PHILIPPINES, BRUNEI REFER TO MALAYSIA'S SUCCESS STORIES

PUTRAJAYA, Jan 23 (Bernama) -- The success of Malaysia's education system
will be used as reference by the Philippines and Brunei in empowering their
education systems, Education Minister Hishammuddin Tun Hussein said
Thursday.

He said the success of the system had also drawn the Philippines' and
Brunei's attention to enhance their bilateral relations with Malaysia.

For example, he said Malaysia's success story on the Islamic Education had
encouraged Philippine Education Minister Datu (rpt Datu) Dr Jesli A. Lapus to
give priority to the subject in the bilateral cooperation between the two
countries.

"For a start, the Education Ministry of Philippines will send a group of
educational researchers and experts to our country soon to conduct a study on
our Islamic education system," he said in a statement, here, today.

He said the cooperation will also pave the way for an official memorandum of
understanding (MoU) to be signed between the two countries later.

Hishammuddin said this following his official visit to the Philippines and
Brunei in his capacity as the Southeast Asian Ministers of Education
Organisation (Seameo) President, from Jan 18 to 21.

Meanwhile, Brunei Education Minister, Pehin Dato Abdul Rahman Taib also
pledged his commitment to upgrade cooperation and venture into other educational
aspects for mutual benefits.

"Brunei has agreed to collaborate with Malaysia in several fields like the
technical and vocational, Malay language, co-curriculum, teaching of science and
mathematics in English and expanding the school-based assessment system," he
said.

-- BERNAMA