A push for tertiary education
Kolej International Graduate Studies (KIGS) Brunei Darussalam is the first local private tertiary level institution to be fully accredited by His Majesty’s Government of Brunei Darussalam through the Brunei Darussalam National Accreditation Council, Ministry of Education. Its vision is to become a dynamic industry leader by providing leading-edge tertiary-level education and professional training, catering both local and global human resources development needs, requirements and expectations.
This is the excerpt of the interview with the Kolej CEO, Pg Hjh Fatimah Pg Setia Jaya Pg Hj Abd Momin
Q: What are the roots of Kolej IGS?
A: My father, Yang Amat Mulia Pengiran Setia Jaya Pengiran Haji Abdul Momin bin Pengiran Othman, being an educator himself, was very concerned with a large number of young Bruneian students unable to qualify for higher public sector institutions due to limited places available, and some could not afford to study overseas due to higher costs. Thus, in order to help young Bruneians realise their dream of achieving higher academic qualifications, my father decided to form KIGS in 2002, a small institution for tertiary level education in business and information technology, to cater for those students.
When the Government of His Majesty The Sultan of Brunei, via the Ministry of Education, introduced Brunei Darussalam Technical and Vocational Education Council (BDTVEC) schemes to private institutions in 2003, KIGS was the first private college to take the bold initiative and accepted the challenge, offering BDTVEC programmes in IT and in business management and finance courses ranging from skill certificates to diplomas with the first intake of 35 students and 5 lecturers in July 2004.
Today, KIGS has expanded. Thanks to the government of His Majesty, via the Brunei Economic Development Board, designed a number of sponsorship schemes for Bruneian students to study at Brunei private institutions by giving full scholarship to the Brunei students, in line with the country Vision 2035, to equip young Bruneians with critical skills and knowledge to ensure the continued development of Negara Brunei Darussalam into the 21st century. With merely 35 students in 2004, the numbers of students and lecturers have grown progressively. In less than 10 years, KIGS has registered over one thousand students in IT as well as business and finance programmes.
Q: What courses are currently on offer at Kolej UGS?
A: KIGS is currently running 4 degree programmes, namely Bachelor of Business (Hons) in Accounting, Bachelor of Business Administration (Hons), Bachelor of Science (Hons) in Information Technology, and Bachelor of Science (Hons) in Software Engineering with Multimedia; 3 courses in HND Business (Accounting), Business (Management) and Computing; 6 diplomas in Computer Networking, Information Technology, Business Entrepreneurship, Marketing, Business Accountancy and Business & Finance; and 2 skill certificates level 2 & 3 each in Business Administration and in Information Technology.
Q: Are Kolej IGS students 100 per cent local?
A: Almost 100 per cent of the students are Bruneian. There are only a small percentage (approximately 5%) of foreign students studying at KIGS, primarily those with expat parents working in Brunei.
Q: How would you attract more students from abroad to study at Kolej IGS, for example from neighbouring Malaysia?
A: KIGS has developed its strengths through linkages with programme moderators originating from the UK and Australia. These moderators, coupled with the recruitment of qualified lecturers from the best blend of foreign and local professionals, cater to the growing number of students. This has worked well with the continuing increase of students annually. In fact, in 2012, a HND graduate KIGS student received the ‘Best Student award’ from BDTVEC. This award is only given by BDTVEC to the top students in government or private institutions, and KIGS was the first private institution to be given the prestigious award.
The collaboration with Limkokwing University of Creative Technology, Malaysia, coupled with the environment of Brunei Darussalam, offers an alternative venue for students in neighbouring countries like Malaysia to study at KIGS.
Q: Is your staff local as well?
A: KIGS staff comprise of both local and foreign staff. To cater the increased number of students, KIGS has also increased the staff from 8 in 2004 to over 50 in 2013. 80 per cent of the staff are academic staff and the rest are supporting or administrative staff. Two thirds of KIGS Academic experts are from overseas such as Malaysia, India, Indonesia, Pakistan and the UK.
