Brunei and Singapore will be establishing a training programme for local civil servants towards increasing their capacity and cooperation under relevant sectors, through work placements in government agencies of Singapore.
In a courtesy call held at the Istana, His Royal Highness Prince Haji Al-Muhtadee Billah, the Crown Prince and Senior Minister at the Prime Minister’s Office and Prime Minister of Singapore Lee Hsien Loong among other things, exchanged views to further expand bilateral cooperation between the sultanate and the republic including cooperation in the downstream industry, exploring strategies to protect the environment, and sharing experiences on post-COVID-19 pandemic recovery.
Touching on expanding education cooperation, a scholarship will be introduced to open opportunities for Bruneian students with excellent performance to pursue their studies from secondary level until higher education in Singapore.
His Royal Highness and Her Royal Highness Paduka Seri Pengiran Anak Isteri Pengiran Anak Sarah were in Singapore for a two-day state visit for the 8th Young Leaders’ Programme held from 3 until 5 August.
Accompanying Their Royal Highnesses were Yang Teramat Mulia Pengiran Anak Muneerah Madhul Bolkiah; Yang Teramat Mulia Pengiran Muda Muhammad Aiman; and Yang Teramat Mulia Pengiran Anak Faathimah Az-Zahraa’ Raihaanul Bolkiah.
On a separate visit, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince on Friday morning went to Changi Naval Base, Republic of Singapore Navy.
The arrival of His Royal Highness at the Singapore Maritime Crisis Centre (SMCC) was greeted by His Excellency Zaqy Mohamad, Senior Minister of State for Defence and Manpower; Rear Admiral Aaron Beng, Chief of Navy; and Rear Admiral Yong Wei Hsiung, Commander Maritime Security Taskforce.
His Royal Highness was then briefed on “Whole of Government Maritime Security Concept” and “Singapore’s Strategy for safeguarding Maritime Security”, which among other things highlighted the importance of identifying early threats, by emphasising information sharing and closer inter-agency coordination.
The crown prince then boarded the RSS Sovereignty Littoral Mission Vessel (LMV), greeted by Senior Lieutenant Colonel Ricky Low, Commander of the Second Flotilla.
This vessel is an asset of the Republic of Singapore Navy that is specially designed to meet operational requirements and uses the latest technology to enable the overall operating system to run more efficiently.
At the RSS Sovereignty LMV, His Royal Highness was briefed on the vessel’s background and Singapore’s Maritime Security (MARSEC) area of operations.
This was followed by a visit to several parts of the vessel such as the Integrated Command Centre as well as witnessing deterrence operation demonstrations of the Whole of Government Approach involving the Police Coast Guard (PCG); the Singapore Civil Defense Force (SCDF); the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) and the Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN).
Before concluding the visit, His Royal Highness was introduced to three officers from the security agencies of Brunei who are part of 201 International Liaison Officers from 26 countries undergoing their work placement at the Information Fusion Centre.
At this centre, the officers have the opportunity to learn best practices from security agencies of the Republic of Singapore which can then be implemented in their respective countries in the future.
This visit also aimed to further enhance defence cooperation as well as sharing of knowledge in the fields of maritime and regional security.
Moreover, during the two-day stay, the royal family also visited several areas in the River Wonders, including the Amazon Flooded Forest, the Squirrel Monkey Forest and Panda Exhibit.
The visits provided the opportunity for closer interactions between the younger generation of leaders from Brunei and Singapore, reflecting the special and long-standing relations between both countries.
In addition, the trip also aimed to increase knowledge of animals, flora and fauna, awareness of the environment and nature, as well as the preservation of endangered animals.
River Wonders is a park that houses over 7,500 animals from 240 species of land and water habitats as well as wildlife from around the world.
Moreover, on separate occasions, Her Royal Highness Paduka Seri Pengiran Anak Isteri Pengiran Anak Sarah visited the MOE Kindergarten (MK) @ Punggol View and the National Gallery, Republic of Singapore.
