Hamzah Sulaiman

Hamzah graduated from Universiti Brunei Darussalam (UBD) in 1991 with a BA (Hons) in public policy and administration.^[3] He then joined the civil service as a research analyst at the Ministry of Defence (MOD). In 1995, he graduated with a Master of Arts (MA) in Political science from the State University of New York, Albany.^[4] He began working for UBD's Department of Public Policy and Administration in 1993. From 2001 to 2005, he served as the department's head, and from 2005 onward, he served as the Institute of Policy Studies, UBD's first head.^[3]

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Hamzah returned to the MOD in 2007 in a new position as the Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Institute of Defence and Strategic Studies' Director. In the Ministry of Finance (MOF), he was appointed as a Senior Special Duties Officer four years later. In 2012, he was given the position of Director of Research and International Division, where he was in charge of managing Brunei's international relations with organizations like ASEAN, ASEAN+3, APEC, the IMF, World Bank, Islamic Development Bank, and Asian Development Bank as well as conducting economic research. 2013 saw his appointment to the MOD's position of Deputy Permanent secretary (Defence policy and Development). He was assigned to the position of Permanent Secretary (International, Economic planning and Development and Finance), currently known as the Economic and Finance Division, Prime Minister's Office, a year later, in 2014. During a cabinet reshuffle on 30 January 2018, he was appointed to serve as the Minister of Education.^[3] On 7 June 2022, Hamzah would be succeeded by Datin Romaizah Mohd Salleh after a cabinet reshuffle.^[5]

In a meeting with Sulaiman, Salim M. Al-Malik, Director general of the Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ISESCO), reaffirmed its desire to expand cooperation with Brunei. He praised the celebration of Bandar Seri Begawan as the 2019 Capital of Islamic Culture as well as the programs and activities carried out and planned as part of the celebration. The parties also decided to keep working to make Brunei a frequent location for hosting international symposia and some ministerial conferences that fall under the purview of ISESCO. This cooperation will be promoted in the areas of education, science, technology, and culture.^[6]

According to Sulaiman, in May 2020, parents would be able to "negotiate with school leaders" over whether to enable their children to resume in-person instruction or continue with online courses, while schools would have the last say about student enrollment. After an 11-week total closure for students taking examinations, schools will resume on 2 June for the first group of students in what has been referred to as a partial restart.^[7]

According to Dato Hamzah Sulaiman, the National Vaccination Program for COVID-19 will begin on 8 November 2021, for 38,201 pupils between the ages of 12 and 17. He also said that the MOH and MOE would collaborate closely to immunize the pupils. All youngsters in the nation between the ages of 12 and 17 are entitled to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, according to Hamzah. All schools under the control of the MOE, the Ministry of Religious Affairs (MORA), and private institutions, including international schools, will be covered by the initiative.^[8] He also stated that the usage of digital technology has recently undergone a significant shift in response to the recent global COVID-19 epidemic, and the demand for digital skills has increased significantly, especially so in particular areas.^[9]

The 8th Asia-Europe Ministers of Education Meeting (ASEMME8) was held virtually on 15 December 2021, and Hamzah spoke during the Round Table Session – Commitment of Ministers and Stakeholders to Support the ASEAN 2030 Education Strategy. He also mentioned that the Brunei's MOE has established a Lifelong Learning Center as a crucial tool for giving all students access to opportunities for education, training, and skill development to improve their marketability in the ever-evolving market.^[10]

According to Hamzah, in-person schooling will start on 14 May 2022, for students between the ages of five and eleven. The decision to restart face-to-face schooling for the age group was decided after taking into account the falling trend of COVID-19 infections across the nation, the minister said, adding that 50,000 students are anticipated to return to school. According to him, this occurred at the same time as the second term of classes at educational institutions run by the MOE and MORA.^[11]