Seventh issue . July - September 2012 - Universiti Brunei Darussalam

34DiscoverCONFERENCESDiscoverCONFERENCES35Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah Institute ofEducation Links With ComparativeEducation Society Of Asia (CESA)UBD Attends The First Convention of TheWorld Association of Business Schools InIslamic Countries (WAiBS)The Dean of the Faculty of Business, Economicsand Policy Studies (FBEPS), Universiti BruneiDarussalam (UBD), Dr. Hazri Kifle and Deputy Dean,Dr. Hj Mohammad Nabil Almunawar attendedthe inaugural convention of the World Associationof Business Schools in Islamic Countries on 8 and9 July. The convention was held in Langkawi inMalaysia and was organised by the Othman YeopAbdullah (OYA) Graduate School of Business,Universiti Utara Malaysia (UUM).Following the convention was the Fifth Foundationof Islamic Finance Conference (FIFC), whichtook place on 10 and 11 July at the same venue.Presentations by keynote speakers and meetingsamong deans were held to discuss key issues andchallenges faced by the Muslim ummah and howbusiness schools can play a role in addressingSHBIE hosts 17th InternationalConference on Educationthem. A few strategic initiatives were alsoidentified in moving the association forward.Dr. Hazri noted that “the WAiBS convention andsubsequent meetings provided FBEPS with theopportunity to communicate and create anetwork with prestigious business schools in Islamiccountries. This will be a good platform for sharinginformation, knowledge, and best practices inbusiness educations. Common issues faced bythe Muslim ummah were discussed which canlead to potential research collaboration. Overall,WAiBS is a great plan and commitment from allmembers and a detailed action plan is crucial inensuring the high impact of this association.”From 21 to 24 May, the Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah Institute of Education (SHBIE) hosted the 17th InternationalConference on Education with the theme “Teaching and Learning in Technology-Mediated LearningSpaces” at Chancellor Hall, UBD. The theme was in harmony with Brunei’s National Education Systemfor the 21st Century (SPN 21) objectives in emphasising the use of ICT to develop 21st century skills.The conference was a joint effort with Microsoft Partners in Learning and Innovative Teaching andLearning Research (ITL research) which has embarked on an innovation in education called the LEAP21 programme. The conference was officiated by Guest of Honour, Acting Minister of Education, YangMulia Dato Seri Setia Awang Haji Yusof bin Haji Ismail.The keynote speakers included Associate Professor Dr. Esther Care, the International ResearchCoordinator, Assessment and Teaching of 21st Century Skills (ATC21S) at the Melbourne GraduateSchool of Education, Australia, Mr. Prakash Nair, president of Fielding Nair International, Mr. Mark Sparvell,Executive Consultant of ICT Capability and Innovation at Microsoft, Associate Professor Dr. MichaelMcVey, Educational Media and Technology at Eastern Michigan University and Mr. Samir Patel, GlobalSOF Consortium Principal Consultant of the e-Hijrah initiative.The papers presented in the conference focused on how computer technologies act as educationaltechnologies and educators were strongly encouraged to fully utilise computer technologies forinnovative teaching in order to deliver improved learning, as well as an assessment instrument inmeasuring leaners’ skills.The conference was attended by 200 local and international participants comprised of educators,researchers, graduates, teachers, students, education officers, architects and stakeholders from variouseducational institutions and other related institutions. It was a platform for all to share ideas based onexperiences, theories and research related to the theme of the conference. The next SHBIE InternationalConference on Education will take place in May 2013.Dr. Hajah Sallimah Haji Mohd. Salleh and Dr. HajahRosmawijah Haji Jawawi from the Sultan HassanalBolkiah Institute of Education (SHBIE), Universiti BruneiDarussalam (UBD) attended the ComparativeEducation Society of Asia (CESA) boardmeeting and the 8th Biennial Conference of theComparative Education Society of Asia (CESA) on 8to 11 July. Dr. Hajah Sallimah and Dr. Hj Rosmawijahare research collaborators for the “ComparativeStudy on Education for ASEANness and CitizenshipEducation in Ten ASEAN Countries,” a collaborativeresearch project funded by the Japan Society forthe Promotion of Science (JSPS). It is a four-yearproject which runs from April 2010 to March 2014. Itis funded by an agency called “Kagaku-Kenkyu-Hi,Kaken-Hi,” in Japanese, which translates as Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (A) in English.The collaborative study is the first attempt atcomparative research on citizenship educationat the ASEAN regional level, and it will provideimportant perspectives in terms of internationalcomparisons with other regions such as the EU.The purpose of the study is threefold: to elucidatethe present situation, issues, and prospects ofcitizenship education in the 10 ASEAN countries bymeans of policy, planning, and curriculum analysis,together with a survey of awareness of studentsconcerning citizenship, and a future forecastingsurvey (Delphi Survey) to experts on education, toelucidate education for “ASEANness”, conceivedas part of the creation of the ASEAN Community tobe established by 2015, and to propose citizenshipeducation models for the ASEAN countries and amodel of education for “ASEANness.”CESA is an international organization of comparativeeducation societies in Asia. It is a member societyof the World Council of Comparative EducationSocieties (WCCES) which was established in 1970.CESA was officially founded in Hong Kong on 30May 1995 and was admitted to WCCES in 1997.The goals of CESA which were proclaimed inits constitution are to promote exchange andcooperation in comparative education researchamong educationalists in Asia, to promoteexchange and cooperation in the teaching ofcomparative education Asia, to promote mutualunderstanding and friendship among educationistsin Asia and to enhance international dialogue andexchange among scholars interested in Asia.The conference was a gathering of prominentcomparative educators around the world includingProfessor Mark Bray, Professor Lee Wing On (thecurrent president of WCCES), Professor Gerald W.Fry from the University of Minnesota, and ProfessorDavid Lee Grossman, from the East-West Center.There were more than two hundred and fifty paperpresenters from over twenty countries consistingof foreign and local educators including a paperpresented by the Bruneian participants.The participants of the conference also witnessedthe ceremony for the acknowledgement ofHonorary Membership of Her Royal HighnessPrincess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn. The HonoraryMembership was bestowed on the princess inrecognition of her contribution to comparativeeducation, international education, andinternational development education.It was an important step for SHBIE to be associatedwith CESA as it has vital links for internationalcollaboration and cooperation such WCCES. SHBIEhas since been offered the opportunity to hostthe 10th Biennial Conference on ComparativeEducation in 2016.