Q: How did the 3-year degree programme you introduced work out as opposed to the usual 4-year degree programme of others?
A: KIGS’s 3-year degree programme received a very good response because of shorter duration without compromising the quality. The opening of evening programmes has enabled adult learners to pursue higher education while working. This is in line with KIGS founder’s aspiration to help young Bruneians realise their vision of achieving higher academic qualifications.
Q: How many students do you currently have?
A: KIGS has the capacity to accommodate 1,500 students. At present, there are 1,151 students following the KIGS programmes. The size of the classes is between 20 to 25 students per class.
Q: Where do you see Kolej IGS in 5 years?
We envision growth at KIGS both on the number of intakes and courses offered. KIGS first convocation was in May 2007 with 13 students graduated in National Diploma. In July 2007 KIGS launched BDTVEC Higher National Diploma programme full-time and part-time, with the first intake of 9 students followed by 12 students enrolled a year later for HND in Computer Studies.
KIGS has expanded programmes further by signing an agreement with Limkokwing University of Creative Technology, Malaysia in 2009, which provides an opportunity for KIGS to run full-time degree programmes in the same field in collaboration with them. The enrolment of the first intake took place in April 2011. This opening provides an opportunity for HND graduates to further their qualification to Degree, truly my father’s wish to see the young Bruneians to realise their dream.
To date, KIGS is the only private institution offering degree courses locally. May 2013 is the 6th convocation year for KIGS, and for the first time 24 students will be awarded with their degrees. These students are HND holders studying at KIGS starting from the 2nd year degree programme.
In the near future, KIGS plans to run courses in communications, multimedia, advertising and design. We strongly believe such trends will continue and the challenge ahead for KIGS is to maintain the quality of our deliverable in every sectors of KIGS existence and to excel our brand “CARE – Centre of Achievement & Rewarding Experience” locally and internationally in support of Brunei Darussalam vision to equip Bruneian with critical skills and knowledge to ensure the continued development of Negara Brunei Darussalam into the 21st century
Q: How did Kolej IGS overcome that particular challenge?
A: With hard work, dedication and perseverance would be the key to succeed. We also believe in teamwork especially among all members of KIGS. Together, we CARE!
Q: What kind of international exposure do your programmes offer?
A: Our partnership with Limkokwing University of Creative Technology offers a “global classroom” approach which enable students to undergo a minimum of one month or one semester attachment in any of the 22 LimKokWing campus branches around the world. The campuses are wide spread in Asia, Africa and Europe.
Q: How does the government support for Kolej IGS look like in detail?
A: Our Bruneian students received various types of sponsorship schemes from His Majesty’s Government of Brunei Darussalam. They are:
1. Technical & Vocational Education Scholarship under the Human Resource Sponsorship scheme of Department of Economic Development & Planning, Prime Minister’s Office. This scheme is especially for providing assistance to ‘O’ & ‘A’ level school leavers to further their education at private institutions due to limited places available at governmental and public institutions; and to assist them with the course fees;
2. Human Resource Capacity Building Sponsorship scheme – for Bruneians who work for the private sector to enjoy the privilege of government employees in furthering their education qualification while working to allow them to enhance their skill capacity and to enable them to compete professionally and be marketable. KIGS offers evening courses to cater for these employees and they receive fee assistance via the scheme.
3. Provision of Education Allowance Facility for Tertiary Level Education – the scheme is offered to employees in private sectors who are active members of Workers’ Trust Fund (Tabung Amanah Pekerja – TAP) and whose children are studying at private institutions, approved and certified by the Ministry of Education.
