Education in Brunei

This chapter offers an overview of the history of education in Brunei, particularly with regard to the teaching and status of English. The first schools were established in the early twentieth century, and universal education was slowly established during the course of the century. In 1984, the bilingual system of education was introduced, after which the medium of education was Malay for the first 3 years of primary school, but most subjects were taught in English from the fourth year of primary school on. In 2009, the National Education System for the twenty-first century (SPN21) was implemented, and now maths and science are taught in English right from the start of primary school. There continues to be influence from CfBT in supplying expatriate teachers, although reliance has dwindled over the years following the rising number unemployment among local graduates. In 2013, there were 262 CfBT teachers in Brunei schools, but that number now stands at 200. While it still remains true that there is a divide between those who receive an excellent education and develop good skills in English and those who are less fortunate and only gain rudimentary ability in the language, this divide appears to have narrowed in recent years. More and more young Bruneians, even those from rural areas where the quality of education is known to be subpar in comparison to the urbanised localities, report to preferring English over Malay for their day-to-day interactions.