From 4th-7th August, UBD Centre for Lifelong Learning, UBD PAPRSB Institute of Health Sciences and Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah Institute of Education faculty members participated in an Educational visit to Kagawa University, Japan. The visit began with the Science Exhibition held at Sunport Hall Takamatsu. The UBD exhibition booth featured activities relating to Brunei rice culture, traditional games and wildlife. The aim of the exhibition was to promote lifelong learning and science through activities to children and the local community. The exhibition raised awareness of UBD research and lifelong learning initiatives through education and science.

UBD and Kagawa University representatives from the Faculty of Education, International Office and Faculty of Agriculture discussed multi-disciplinary research projects and collaborations in Nutrition Education – Ambuyat Workshop to local teachers, Special Needs Education, Generative AI and Rare Sugar production.

Universiti Brunei Darussalam (UBD) hosted the two-day 2nd International Conference for Public Health, Environment, and Education for Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) at The Empire Brunei.

Held from 3rd to 4th June 2024, the conference is co-organised by UBD’s Centre for Lifelong Learning (C3L), Pengiran Anak Puteri Rashidah Sa’adatul Bolkiah Institute of Health Sciences (PAPRSB IHS) and Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah Institute of Education (SHBIE). The conference convened under the theme “Futuring Together: Integrating Lifelong Learning with Sustainable Practices for Healthier Communities and Environments.” This theme highlights the essence of integrating lifelong learning with sustainable practices, emphasising the importance of health and environment. It resonates with the broader goals of the conference, which includes fostering a multidisciplinary approach to achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and encourages collaborative and forward-thinking strategies among professionals, educators, and policymakers to create healthier communities and more sustainable environments.

The conference is also co-hosted by local and international institutions. Local partners include Sustainable Development Goals Unit under the Prime Minister’s Office, Lifelong Learning Centre (L3C) under the Ministry of Education, JPMC College of Health Sciences, and AC-ACE Creative Training Services, Brunei. Meanwhile international partners include Mahidol University, Thailand; Universitas Indonesia; Kagawa University, Japan; University Malaysia Sabah; Sunway University, Malaysia; and Far Eastern University, Philippines.

The opening ceremony held on 3rd June 2024 at The Empire Brunei marked the beginning of the two-day conference, bringing together academics, researchers, and industry professionals from around the globe. UBD Vice-Chancellor Dr Hazri Haji Kifle officiated the conference.

The inaugural event featured keynote speeches by renowned experts: Professor Dr Mohd Ayub Sadiq from UBD and Professor Dr Abdul Karim Alias from Universiti Tenaga Nasional (UNITEN), Malaysia. Professor Dr Mohd Ayub Sadiq, a medical statistician with a background in Medicine, Public Health, and Occupational Health, discussed “Digital Transformation in Healthcare.” Meanwhile, Professor Dr Abdul Karim Alias, an expert in Food Technology, spoke on “Harnessing Generative AI for Lifelong Learning.”

The second day of the conference will take place at the Chancellor Hall, UBD, featuring keynote speeches by two distinguished speakers. The first speaker is Professor Takagi Yumiko from Kagawa University, Japan, an expert on environmentally-friendly teaching materials using innovative technologies such as ionic liquids. She will discuss “Proposal on Nutrition Education Research in East Asia Countries- International Contribution through Comparative Study and its Educational Development.” The second speaker is Associate Professor Dr Sarawut Thepanondh from Mahidol University, Thailand. He is an expert on emission inventory and air pollution modelling. Associate Professor Dr Sarawut Thepanondh will discuss “Unified Solutions: Environment, Health, and Climate Synergies for a Sustainable Tomorrow”. Following the keynote addresses, the second day will continue with a series of paper presentations and poster presentation sessions. This segment will showcase groundbreaking research and developments across various fields, fostering a collaborative environment for knowledge sharing.

Prior to the opening ceremony, attendees had the opportunity to participate in two pre-conference workshops held from 27th to 28th May and from 29th to 30th May 2024. The two workshops were led by Dr Nimisha Anya Muttiah on “Voice for all: empowering children to communicate” and “AAC Pathways: Unlocking Children’s Communication” respectively. Dr Nimisha Anya Muttiah is an Assistant Professor and a speech-language pathologist from the State University of New York (SUNY), Cortland, United States of America. There will be a post-conference workshop from 5th to 6th June 2024, conducted by one of the keynote speakers, Professor Dr Abdul Karim Alias which will provide participants with insights into “Creating Engaging and Effective Micro-Credentials”.

To enhance the international participants’ experience, the conference also included cultural immersion activities such as a river cruise along Brunei Darussalam’s renowned water village and an introduction to the gulintangan.

In conjunction with Brunei Mid-Year Conference and Exhibition (MYCE 2024), the conference serves as a dynamic platform for educators, researchers, policymakers, and lifelong learning advocates around the world to exchange insights on the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead in integrating lifelong learning with sustainable practices, share best practices, and collaboratively envision a future where education is continuous, inclusive, and purposefully aligned with the global SDGs for healthier communities and environments.