equally shared and the desired outcomes be beneficial to all, His Majesty added.
His Majesty also told local academic staff not to confine themselves in lecture rooms, but seize the opportunity for personal empowerment by developing their capabilities, competencies and talents, among others.
“The society and nation always await you and desire to listen to you and read what you write,’’ His Majesty said.
The existing Scheme of Service for Academic Staff should serve as a strong motivation for academic staff to raise the standard of their teaching and research work, His Majesty said.
In ending his titah, His Majesty told graduates to always defend their identity, heritage and integrity, and to maintain the Bruneian identity in support of MIB.
The monarch said the development and progress of the nation should be accompanied by a firm sense of spirituality.
Yesterday saw the presentation of certificates to 1,125 graduates from the varsity’s third batch of its GenNext programme by His Majesty, during both morning and afternoon sessions of the convocation.