THE Minister of Education yesterday received a courtesy call from a delegation from three SouthEast Asian Minister of Education Organisation (SEAMEO) Centres at the Ministry of Education building.

The delegation comprised Dr Bambang Purwantara, the Centre Director of SEAMEO Regional Center for Tropical Biology (BIOTROP) Indonesia, three representatives from the Philippines SEAMEO Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) led by the Centre Director Dr Gil Saguiguit Jr, and a representative from SEAMEO Regional Open Learning Centre (SEAMOLEC) Indonesia.

According to a statement by the Education Ministry, the delegation met with Yang Berhormat Pehin Orang Kaya Seri Kerna Dato Seri Setia (Dr) Hj Abu Bakar Hj Apong to continue discussions on enhancing the landscape of agriculture education in Brunei, initiated during regional visits to these centres in 2012 during the minister's tenure as the 46th SEAMEO Council President.

They also reported on their preliminary findings and observations of their visit to the Wasan Vocational School and dialogue with teaching staff and officers from the Department of Technical Education on Tuesday.

The courtesy call saw a discussion between the minister and the delegation on enhancing agriculture programmes in Wasan Vocational School, agricultural education in secondary schools, promoting agriculture as a rewarding career and enterprise, identifying niche areas, and future initiatives on staff training and knowledge exchange through the expertise of the centres involved, the statment read.

The delegation was in Brunei from April 1 to 3. Rasidah Abu Bakar The Brunei Times