Bandar Seri Begawan - Despite years of strategic quality assurance development in the Brunei education system, focussing primarily on the improvement of human capacity development of teachers and school administrators, success from these projects have not achieved the desired long term outcomes nor has it reached the desired masses.

This statement made by Universiti Brunei Darussalam (UBD), yesterday, has fuelled the need for leadership succession planning and the need to develop global, innovative and competitive school leaders and administrators, which is critical in producing quality students.

In addressing this issue, UBD has embarked in an ambitious project, organising a School Leadership Programme (SLP) for Brunei targeted at school leaders and other senior school administrators.

Hosted by the Institute for Leadership, Innovation and Advancement of Universiti Brunei Darussalam, it aims to develop visionary and effective leaders in school towards achieving an excellent teaching and learning environment that will support student learning and educational development.

The Minister of Education Pehin Orang Kaya Seri Lela Dato Seri Setia Haji Awang Abdul Rahman bin Dato Setia Haji Mohamed Taib, who officially launched the SLP yesterday at the UBD Institute for Leadership, Innovation and Advancement, strongly believes that the programme will bring about transformational change that is vital to the success of the new National Education System, SPN21.

"By 2035, Brunei Darussalam is envisioned to be recognised for the accomplishment of its well-educated and highly skilled workforce as measured by the highest international standard," said the Minister.

"Our vision, therefore, is to provide quality education for a developed, prosperous and peaceful nation." According to the minister, the nation's present educational strategies include investing in early childhood and learning, having a first class secondary and tertiary education including vocational school, strengthening the competency in info-communication technology (ICT) including the integration of ICT in the school curriculum, devising programmes that promote life-long learning, widening access to higher education, promoting research, development and innovation, adopting cost effective methods of educating our people through the use of technology, and improving the management of all our educational institutions.

Speaking to principals and deputy principals from 24 participating schools, the minister advised that they "should not be content with being a principal leader. You need to also have a sense of urgency to change simply because there is so much change going on around you.

"In two years, we shall have hundreds of winning leaders from schools that will be able to help the ministry in achieving multiple milestones in our SPN21," he said, believing that only then will our education ecosystem and landscape be changed.

Meanwhile, UBD Vice Chancellor, Dr Haji Zulkarnain Haji Hanafi affirmed that the demands on the role of school leaders has indeed evolved.

"School leadership is no longer just about being instructional leaders, disciplinarians, or administrators. It is about developing your school's capacity to engage in reform," he said, a reform to sustain continuous improvement in their respective schools.

"For this to happen you need to create a culture that strives on continuous learning and innovation as well as provide a supportive environment," he added, admitting that the task may prove daunting and overwhelming.

The programme is made up of a series of three workshops spread over a four to six month period and will be organised and conducted per cohort of participants. It is a two-year project, which aims to train and develop all school leaders in Brunei.

Two consultants from the US-based Action Learning Associates have been enlisted to support the university's own team of trainers and co-facilitate these workshops.

Dr Noel Tichy is a Professor of Management and Organisations at the Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan, where he is the Director of the Global Business Partnership, which for over a decade, ran the Global Leadership Programme.

Robert Knowling is the Chairman of Eagles Landing Partners, which specialises in helping senior management formulate strategy, lead organisational transformations and re-engineering businesses.

In a statement by the university, they said that the programme is their "national investment into the development of school principals to ensure that Brunei has the right calibre of innovative school leaders who are able to help create and achieve a first class education system where our students and teaching staff and administrators will thrive, flourish and succeed". -- Courtesy of Borneo Bulletin

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