[caption id="attachment_12754" align="alignleft" width="164"] Pg Hjh Fatimah Pg Setia Jaya Pg Hj Abd Momin, CEO of Kolej IGS[/caption] Kolej International Graduate Studies (KIGS) Brunei Darussalam is the first local private tertiary level institution to be fully accredited by His Majesty’s Government of Brunei Darussalam through the Brunei Darussalam National Accreditation Council, Ministry of Education. Its vision is to become a dynamic industry leader by providing leading-edge tertiary-level education and professional training, catering both local and global human resources development needs, requirements and expectations. This is the excerpt of the interview with the Kolej CEO, Pg Hjh Fatimah Pg Setia Jaya...
Kolej International Graduate Studies (KIGS) Brunei Darussalam is the first local private tertiary level institution to be fully accredited by His Majesty’s Government of Brunei Darussalam through the Brunei Darussalam National Accreditation Council, Ministry of Education. Its vision is to become a dynamic industry leader by providing leading-edge tertiary-level education and professional training, catering both local and global human resources development needs, requirements and expectations.
This is the excerpt of the interview with the Kolej CEO, Pg Hjh Fatimah Pg Setia Jaya Pg Hj Abd Momin
Q: What are the roots of Kolej IGS?
A: My father, Yang Amat Mulia Pengiran Setia Jaya Pengiran Haji Abdul Momin bin Pengiran Othman, being an educator himself, was very concerned with a large number of young Bruneian students unable to qualify for higher public sector institutions due to limited places available, and some could not afford to study overseas due to higher costs. Thus, in order to help young Bruneians realise their dream of achieving higher academic qualifications, my father decided to form KIGS in 2002, a small institution for tertiary level education in business and information technology, to cater for those students.
When the Government of His Majesty The Sultan of Brunei, via the Ministry of Education, introduced Brunei Darussalam Technical and Vocational Education Council (BDTVEC) schemes to private institutions in 2003, KIGS was the first private college to take the bold initiative and accepted the challenge, offering BDTVEC programmes in IT and in business management and finance courses ranging from skill certificates to diplomas with the first intake of 35 students and 5 lecturers in July 2004.
Today, KIGS has expanded. Thanks to the government of His Majesty, via the Brunei Economic Development Board, designed a number of sponsorship schemes for Bruneian students to study at Brunei private institutions by giving full scholarship to the Brunei students, in line with the country Vision 2035, to equip young Bruneians with critical skills and knowledge to ensure the continued development of Negara Brunei Darussalam into the 21st century. With merely 35 students in 2004, the numbers of students and lecturers have grown progressively. In less than 10 years, KIGS has registered over one thousand students in IT as well as business and finance programmes.
Q: What courses are currently on offer at Kolej UGS?
A: KIGS is currently running 4 degree programmes, namely Bachelor of Business (Hons) in Accounting, Bachelor of Business Administration (Hons), Bachelor of Science (Hons) in Information Technology, and Bachelor of Science (Hons) in Software Engineering with Multimedia; 3 courses in HND Business (Accounting), Business (Management) and Computing; 6 diplomas in Computer Networking, Information Technology, Business Entrepreneurship, Marketing, Business Accountancy and Business & Finance; and 2 skill certificates level 2 & 3 each in Business Administration and in Information Technology.
Q: Are Kolej IGS students 100 per cent local?
A: Almost 100 per cent of the students are Bruneian. There are only a small percentage (approximately 5%) of foreign students studying at KIGS, primarily those with expat parents working in Brunei.
Q: How would you attract more students from abroad to study at Kolej IGS, for example from neighbouring Malaysia?
A: KIGS has developed its strengths through linkages with programme moderators originating from the UK and Australia. These moderators, coupled with the recruitment of qualified lecturers from the best blend of foreign and local professionals, cater to the growing number of students. This has worked well with the continuing increase of students annually. In fact, in 2012, a HND graduate KIGS student received the ‘Best Student award’ from BDTVEC. This award is only given by BDTVEC to the top students in government or private institutions, and KIGS was the first private institution to be given the prestigious award.
The collaboration with Limkokwing University of Creative Technology, Malaysia, coupled with the environment of Brunei Darussalam, offers an alternative venue for students in neighbouring countries like Malaysia to study at KIGS.
