Tag Archives: Brunei

According to collegesanduniversitiesinusa, the educational history of Brunei is marked by the country’s efforts to modernize and expand its education system in order to meet the needs of a rapidly changing economy. This began in earnest with the implementation of the Education Act of 1979, which established a comprehensive system for primary, secondary, and tertiary education. Since then, there have been numerous reforms and initiatives aimed at improving access to quality education for all citizens. At the primary level, Brunei has a free compulsory education system that is available to all children between the ages of 6-14. This system consists of six years of primary school followed by two years of lower secondary school. Secondary schools offer both academic and vocational subjects and are divided into three levels: Upper Secondary 1 (ages 14-16), Upper Secondary 2 (ages 16-18), and Sixth Form (ages 18-20). Tertiary education in Brunei includes both public universities as well as private institutions. The two public universities are Universiti Brunei Darussalam (UBD) and Universiti Teknologi Brunei (UTB). UBD offers courses in areas such as sciences, engineering, business, economics, law, medicine, Islamic studies and more while UTB focuses on technical courses such as computing science and engineering. Private institutions offer courses ranging from business management to nursing to hospitality management. In recent years, Brunei has also made significant strides towards expanding access to higher education by increasing scholarships for students pursuing postgraduate degrees abroad as well as providing financial assistance for those attending local universities. Additionally, the government has also established several vocational training centers throughout the country in order to provide job seekers with necessary skills needed to succeed in today’s competitive job market. Domestic politics in Brunei in 2009 were largely shaped by the Sultan of Brunei, Hassanal Bolkiah. He served as the Prime Minister, Minister of Defense and Finance, and was the absolute ruler of the country. Under his rule, Brunei was a highly centralized and autocratic monarchy with limited political freedoms for its citizens. In 2009, there were a few small movements for democratic reform, but these were largely suppressed by the government. The foreign policy of Brunei in 2009 was focused on maintaining good relations with its neighbors in Southeast Asia and strengthening ties with nations around the world. To this end, it had joined several international organizations such as ASEAN (the Association of Southeast Asian Nations) and APEC (the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation). It also had strong diplomatic ties with China and Japan, as well as numerous other countries around the world. In terms of trade policy, Brunei aimed to increase exports while also protecting its domestic market from foreign competition. To this end, it had several free trade agreements with countries such as Singapore and Australia. Additionally, it had signed a Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (CECA) with India which allowed both countries to benefit from lower tariffs on goods traded between them. Finally, Brunei’s defense policy was focused on maintaining good relations with neighboring countries while also ensuring that its military forces were capable of defending against any potential threats to national security. To achieve this goal, it maintained strong ties with Malaysia and Singapore through joint military exercises and training programs. Check internetsailors for Brunei in 2011.