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Brunei to run Capacity-Building Courses for Youth Functionaries

31 May 2007

We cannot prepare the future for young people, but we can prepare young people for the future

This was stated by Awg Hj Ahmad bin Hj Abd Rahman, Acting Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports at the official opening ceremony of the 8th Diploma in 'Youth Development Work' Progress Review Meeting facilitated by the Commonwealth Youth Programme (CYP), which will run until June 2. Brunei has demonstrated their commitment to this statement by ensuring that the Regional Youth Caucus representative for Brunei, Awangku Kamal Ghadafi, and caucus members Dayangku Syatirah Adnan and Liyana Imani Latif are making a crucial contribution to the deliberations through their participation in the meeting. The ceremony was held at the Cesar Grand Hall of the Orchid Garden Hotel in Berakas on 28 May.

"Brunei Darussalam is committed to providing opportunities for young people and youth functionaries to access capacity building programmes through undertaking training in youth-related matters," said Awg Hj Ahmad in his speech.

"One of the resolutions made during the 7th Progress Review Meeting in Bangalore, India in 2006 was for Brunei Darussalam to start implementing the CYP Diploma. Universiti Brunei Darussalam (UBD) will be the institution that will deliver the course. The tutors will also be from UBD, while the modules used will be provided by CYP."

The Diploma will be offered to stakeholders who are involved in youth-related work including government officials, members of youth NGOs, youth functionaries and young people in general. The Diploma programme will commence in the second week of June 2007 and will take two years (full-time) to complete. The aim of the programme is to enhance the knowledge, skills, attitude and understanding in handling youth activities and to achieve professionalism in youth work.

"It is hoped that this programme would enable participants to practise what they learn and give their service to the society as a whole," said the Acting Permanent Secretary.

Also present at yesterday's official opening ceremony were Ms Cristal de Saldanha Stainbank, Youth Development Advisor of the CYP Pan Commonwealth Office, Ms Saraswathy Rajagopal, Programme Manager of CYP Asia Centre, Professor Shagufta Haroon, Diploma Programme Co-ordinator from Allama Iqbal Open University, Pakistan, and Hj Matassim bin Hj Jibah, Director of Youth and Sports Department, Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports in his capacity as chairman of the organising committee.

In the meeting session, Ms Cristal de Saldanha said the vision of the CYP programme is for a Commonwealth where young men and women have realized their potential individually and collectively and are effectively integrated as agents of change and development. The meaningful participation of young people is central to the success of any country, and all Ministries should see the critical link between youth development and national development. Ms Saraswathy Rajagopal meanwhile said the programme will help to prepare young people to face challenges more effectively. She added that the wealth of the nation does not depend on material things, but on the "capabilities of its youth to progress in the future".

Since 1999, the CYP centre has been conducting the Diploma in Youth Development Work through leading universities in the Asian Commonwealth region such as the Bangladesh Open University, Indira Gandhi National Open University, Annamalai University and SNDT Women's University in India, Allama Iqbal Open University Pakistan, Open University of Sri Lanka and University Putra Malaysia, through the distance learning mode.

The CYP Asia Centre has been regularly conducting Annual Diploma Review Meetings in order to enhance the effectiveness of the Diploma implementation by Partner Institutions and to strengthen and professionalise the youth service.

Delegates of the Diploma Review Meeting include academics and officials from eight partner institutions across the Asian Commonwealth countries, the Vice-Chancellor from SNDT University, the Permanent Secretary from Sri Lanka's Ministry of Youth Affairs, the Deputy Director from Maldives' Ministry of Youth and Sports, the Deputy Director of Youth and the Chief Youth and Sports Officer from Brunei Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports, the Commonwealth Secretariat and the CYP Asia Centre.