Also present were Yang Teramat Mulia Pengiran Anak Muneerah Madhul Bolkiah and Yang Teramat Mulia Pengiran Muda Muhammad Aiman.
Upon arrival at the school, Her Royal Highness was welcomed by Dr Vivien Ang Wek Cheng, Principal of Punggol Primary School and then briefed by Michelle Thomas, Centre Head, on the background of MOE Kindergarten @ Punggol View.
Her Royal Highness also toured several facilities at the school as well as interacted with the kindergarten pupils.
MK provides quality preschool education, which among other things focused on holistic development; developing confidence and social skills; and fostering bilingualism through learning activities in both English and Mother Tongue Languages (Chinese, Malay and Tamil).
The purpose of the visit aimed to take a closer look at the country’s initiative in starting learning and teaching at the kindergarten level under the Government of Singapore, through the Ministry of Education.
Her Royal Highness then visited the National Gallery, where Her Royal Highness was welcomed by Chris Lee, Deputy Chief Executive Officer; Suenne Tan, Senior Director of Museum Planning and Audience Engagement; and Dee Chia, Director (Learning).
During the visit, Her Royal Highness visited exhibitions in the Children’s Biennale Gallery such as “Because It Makes Me Feel”, “My Ink-credible Adventure” and “Conversations with an Octopus”.
These interactive exhibitions, among other things, focused on awareness of the environment and climate change, creativity on digital platforms as well as the relationship between humans and nature.
In the previous visit, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince made a trip to the Integrated Public Service Centre (IPSC) at Our Tampines Hub (OTH).
At the hub, His Royal Highness was welcomed by Singapore’s Minister for Social and Family Development, Second Minister for Health and Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs Masagos Zulkifli Masagos Mohamad.
After a briefing about the hub and the Public Service Division, the Crown Prince, later on, went to the Eco Community Gardens as well as observe facilities in the IPSC.
IPSC is a one-stop centre that provides essential government public service to the community in Tampines and its surrounding areas such as bill payments, job applications and financial assistance as well as housing.
In addition, the IPSC also promotes digital services including self-service kiosks, video consultation services as well as book loans and booking of sports facilities.
The objective of the centre is to assist the public in their dealings with different agencies.
Meanwhile, Our Tampines Hub is Singapore’s first and largest integrated community and lifestyle hub that uses smart nation initiatives to serve the communities efficiently and effectively, as well as a comprehensive management system that protects the environment.
Facilities provided at Our Tampines Hub include sports facilities, a regional library, an arts centre and business premises thus making it a citizen-centric hub.
In another trip, His Royal Highness Prince Haji Al-Muhtadee Billah and Her Royal Highness Paduka Seri Pengiran Anak Isteri Pengiran Anak Sarah had the chance to visit Victoria School at Siglap Link greeted by Singapore’s Minister of Education Chan Chun Sing.
Their Royal Highnesses were briefed by the Principal of Victoria School Chow Weisi on the history of the establishment, achievements and future outlook of the school.
Her Royal Highness then presented a collection of educational books to student representatives, which among other things, aimed to be a source of reference to learn the Malay Language as well as an effort to share the historical background of the sultanate and culture of Brunei Darussalam.
At the school, Their Royal Highnesses also observed a biology teaching and lesson class using the latest technology, as well as interacted with students on the “respiration” exercise in the science lab.
The lesson showcased how technology can support learning and provide the link to real-life applications.
Furthermore, Their Royal Highnesses visited the Eco Community Garden – which was designed to provide learning opportunities for environmental education – as well as other basic facilities including the Victoria Hostel.
Victoria School is the second oldest government secondary school in the Republic of Singapore.
It originated as an English class established in 1876 in Kampong Glam Malay Branch School. In 2007, it pioneered having Physical Education as an O-Level subject and was also among four schools in Singapore to pioneer the Regional Studies Programme by the Ministry of Education.
At present, the school is one of the top schools in Singapore, known for its emphasis on character and leadership excellence.
THE BRUNEIAN | BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN
