Higher Education in Brunei Darussalam

Higher education in Brunei Darussalam dates from 1985, when the national flagship university, Universiti Brunei Darussalam, was established. There are four public and two private institutions in the higher education sector. Each has the freedom to set its academic standards, design and manage its educational programs, implement its student assessment policies, award academic qualifications, and provide professional development and training opportunities for its staff members. The institutions share many similarities in their organizational and service delivery character. Still, each is distinctive in its curriculum focus, and there is little need for them to compete because they do not offer overlapping or similar programs. This chapter begins by providing an overview of the higher education sector in Brunei Darussalam. It then addresses access, student assessment, curriculum, quality, inclusion and equity, digital technologies and innovations, training and professional development, leadership and governance, and higher education for development. The chapter concludes with an account of trends in the sector and critical challenges. A significant challenge for the sector is the recent increase in unemployment among new higher education graduates. The Ministry of Education is addressing this challenge by restoring a balance between demand from the labor market and the supply of graduates in different fields of study. Improving research and increasing internationalization are priorities for the sector’s future development.