Engineering and Technical Education in Brunei Darussalam Faqir Gul* & Saiful Baharin Duraman**

Transcription

1 Engineering and Technical Education in Brunei Darussalam Faqir Gul* & Saiful Baharin Duraman** Faculty of Engineering Institut Teknologi Brunei Jalan Tungku Link, Gadong BE1410 Brunei Darussalam * [email protected] ** [email protected] 1. Summary This report presents an overview of the status of engineering and technical education in Brunei Darussalam and is prepared for the meeting of the Association for the Engineering Education in Southeast and East Asia and Pacific (AEESEAP) to be held from 7 to 8 November 2013 at Jeju Island Republic of South Korea. The report covers both technical and engineering education and includes their award and accreditation systems. A brief introduction of the National Education System in Brunei Darussalam called the the 21 st Century National Education System known in Malay as Sistem Pendidikan Negara Abad 21 or SPN21 is also included in the report for an understanding of the background of the various levels of technical and engineering education in the country. The design and planning of engineering programmes for possible accreditation by professional bodies and institutions signatories to the Washington Accord are also briefly discussed in the report. 2. Introduction Brunei Darussalam is a small and independent country in South East Asia. The current total population is approximately 0.42 million and total area of 5765 sq km (1). Human resources and education are given high priority by the government and the country aspires to be a well-educated and highly skilled nation among the top countries in the world through its planned targets set in its vision 2035 known as Wawasan Brunei 2035 (2). Education is free for the locals up to the University level and according to the compulsory education order 2007 education up to secondary school level is compulsory for every child. Recently introduced local scholarship schemes and allowances for studying in local private colleges have provided good opportunity to encourage more youths into technical and higher education. The allocation to education has steadily increased especially since 2007 and stood at second highest of the total government expenditure in 2011 (1, 3). The new education policy has achieved nearly 100 per cent enrolment at the primary level and the country s literacy rate is now nearly 100 per cent especially among the youth group age years (1-3). The quality of the country education system, especially at the primary level, stands well in global comparison and is ranked 17 out of a total of 148 countries in the world Economic Forum Global Competitive Report (4). Enrolment in Page 1

2 tertiary education is also encouraged in the new policy and the government target is to increase this to 30 % by 2019 (5). 3. General Schools and Pre-University Education System The main system of schools and pre- University education is the Ministry of Education s system, SPN21, although there are private and religious schools and colleges which offer similar level of education with modified curricular. A brief overview of each system is given below: 3.1 Ministry of Education System SPN 21 The SPN 21 system of education was introduced in 2008/2009 and has now gone through some revision and refinement (5, 6). The basic aim of the SPN21 system is to cater for the changing needs and aspirations of the nation. The new system introduces a number of significant changes as compared to the previous system. These include Multiple pathways to suit the needs, inclination, interest and capabilities of different students. For example there are two programmes at the end of primary school at year 6; a 4-year programme for bright academic students who can set for their Brunei Cambridge General Certificate of Education BC GCE O level in year 10 and a 5-year programme for general average students who set for their BC GCE O level in year 11. Twelve years schooling i.e. one pre-school year, six years of primary and five years of secondary schooling is compulsory for 5-years programme students and eleven years of schooling for 4-year programme students. Students can only leave after year eleven (5 years programme) or year ten (4-year programme) to join technical or vocational institutions or seek employment unlike the old system in which students could leave the schools after year 8 (Form 3) to apply to technical and vocational institutions or seek employment. The school education programme under the SPN21 system consists of the following streams: (a) General Education Programme (b) Applied Education Programme (c) Specialized Education Programme (d) Specialized Education Needs Programme The General Education Programme follows the English system of education called the Brunei Cambridge General Certificate of Education Ordinary and Advance Levels (BC GCE O-level and A-level) and consists of one year preschool, six years primary education, four or five years of O-level or secondary education and two years of A-level or higher secondary education. Page 2

3 The Applied Education Programme has the same duration as the general programme but follows a mixture of English systems namely BC GCE O-level and A-level and International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE) ordinary or O-level and Advance or A-level. The Specialised Education Programme caters for students who are gifted in specific academic fields such as Science and Mathematics, and talented in sports, music, performing arts and fine arts but perform below average in the standard system. Students of this nature are identified earlier at the secondary school level and are transferred to the English Ed Excel examination board for their ordinary or O-level qualification based on their course work assessment. The Special Educational Needs Programme is provided for special needs students with conditions such as visually and auditory impaired, mentally and physically challenged or face other specific learning difficulties. A separate unit has been set up at the ministry of education which provides the necessary facilities including teachers training to cater for the special needs students and integrating them with mainstream students as far as possible. 3.2 Arabic/Religious Education System The Arabic/Religious education system is provided by a few schools and colleges under the Ministry of Religious Affairs. These schools and colleges offer O-level and A-level qualifications similar to those of Ministry Education but their curricular contain religious as well as contemporary subjects. 3.3 Private Schools Education Systems Private schools offer education from primary to higher secondary level and the total students population in these schools is about 30.8 % (1). However, the percentages is much lower, about 13.2 %, at the combined secondary and higher secondary level (1). The secondary and higher secondary private schools including the international schools in Brunei Darussalam provide a similar level of qualification as the governments schools which include the following: Brunei Cambridge General Certificate of Education Ordinary and Advance Levels (BC GCE O-level and A-level). International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE) O- level and A-level. International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma. English Ed Excel O-level and A-level. 4. Vocation and Technical Education The vocational and technical education programmes are awarded by the Brunei Darussalam Technical and Vocational Education Council (BDTVEC) under the Ministry of education. The programmes related to engineering are Page 3

