THE Government of His Majesty the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam provides many programmes for human capacity development to realise Brunei’s Vision 2035 to have an educated and highly-skilled workforce as well as to ensure a high standard of living.

Yayasan Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah (YSHHB) acts as a platform for His Majesty the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam and the royal family to show care and love for his subjects in creating a peaceful and prosperous society.

One of the programmes offered by YSHHB, under the leadership of His Majesty, is the ‘Sultan’s Scholar’, a prestigious scholarship awarded to students who excel in academic and extra-curricular activities. The recipients are identified by YSHHB, the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Religious Affairs to pursue their degrees at prestigious foreign higher learning institutions.

His Majesty yesterday consented to officiate the awarding of the Sultan’s Scholar at Istana Nurul Iman.

Also present at the ceremony were His Royal Highness Prince Haji Al-Muhtadee Billah, the Crown Prince and Senior Minister at the Prime Minister’s Office, and His Royal Highness Prince ‘Abdul Malik, Chairman of YSHHB Committee of Governors.

The aim of presenting the Sultan’s Scholar is to produce individuals who are educated, highly skilled, highly disciplined and courteous for the long-term benefit of the religion, monarch and country. His Majesty consented to award the Sultan’s Scholar to gifted individuals starting in 2006.

This year, four students received the Sultan’s Scholar for the 2013/2014 academic session. They are Dayang Hajah Hafizah binti Dato Paduka Haji Mohd Nor, Dayang Hajah Andi Diinah Kiasatina @ Andi Haafizah binti Haji Alliasim, Awang Khong Yu Neng and Awangku Muhammad Muzhaffar bin Pengiran Haji Rusjdi.

All of them will be pursuing their degrees at world renowned universities.

Hajah Hafizah binti Dato Paduka Haji Mohd Nor had previously been awarded the Skim Khas Pentadbiran Brunei (BAS) scholarship and continued her ‘A’ Levels at the Cheltenham Ladies’ College in the United Kingdom.

The Sultan’s Scholar Award will see her pursuing Architecture at the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom.

Hajah Andi Diinah Kiasatina @ Andi Haafizah binti Haji Alliasim was the recipient of the Biasiswa Skim Khas Dana Sumber Manusia scholarship, following which she pursued her ‘A’ Levels at Malvern St James Girls’ School in the United Kingdom. Under the Sultan’s Scholar award, she will take on Biomedical Science at University College London in the United Kingdom.

Meanwhile, Khong Yu Neng was previously from the Tutong Sixth Form Centre.

The Sultan’s Scholar award will see him pursuing Chemistry at the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom.

Awangku Muhammad Muzhaffar bin Pengiran Haji Rusjdi, from Sekolah Menengah Arab Laki-Laki Hassanal Bolkiah, will be taking Syariah at the University of Al-Azhar in Egypt.

The Sultan’s Scholar Award ceremony began with the recitation of Surah Al-Fatihah led by State Mufti Pehin Datu Seri Maharaja Dato Paduka Seri Setia (Dr) Ustaz Hj Awang Abd Aziz bin Juned.

His Majesty then consented to officiate the awarding of the Sultan’s Scholar award to the four recipients.

Following the ceremony, a Doa Selamat was recited by the State Mufti.

The day also saw the monarch consenting to take a group photo and engage in light conversations with award recipients and their parents.

Also in attendance at the ceremony were Jemaah Tadbir Yayasan members, chairman of the Board of Directors of Yayasan, Minister of Religious Affairs, Deputy Minister of Education and Deputy Minister of Religious Affairs, members of the board of directors, permanent secretaries at the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Religious Affairs, steering committee of Sultan’s Scholar, senior government officers and senior Yayasan officials, principals and students of Sixth Form Centres throughout the nation.

Meanwhile, two of the Sultan’s Scholar award recipients of 2009 have completed their undergraduate course with flying colours and will be pursuing their PhDs.

The students are Muhammad Ayyub bin Haji Kamaluddin, who has completed his Mechanical Engineering course at Imperial College in London, and will be pursuing his PhD in Environmental Stress Cracking of Polymers; and Nur Amirah Izzati binti Mohd Noor, who has completed her Chemical Engineering course at Imperial College in London, and will be pursuing her PhD in Industrial Smart Grid.

This year, Yayasan also presented incentives to Sultan’s Scholar award recipients who achieved first class honours in their studies.

They are Nur Amirah Izzati binti Mohd Noor; and Awangku Muhammad Zaki bin Pengiran Dato Paduka Haji Zaini, a 2009 award recipient who pursued Civil Engineering at Imperial College in the United Kingdom. - Borneo Bulletin (15 September 2013)