Q: Is your staff local as well?
A: KIGS staff comprise of both local and foreign staff. To cater the increased number of students, KIGS has also increased the staff from 8 in 2004 to over 50 in 2013. 80 per cent of the staff are academic staff and the rest are supporting or administrative staff. Two thirds of KIGS Academic experts are from overseas such as Malaysia, India, Indonesia, Pakistan and the UK.
Q: How did the 3-year degree programme you introduced work out as opposed to the usual 4-year degree programme of others?
A: KIGS’s 3-year degree programme received a very good response because of shorter duration without compromising the quality. The opening of evening programmes has enabled adult learners to pursue higher education while working. This is in line with KIGS founder’s aspiration to help young Bruneians realise their vision of achieving higher academic qualifications.
Q: How many students do you currently have?
A: KIGS has the capacity to accommodate 1,500 students. At present, there are 1,151 students following the KIGS programmes. The size of the classes is between 20 to 25 students per class.
Q: Where do you see Kolej IGS in 5 years?
We envision growth at KIGS both on the number of intakes and courses offered. KIGS first convocation was in May 2007 with 13 students graduated in National Diploma. In July 2007 KIGS launched BDTVEC Higher National Diploma programme full-time and part-time, with the first intake of 9 students followed by 12 students enrolled a year later for HND in Computer Studies.
KIGS has expanded programmes further by signing an agreement with Limkokwing University of Creative Technology, Malaysia in 2009, which provides an opportunity for KIGS to run full-time degree programmes in the same field in collaboration with them. The enrolment of the first intake took place in April 2011. This opening provides an opportunity for HND graduates to further their qualification to Degree, truly my father’s wish to see the young Bruneians to realise their dream.
To date, KIGS is the only private institution offering degree courses locally. May 2013 is the 6th convocation year for KIGS, and for the first time 24 students will be awarded with their degrees. These students are HND holders studying at KIGS starting from the 2nd year degree programme.
In the near future, KIGS plans to run courses in communications, multimedia, advertising and design. We strongly believe such trends will continue and the challenge ahead for KIGS is to maintain the quality of our deliverable in every sectors of KIGS existence and to excel our brand “CARE – Centre of Achievement & Rewarding Experience” locally and internationally in support of Brunei Darussalam vision to equip Bruneian with critical skills and knowledge to ensure the continued development of Negara Brunei Darussalam into the 21st century
Q: How did Kolej IGS overcome that particular challenge?
A: With hard work, dedication and perseverance would be the key to succeed. We also believe in teamwork especially among all members of KIGS. Together, we CARE!
Q: What kind of international exposure do your programmes offer?
A: Our partnership with Limkokwing University of Creative Technology offers a “global classroom” approach which enable students to undergo a minimum of one month or one semester attachment in any of the 22 LimKokWing campus branches around the world. The campuses are wide spread in Asia, Africa and Europe.
Q: How does the government support for Kolej IGS look like in detail?
A: Our Bruneian students received various types of sponsorship schemes from His Majesty’s Government of Brunei Darussalam. They are:
1. Technical & Vocational Education Scholarship under the Human Resource Sponsorship scheme of Department of Economic Development & Planning, Prime Minister’s Office. This scheme is especially for providing assistance to ‘O’ & ‘A’ level school leavers to further their education at private institutions due to limited places available at governmental and public institutions; and to assist them with the course fees;
2. Human Resource Capacity Building Sponsorship scheme – for Bruneians who work for the private sector to enjoy the privilege of government employees in furthering their education qualification while working to allow them to enhance their skill capacity and to enable them to compete professionally and be marketable. KIGS offers evening courses to cater for these employees and they receive fee assistance via the scheme.
3. Provision of Education Allowance Facility for Tertiary Level Education – the scheme is offered to employees in private sectors who are active members of Workers’ Trust Fund (Tabung Amanah Pekerja – TAP) and whose children are studying at private institutions, approved and certified by the Ministry of Education.
