BEQ Escapes

As Tinkerbell Learning School strengthens its commitment to serve the nation through quality education, it ended –up the second term with a two-day fun, learning and adventure trip at BEQ Equestrian Centre in Jerudong Park.

Students got a change to know the characteristic and behavior of the horses. With the help of the keeper, they had a chance to tour along with the stables were horses are kept. An exhibition was organized show-casing the different tricks and talents of the horses. Not only that, students experienced how to be a horse-back riders.

The Royal Regalia Building of Brunei

Tinkerbell Learning School pupils had to go home before dark from their museum trips, but had they been able to stay until nightfall, this is what they would have seen; a breathtaking shot of the Royal Regalia Building at night.

This building exhibits a unique collection of royal Bruneian artifacts. It was established to commemorate the 1992 Silver Jubilee of His Majesty’s accession to the throne. The ceremonial regalia on display includes the royal chariot; gold and silver ceremonial armory; the traditional jewel encrusted coronation crowns and a replica of the throne (notes and photo by Aloysius Ho)

Museum Visits

Tinkerbell Learning School recently went on a two-day educational visit to the Brunei Museum and the Maly Technology Museum in Jalan Kota Batu and the Royal Regalia Building in Bandar Seri Begawan.

It was a fun-learning affair participated in by some parents, teachers and 180 students, especially the upper primary as it was integrated to their curriculum.

At the Brunei Museum, students saw the Islamic arts collection covering all aspect of religious and daily life. The students were entertained by dioramas of local birds and the animals in their natural habitat at the Natural History Gallery.

At the Malay Technology, the students saw the local development in handicraft, architecture and house building, fishing and boat building in Kampong Ayer, and the life of Brunei’s Indigenous Ethnic people.

In the capital, they visited the circular gallery topped with mosaic dome housing, the Royal Regalia, a building incorporating the characteristics of Malay Islamic Monarchy Philosophy.

Education doesn’t only evolve in the four corners of the classroom, it could be also attained in visiting educational and cultural landmarks.

(Armory display at the Royal Regalia Building; photo from Borneo.Com)

Hello Cyberspace!

The saying "better late than never" seems to be appropriate in this case; July 2007 will forever be marked as the month when the Tinkerbell Learning School officially makes its debut in cyberspace. The internet is another altogether different frontier from outer space or the world's expanding (because of global warming) vast and unexplored oceans. It is a frontier where its expansion is driven by human knowledge, innovation and and imagination, and this is why it is attractive if not essential to the school in its continuing desire for educational excellence.

Not only is it a tool to expand our pupil's knowledge, but also stands as a forum where educational partners such as management and faculty and parents can thresh out issues and discussions relevant to furthering and improving education in general.

We've started out this entry into the internet using the popular blog platform which makes interaction and communication easy on both sides. We hope that not only parents, but also the general global cyberspace community would drop by and browse through the site and drop us a line or two; after all, education is a universal concern.

Hopefully and according to schedule, Tinkerbell Learning School would adopt its own domain name (easier to remember!) and a more expanded site which by then, should have evolved into something that all of us have helped shape and mold.

An Introduction to the Brunei Educational System

For those who may find themselves in this website and may be unfamiliar with the Sultanate of Brunei and its educational system, here is a useful introduction from the British Council Website;

The Education system in Brunei is modelled on the British system with Brunei-Cambridge GCE A-Levels used as the main basis for matriculation. Tertiary education is readily available in Brunei at University of Brunei Darussalam, Institute Teknologi Brunei, the PAPRSB College of Nursing or one of the technical or vocational training centres for those applicable. Local vocational qualifications from these institutions are based on the UK National Certificate, National Diploma and HND. The undergraduate degree is a four year Honours Degree programme and Postgraduate programmes run for a duration of 12 to 18 months.

The Government supports funding for overseas studies through scholarships which are primarily allocated to programmes that cannot be pursued locally. Placement offers from the top 50 universities listed under the Times Higher Education League table are vastly preferred.

The Overseas In-Service Training scheme is offered to government officers who need to upgrade their skills and broaden their knowledge. The scheme is intended for undergraduate and postgraduate studies. The Ministry of Education scholarships are allocated to school leavers applying for degree level and/or vocational diploma. The Ministry of Defense scholarships, allocated to top O levels and A levels students, are considered prestigious and are for entry to top universities in UK, US, Canada and Australia. The Sultan’s Foundation Scholarships are also offered to top A levels students. Brunei Shell Petroleum (BSP) offers scholarships for degree and postgraduate studies in the UK and Australia in geophysics and engineering courses.