4 offered mainly by government institutions and include five vocational schools and technical colleges together with Politeknik Brunei and Institut Teknologi Brunei. The programmes currently offered include: One year skill certificates programmes NS2 and NS3 by vocational schools and colleges after O-level education. These programmes were introduced in 2012 and have replaced the old NTC2 and NTC3 National Trade Certificate programmes. Two year diploma programmes by vocational schools and colleges after O-level education. These programmes were introduced in 2012 and have replaced the old 2 ½ year National Diploma Programmes. Two years advance diplomas, equivalent to the Higher National Diploma (HND), programmes by Politeknik Brunei after relevant diploma or O-level education or a pass in a relevant A-level examination or other equivalent qualification. One engineering programme in Well Engineering has been introduced in 2012 and more are now in the pipeline to be introduced in Two and a half year Higher National Diplomas by Institut Teknologi Brunei after relevant diploma or a pass in a relevant A-level examination or other equivalent qualification. The 1 st of these programmes, in electrical and electronic engineering, was introduced in 1986 followed by a number of other engineering programmes especially in 1998 when ITB shifted to its current new campus at Rimba. However, all the above programmes are now being revised to be streamlined as follows: All skill certificates programmes to be changed to two levels of skilled certificates called NTEC and HNTEC. The NTEC (National Technical Education Certificates) will be, generally, two years in duration after O-level or one year duration in academically light areas like hair dressing. The HNTEC (Higher National Technical Education Certificates) will be two years in duration after O-level but will require higher grades than the NTEC programme. Both NTEC and HNTEC will be awarded by a new body called the Brunei Board of Technical Education. The diploma programmes to be offered and awarded by Politeknik Brunei, will be three years in duration with suitable entry paths from relevant HNTEC, O-level or A- level qualifications. HNTEC programmes have been started in 2013 under the Department of Technical Education at some vocational schools and technical colleges but full implementation of the new programmes is expected to be completed by Nevertheless, there will be overlapping of current and new programmes from now until Page 4

5 5. Engineering Degree and Postgraduate Education in Brunei Darussalam At present, Brunei Darussalam has three local universities and one University College under the purview of Higher Education, Ministry of Education. All undergraduate and graduate degree programmes in engineering are offered by two universities namely Institut Teknologi Brunei (ITB) and Universiti Brunei Darussalam (UBD). ITB is a university which specialises in engineering and technology whilst UBD is a comprehensive university. UBD has started since 1985 whilst ITB started in 1986 as a technical institution offering up to HND level, and upgraded to university status in October The engineering programmes are relatively new with ITB starting its degree programmes in August 2009 following its university upgrade and with UBD starting in August 2012 following the inauguration of the relevant engineering faculty in Prior to 2009 however, some engineering degree programmes were offered by UBD and ITB in twinning and articulation programmes with UK and Australian universities. Amongst the reasons for the full local programmes only being introduced recently, is the relatively small population of Brunei Darussalam in which formerly it was more economical to send the small number of students overseas. However, the increase in students undertaking engineering in line with the development of Brunei Darussalam has led to local introduction of the degree programmes. The number of local engineering degree programmes is steadily increasing and are now offered in all major core areas of engineering. The programmes currently offered at ITB (including the year these have started) are: B.Eng. (Hons) in Electrical and Electronic engineering in Originally introduced as 2+2 twinning programme between ITB/UBD and Glasgow University in B.Eng. (Hons) in Mechanical Engineering in B.Eng. (Hons) in Civil Engineering in Originally started as 1+2 twinning programme in 2001 and upgraded to 2+2 in 2007 between ITB and Queen University Belfast. B.Eng. (Hons) in Mechatronics in B.Eng.(Hons) in Chemical Engineering originally started as 1+3 articulation programme in 2009 and upgraded to 2+2 in 2012 with the University of New South Wales Australia. Both twinning and fully local versions of this programme are offered now. B.Eng. (Hons) in Petroleum Engineering originally introduced as 1+3 articulation programme in 2009 and upgraded to 2+2 in 2012 with the University of New South Wales Australia. Page 5

