BY Lyna Mohamad

His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu’izzaddin Waddaulah ibni Al-Marhum Sultan Haji Omar ‘Ali Saifuddien Sa’adul Khairi Waddien, Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam, in a titah during the 32nd Teacher’s Day celebration on Tuesday, reminded the need for the nation to be prepared to face any crisis by building a more sustainable system as a crisis like the COVID-19 pandemic may happen again.

His Majesty said it is timely for the Ministry of Education (MoE) to draft a policy and strategic plan to achieve Brunei Vision 2035’s objectives.

He noted that this year’s celebration theme, ‘Quality Teachers Driving Educational Transformation’, is relevant particularly amid current global changes especially due to the COVID-19 outbreak.

The monarch said the world is facing challenging times impacting the education system. His Majesty said the Sultanate should be grateful that education has continued despite obstacles and constraints, which the monarch attributed to teachers who were determined to make it possible.

Brunei Darussalam is taking note that the World Bank estimated that almost 1.6 billion children worldwide were affected by school closures during multiple waves of the pandemic in the past two years, said His Majesty.

“In the first wave, the average learning loss for students was more than half a year with 15 weeks of school closures. Without intervention, the learning loss will bring about long-term negative impact of student productivity and well-being.”

The monarch expressed hope that the MoE and Ministry of Religious Affairs (MoRA) will continue to reduce learning loss with appropriate programmes, and review the effect and impact of educational inequality as well as learning loss among students. The monarch also emphasised on the MoE’s need to focus on the provision of a safe and healthy environment for all students.

His Majesty believes that teaching in the new normal and the use of new technology during the pandemic have opened up innovation in education in terms of curriculum, teaching method and technology, assessment, examination and the school environment. With schools now fully open, several new teaching methods were found effective and continued.

His Majesty hopes teachers are equipping themselves with knowledge and skills in information technology (IT) as they are the pioneers of life-long learning.

His Majesty noted that several initiatives have been implemented to transform the nation’s education including upgrading schools’ informa IT infrastructure; and supply of equipment and Internet data to teachers and students in need.

“These serve to support learning using technology in alignment with the MoE’s Digital Transformation Plan,” said the monarch.

-- Courtesy of Borneo Bulletin