The Brunei Darussalam Technical and Vocational Education Council (BDTEVC) is the national award-granting body for vocational and technical programs. The BDTEVC accredits programs and qualifications, sets standards and monitors program delivery. In addition, the BDTEV works to ensure the relevance of local TVET programs to the nation’s economic development. There is currently no national qualifications framework in Brunei Darussalam (see below).
The sole accreditation agency for higher education providers in Brunei Darussalam is the Brunei Darussalam National Accreditation Council (BDNAC). The Council accredits private and public higher education providers and their courses. BDNAC’s role is to (i) assess the value and status of any qualifications offered in Brunei, (ii) to ensure that evaluation processes and assessment criteria are consistent with national priorities; (iii) to establish appropriate accreditation guidelines; and (iv) to publish directories of accredited qualifications and institutions. In its activities, the Council is assisted by 10 special sub-committees in different professional fields. BDNAC is also responsible for the development of the Brunei National Qualifications Framework (BNQF), a process which is at a relatively early stage.
The Ministry of Religious Affairs also exercises an independent supervisory responsibility over Islamic schools.
In the country’s Education Act there are only provisions binding private schools in the sultanate. The Act states that every private school in the country should be registered. Therefore, the Act may be cited as the Education (Non-Government Schools) Act of which nothing applies to government schools. The Ministry of Education provides for the establishment, regulation, operation and management of government schools. Examinations in the country are regulated by the Brunei Board of Examinations.
a) International regulatory and policy frameworks
BDNAC is a member of the ASEAN Quality Assurance Network (AQAN) and the Asia-Pacific Quality Network (APQN).
b) Regional agreements
Brunei Darussalam is party to the ASEAN-Australia-New Zealand Free Trade Area Agreement (AANZFTA).
c) National regulations and policy
Universiti Brunei Darussalam Act (1999)
Education Order (2003)[and many associated amendments)
Education (Brunei Board of Examinations) Act [1984 Ed.]
The Ministry of Education: strategic plan 2007-2011
d) State/District regulations and policy
None identified.
e) University policies
There are three public universities in Brunei Darussalam: the Universiti Brunei Darussalam (UBD), the Institut Teknologi Brunei (ITB) and the Universiti Islam Sultan Sharif Ali (UNISSA). The last is an Islamic University which was split off from the UBD. There is also a single private tertiary education provider, the Kolej IGS Brunei Darussalam, which offers a small number of courses in conjunction with the Malaysian LimKokWing University.
The UBD is a long-established institution which dates back to 1985. However, the other three institutions are relatively new universities. UNISSA became an independent institution in 2007. ITB achieved university status in 2008. The Kolej offered its first degree programs only in 2010.
These differences are reflected in the much greater maturity of quality assurance mechanisms at the UBD. Although all the universities in Brunei Darussalam are committed to improving the quality of teaching and learning, only the USB has an established Strategic and Quality Assurance Management Unit (SQAMU). The Unit’s quality assurance mechanisms have been in place for a number of years and are based on self-assessment down to the program level.