Education, Students & Private Schooling

Education in Brunei begins at five years old when the child enters Pre School for one year. Upon turning six, the child becomes a primary student and enters Primary School and progresses through Years One to Six, before taking the Primary School Assessment Exams. These exams help to identify what the student needs to progress and upon finishing the test, will see students move into varying types of secondary school.

When the child completes the Primary School Assessment Exam at twelve years old, they move into Secondary School, this is broken down further into the General Education Programme, the Applied Education Programme, the Specialized Education Programme and the Special Educational Needs Programme.
The former two last for two years each, covering Years Seven to Eleven, these use a common curriculum for the first two years but split apart in the third year, with the General Education Programme following a more rounded subject matter while the Applied Education Programme follows a more specialized set of skills, almost like a college course.

Meanwhile, the Special Educational Needs Programme lasts for five years and is used to help boost the skills of children with special needs; this may include children with behavioural and social disorders, problems understanding subject matter, dyslexia, dyscalculia, dyspraxia, ADHD, ADD and other needs such as physical needs and impairments. The Specialized Education Programme is used in conjunction with students who excel in Science and Sports and will often see students pursuing a career in these areas entering prestigious schools such as the Paduka Seri Begawan Sultan Science College, the Pengiran Jaya Negara Secondary School and many others.

Upon finishing Year Eleven at sixteen years of age, the student takes the BC GCE ‘O’ Level, GCSE or other equivalent examinations and upon completing the exam is awarded with a qualification of secondary education in various subjects. From here on out, the student may enter Tertiary Education directly or take course for a Nursing Diploma, a BDTVEC NSC or Diploma, a Specialized Diploma or a BC GCE ‘A’ or VCE. At a Tertiary Educational Level, many Universities and Academic Institutions are available all across the country. It’s also important to mention that Arabic Secular Education is also available through all levels of education from as young as Year Four, or about nine years old.