HIS Majesty the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam yesterday consented to award scholarships to five outstanding students under the prestigious Sultan’s Scholar Scheme of Yayasan Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah (YSHHB).

Also present at the ceremony held at the Istana Nurul Iman 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 the YSHHB Committee of Governors.

His Majesty presented scholarship certificates to Dayang Izyan Nayli binti Haji Abdul ‘Aziz, Awang Muhammad Nasruddin bin Haji Sulaiman, Dayang Nurul Syadirah binti Awang Sayang, Dayang Rozana binti Awang Mustafa and Awangku Ahmad Faris Radadhani bin Pengiran Haji Sellahuddin.

The scholarship recipients for the 2014/2015 academic session will be leaving the country by the end of this month to pursue their bachelor’s degree at renowned international universities.

The Sultan’s Scholar Scheme, initiated by His Majesty in 2006, awards scholarships annually to students who excel academically and in extra-curricular activities to study at world-renowned universities. These students are identified by YSHHB, the Ministry of Education (MoE) and the Ministry of Religious Affairs (MoRA).

Dayang Izyan, 18, was a Human Resource Fund Scholarship Scheme recipient and attended ‘A’ Levels in Cardiff Sixth Form College in Cardiff, United Kingdom. She will be majoring in Physical Natural Sciences at the University of Cambridge, UK.

Awang Muhammad Nasruddin, 19, is a former Tutong Sixth Form Centre student who will be majoring in Chemistry at University of Oxford, United Kingdom.

Also a Human Resource Fund Scholarship Scheme recipient, Nurul Syadirah, 20, pursued her ‘A’ Levels at Harrogate Ladies’ College in the UK, and through the Sultan’s Scholar, she is majoring in Mathematics, Operational Research, Statistics and Economics (MORSE) at University of Warwick, UK.

Rozana, another ‘A’ Levels leaver from Sayyidina Ali Secondary School, will attend Imperial College London, UK, majoring in Physics.

Awangku Ahmad Faris Ramadhani, 21, an Institut Tahfiz Al-Quran Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah leaver will attend Mahad Qiraat, Al-Azhar, Shoubra, Egypt, majoring in ‘Takhassus Al-Quran Wal Qiraat.’

Standing proudly beside their parents and family members, the scholarship recipients had the opportunity to speak with the monarch and members of the royal family before a photo opportunity.

To bless the students and the ceremony, a Doa Selamat was read by State Mufti Pehin Datu Seri Maharaja Dato Paduka Seri Setia (Dr) Ustaz Haji Awang Abd Aziz bin Juned.

Meanwhile, this year, a previous Sultan’s Scholar recipient, Muhammad Shu’aib bin Haji Kamaluddin, will be pursuing his doctorate (PhD) in Organic Materials for Electronics Applications. Muhammad Shu’aib, who competed his Masters in Physics at University College London, UK, also received an incentive from YSHHB after securing a First Class Honours during his undergraduate years.

Last year, two Sultan’s Scholar recipients pursued their PhDs after completing their Masters as part of the scholarship’s broadening programme.

Since its inception, the Sultan’s Scholar has been awarded to 31 students up until last year. A fraction of them have completed their studies and are now serving at government departments and agencies in the country, while the others are still studying.

According to YSHHB in a press release, the Sultan’s Scholar aims to produce educated, highly-skilled, highly-disciplined and chivalrous individuals for the long-term benefit of the religion, monarchy and nation. - Borneo Bulletin (21 September 2014)