6 Foundation Degree in Mechanical Engineering with a possible pathway to B.Eng. (Hons) in Mechanical Engineering in Foundation Degree in Chemical and Process Engineering with a possible pathway to B.Eng. (Hons) in Chemical Engineering in The programmes offered at UBD (including the year these have started) are: 1. Energy System Engineering (2013). 2. Information Communication System Engineering (2013). 3. Manufacturing System Engineering (2013). 4. Chemical and Process Engineering (2013). In addition to the above degree programmes both ITB and UBD also offer some Master and PhD degrees by research in a few areas of engineering. 5. Award and Accreditation of Technical and Engineering Qualifications The certificate and diploma level courses including advance and higher national diplomas are currently awarded by the Brunei Darussalam Technical and Vocational Education Council (BDTVEC) and accredited by the Brunei Darussalam National Accreditation Council (BDNAC) both under the Ministry of Education. The BDNAC accreditation is for the purpose of evaluating the level of each qualification for their qualification frame work. Since the vocational and technical education is in a transition stage between the old and new systems, it is possible that awarding body of certificate level and diploma level courses will each pursue its own system of accreditation in due time with international recognition. Nevertheless, the quality of the current programmes is still controlled by various curriculum and advisory committees and by the external moderators mostly from UK. The undergraduate and graduate engineering programmes are awarded by the respective Universities through their own constitutions and charters. The degrees are recognised and accredited by the BDNAC. In the case of ITB, the quality of the programmes are controlled by the Quality Assurance Unit, External Examiners which comprise of appointed senior academics from recognised overseas universities, and relevant curriculum and advisory committees such as Programme Advisory Committee, Board of Study Committee, Faculty Board and Industrial Liaison Committee. The structures of the engineering degree programmes offered by the two Universities in Brunei Darussalam are also designed to meet the accreditation criteria of international organisations. For this the degrees are structured as follow: (i) Both Universities offer four year degree programmes with graduate attributes which are equivalent to those practiced by the accredited academic institutions under Washington accord. Page 6

7 (ii) The ITB programmes are designed according to the English system of education with Outcome Based Education curricular and thus suitable for accreditation under the Engineering Council UK which is a signatory to the Washington Accord. (iii) The UBD programmes are designed according to the Accreditation of America s Board for Engineering and Technology or ABET criteria and thus suitable for accreditation under the ABET which is also signatory to the Washington Accord. UBD is, therefore, planning to get ABET accreditation for their engineering programmes and ITB is aiming for Engineering Council UK accreditation using their affiliated institutions such as IMechE and IET for mechanical and electrical programmes respectively. The accredited degrees from ABET, IMechE, IET are recognized for licensing and registration by the Brunei Darussalam Accreditation Council or BDNAC. The BDNAC also recognises accredited degree from the following institutions: The Institution of Engineers (ICE) UK; The Engineers Australia; The Institution of Professional Engineers New Zealand (IPENZ) New Zealand; Canadian Engineering Accreditation Registration Board (CEARB), Canada; Malaysian Engineers Board, Malaysia. 6. Washington Accord and Accreditation System Brunei Darussalam has close academic links with a number of countries who are signatories to the Washington Accord. These include United Kingdom Singapore, Malaysia, Australia, New Zealand and United States of America. The Brunei Darussalam National Accreditation Council or BDNAC which is a government body within the Ministry of education already recognises accredited degrees from these countries. Brunei Darussalam is therefore well positioned to become a signatory to the Washington Accord and benefit from its advantages especially its international benchmarking and recognition of engineering education. It is, therefore, likely that once the programmes and their resources are established that the planning work start toward the membership of the Washington Accord. This will, require a non-government but credible accreditation system in accordance with the International Engineering Alliance (IEA) rules and procedures (7). Such system may be initiated by a Working Group formed from the representatives of all major stakeholders including but not limited to the following: Ministry of Education via Brunei Darussalam Accreditation Council, BDNAC. The Society of surveyors, engineers and architects known in Malay as Pertubuhan, Ukur, Jurutera dan Arkitek, Negara Brunei Darussalam or PUJA. Ministry of Development via Public Works Department. Page 7

8 Major industries such as Brunei Shell and Brunei LNG. Academic institutions, Institut Teknologi Brunei, University Brunei Darussalam and Politeknik Brunei. Local chapter of international engineering institutions such as IET. 7. Conclusion Technical and Engineering education from vocational up to tertiary level is being developed and expanded progressively in Brunei Darussalam. The development and expansion are aligned with the Brunei SPN21 Education System. The vocational and diploma levels of education have been updated o be more skill base. At tertiary university level, fully local programmes have been introduced some of which progresses from the previous twinning and articulation arrangements with overseas universities. The progressive development and expansion of the technical and engineering education programmes are hoped to achieve the realisation of Brunei Darussalam aspirations to become a highly developed and educated nation as planned in its vision 2035 or Wawasan Brunei References [1] Brunei Darussalam Statistical Year Book 2011, Department of Statistics, Economic Planning and Development, Prime Minister s office Brunei Darussalam. [2] Brunei Darussalam Long Term Development Plan: Vision Brunei 2035; Outlines of Strategies and Policies for Development (OSPD) ; National Development Plan (RKN) , Published by the Department of Economic Planning and Development, Brunei Darussalam. [3] UNICEF Website [4] World Economic Forum, The Global Competitive Report : pdf [5] Sistem Pendidikan Negara Abad 21 or SPN21: [6] The Ministry of Education Strategic Plan , Ministry of Education Brunei Darussalam. [7] Washington Accord Rules and Procedures, June 2012: Page 8