BRUNEIAN students, once again, were given the opportunity to showcase their research at the 4th Brunei Students’ Research Symposium (BSRS) organised by the Brunei Postgraduate Society, with the theme ‘The Path of Sustainable Development’ to reflect the need for collective thinking about Brunei’s sustainable development, in the United Kingdom (UK).
The event was attended by guest of honour, Major General (Rtd) Dato Paduka Seri Haji Aminuddin Ihsan bin Pehin Orang Kaya Saiful Mulok Dato Seri Paduka Haji Abidin, High Commissioner of Brunei Darussalam to the United Kingdom (UK) and Northern Ireland; YB Khairunnisa binti Haji Ash’ari, a member of the Legislative Council; Ahmad Faisal bin Haji Zainal Abidin, the Director of Studies to Brunei Students’ Unit; Izzatul Faizah binti Dr Mohamad, a member of the Brunei Students’ Union; eight government officers and 64 students from all over the UK.
The event began with the recitation of Surah Al-Fatihah and verses from Al-Quran led by Awangku Muhammad Aqil bin Pengiran Jaya and Abdul Hafiizh bin Haji Kassim, followed by the opening remarks from the chair of the event and President of Brunei Postgraduate Society, Mohammad Iznan bin Haji Tarip.
He highlighted the importa-nce of knowledge being “the key to develop ourselves, our nation and our world towards a sustainable future”, and where the symposium is an opportunity for bright-minded people to meet and exchange knowledge.
The event continued with a keynote speech by the special guest, YB Khairunnisa on the topic ‘Brunei’s Sustainable Development: Where are we now?’. YB Khairunnisa highlighted, “There is still a lack of urgency amongst the wider population and lack of awareness on national concerns.”
In order to take the challenge of sustainable development, a “whole of nation” approach is needed. She said, “While the government can regulate and set policy, responsibility also lies with the consumers. The sustainable development goals are universal and we must own these goals and we can only achieve them together.”
The event was followed by a panel discussion on the topic ‘Youth Engagement in Achie-ving Sustainable Development Goals’. The panellists were YB Khairunnisa binti Haji Ash’ari, Co-Founder and Community Engagement Director of Green Brunei and Mohamad Anwar bin Haji Mohammad, Chairman of Society for Community Outreach and Training (SCOT). The two panellists were prime example of youth actively engaging in solving social issues in Brunei.
Afterwards, the event was filled with student presentations and panel discussions under five sub-themes: Strong Institutions; Food Security; Quality Education; Physical and Mental Well-being; and Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure.
The event ended with the closing remarks and prize-giving ceremony led by the co-chair and Vice-President, Ainun binti Haji Ahmad, followed by the recitation of Surah Al-‘Asr led by Abdul Hafiizh.
Source: Borneo Bulletin