Brunei Darussalam

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When COL was established in 1987, His Majesty, Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu’izzaddin Waddaulah, the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam, made an important contribution that helped put the fledgling organisation on its feet. COL remains grateful for this generosity. Brunei Darussalam hosted COL’s First Pan-Commonwealth Forum on Open Learning in 1999.

COL’s work in Brunei Darussalam is primarily in the areas of higher education through the Virtual University for Small States of the Commonwealth (VUSSC) network and benefits from programmes under the aegis of the Commonwealth Educational Media Centre for Asia (CEMCA). Learners from Brunei Darussalam are also benefitting from COL’s free online courses and other openly available resources.

Participation rate of youth and adults in formal and non-formal education and training in the previous 12 months, 15-64 years old¹
13.3%		10.6%
Female (2020)		Male (2020)

Completion rate, lower secondary education¹
n/a		n/a
Female		Male

Gross enrolment ratio for tertiary education for the school year ending in 2020¹
39.4%		25.4%
Female		Male

Proportion of teachers with the minimum required qualifications in secondary education¹
87.7%		84.4%
Female (2020)		Male (2020)

1. UNESCO Institute for Statistics Data Centre, retrieved in May 2023

Highlights

An online training programme on bamboo scrimber and laminated composites for entrepreneurs, service providers, researchers, facilitators, and policymakers was held in May 2022 for the Bamboo and allied product sectors in Brunei Darussalam.
COL’s Focal Point Ms Rosimah Sumaimah binti Haji Matassim from the Brunei Darussalam National Accreditation Council and Ms Siti Nabilah binti Haji Abu Nipah, Ministry of Education, participated in the two-day Regional Focal Point meeting for Asia held in New Delhi, India, in December 2022.

Partners

Partnerships are fundamental to COL’s work. Strategic partnerships allow COL to broaden its reach and engage at global, regional and national levels, while implementation partners support COL’s work in communities and institutions across Commonwealth Member States. Partners include multilateral organisations, regional bodies, national governments, government agencies, foundations, civil society organisations, public and private (not-for-profit) institutions and the private sector. COL partnerships assist in improving and extending teaching and learning services to people in the developing Commonwealth.

COL’s partners in Brunei Darussalam include:

Ministry of Education

Key Contacts

Focal Point

Dr. Mona Aliana binti Dato Paduka Awang Haji Mohd. Alimin
Director of Higher Education Department
Ministry of Education

Notable Mention

Pehin Dato Abu Bakar Apong, former member of COL Board of Governors

Dato’ Paduka Haji Ali Hashim Haji Daud, former member of COL Board of Governors

Dato Paduka Haji Abdul Razak bin Haji Muhammad, member of COL’s Founding Board of Governors

Literacy rate (2021)¹
96.9%		98.3%
Female, Adult (15+)		Male, Adult (15+)

Economic Activity – Labour Forces Participation (2021)¹
59.5%		76.2%
Female, Ages 15-64		Male, Ages 15-64

Political Decision Making (2023)¹
11.8%
Share of seats held by women in national parliament

Life expectancy (2023)¹
75.4		73.4
Female		Male

1. COL gender country profile October 2023

98	140
Individuals using the internet (%)¹	Mobile-cellular subscriptions per 100 inhabitants¹

18	140
Fixed-broadband subscriptions per 100 inhabitants¹	Active mobile-broadband subscriptions per 100 inhabitants¹




1. International Telecommunication Union (ITU), retrieved in May 2023.

Brunei Darussalam

Highlights

Partners

Key Contacts

Focal Point

Notable Mention

More Information

News

Reports

Publications and Resources

Country Data Sources