Академический Документы
Профессиональный Документы
Культура Документы
To cite this article: Teng Leong Koay (2014) Inclusion in Brunei Darussalam: the role of
teacher education, International Journal of Inclusive Education, 18:10, 1029-1037, DOI:
10.1080/13603116.2012.693396
Taylor & Francis makes every effort to ensure the accuracy of all the information (the
“Content”) contained in the publications on our platform. However, Taylor & Francis,
our agents, and our licensors make no representations or warranties whatsoever as to
the accuracy, completeness, or suitability for any purpose of the Content. Any opinions
and views expressed in this publication are the opinions and views of the authors,
and are not the views of or endorsed by Taylor & Francis. The accuracy of the Content
should not be relied upon and should be independently verified with primary sources
of information. Taylor and Francis shall not be liable for any losses, actions, claims,
proceedings, demands, costs, expenses, damages, and other liabilities whatsoever or
howsoever caused arising directly or indirectly in connection with, in relation to or arising
out of the use of the Content.
This article may be used for research, teaching, and private study purposes. Any
substantial or systematic reproduction, redistribution, reselling, loan, sub-licensing,
systematic supply, or distribution in any form to anyone is expressly forbidden. Terms &
Conditions of access and use can be found at http://www.tandfonline.com/page/terms-
and-conditions
Downloaded by [University of Saskatchewan Library] at 14:10 19 March 2015
International Journal of Inclusive Education, 2014
Vol. 18, No. 10, 1029–1037, http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13603116.2012.693396
Introduction
Brunei Darussalam is an independent Islamic Sultanate located in the northern part of
Borneo in Southeast Asia. It is an oil-rich country with a land area of 5765 km2 that
shares its borders with the Malaysian state of Sarawak. The capital, Bandar Seri
Begawan, is located in a district known as Brunei-Muara, one of the four districts that
make up Brunei Darussalam (the other districts are Tutong, Belait and Temburong).
The population of Brunei Darussalam is estimated at 406, 200, comprising 60.7%
Malays, 11.0% Chinese and 28.3% other races (Department of Statistics 2009).
∗
Email: tengleong.koay@ubd.edu.bn
Nations 1989) reaffirmed the right of all children to equal education without discrimi-
nation within the mainstream education system. United Nations Educational Scientific
and Cultural Organisation’s (UNESCO’s) World conference of education for all in
1990, held in Jomtien, Thailand, highlighted the basic learning needs of all children
and drew attention to the unmet needs of students with special needs. UNESCO desig-
nated the year 1992 as the ‘year of special needs in the classroom’. Many ministries of
education around the world responded by increasing their assistance to children with
special needs in schools. Two years later, the 1994 Salamanca statement and frame-
work for action on special needs education (UNESCO 1994) urged governments to
adopt the principles and practices of inclusive education. The Convention on the
rights of persons with disabilities (United Nations 2001) called for the engagement
Downloaded by [University of Saskatchewan Library] at 14:10 19 March 2015
was directed by the Ministry to organise services for students with SEN with assistance
from Special Educational Needs Assistance (SENA) teachers, the school-based team
(SBT) and regular classroom teachers. The initial focus of the SEU after its establish-
ment was the training of the SENA teachers. Since 1995, the SEU and the University of
Brunei Darussalam (UBD) have jointly conducted a 1-year in-service certificate in
special education programme to prepare regular teachers to become SENA teachers.
The certificate in special education programme equips teachers with basic knowledge
and skills to identify and assist learners with SEN.
SENA teachers act as resource persons to classroom teachers and are the key
persons in the delivery of special education programmes and services in the inclusive
school system in Brunei Darussalam. To date, 263 SENA teachers have been trained
Downloaded by [University of Saskatchewan Library] at 14:10 19 March 2015
and deployed state wide to both the primary and secondary schools. In Brunei Darus-
salam, SENA teachers play an important role in meeting the needs of the individual stu-
dents with special needs in the inclusive classroom. SENA teachers have been trained to
carry out the following duties in their schools:
In 1999, the Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah Institute of Education (SHBIE), UBD, the sole
teacher education institution in the country, adopted a three-pronged strategy at pre-
service, in-service and postgraduate levels to include inclusive education in its training
programmes (Sim, Koay, and Liew 1999).
Pre-service preparation
Within pre-service teacher training in special education, SHBIE offers a core course in
Inclusive Education to all students in the 3-year Diploma in Primary Education, the
4-year Bachelor of Arts in primary education and the 4-year Bachelor of Education
in primary teaching english as second language. This course introduces student teachers
to the concepts and policy of inclusive education, equips them with teaching and man-
agement skills to cater to students with SEN and prepares them to work collaboratively
with SENA teachers and parents of students with SEN. Methods of teaching children
with learning problems in several curriculum studies and methods of teaching
courses have been included in the programmes. In addition, several ‘helpful other
courses’ with special education content could be chosen by students as electives.
Students enrolled in the secondary programmes such as Bachelor of Arts in education,
Bachelor of Science in education and postgraduate certificate in education are
offered the choice to study a special education elective, entitled ‘children with
special learning needs’.
In 2007 and 2008, the SHBIE prepared proposals to mount the pre-service Diploma
in Special Education and the Bachelor of Education (special education) (Abosi and
Koay 2008). This was the first time that efforts had been made to prepare special edu-
cation teachers at the pre-service level. However, after the SHBIE had been upgraded
1032 T.L. Koay
In-service upgrading
At the in-service level, the certificate in special education programme equips teachers
with basic knowledge and skills to identify and assist learners with SEN. The admission
requirements for this programme are a teacher’s certificate of education or higher edu-
Downloaded by [University of Saskatchewan Library] at 14:10 19 March 2015
Postgraduate specialisation
The Master of Education in special education, a 1-year full-time programme, is a part of
the professional development continuum of special education personnel. This pro-
gramme provides advanced knowledge and skills in the field of special education
and encourages local projects and research. It aims to equip graduates with the knowl-
edge and competence to fill managerial and consultative roles in the Ministry of Edu-
cation and the SEU. In 1999, the Master of Education in special education had its first
intake of six upgrading SENA teachers. By the end of 2010, 14 SENA teachers had
obtained their master’s degree. With the upgrading of the SHBIE into a Graduate
School of Education in 2009, a proposal to mount the Master of Education in inclusive
education was submitted at the end of 2010 and planned to be implemented in 2012.
the Specialist Teachers Training Institute, Kuala Lumpur, was invited to train 12 SENA
teachers to work with students with visual impairment.
Special education workshops and seminars are also organised each year for teachers
from government and private schools. The SEU conducts various workshops on posi-
tive learning and teaching techniques for teachers. The workshops are designed to help
teachers refine existing skills and knowledge and develop more inclusive strategies.
Teachers learn how to enhance student development, identify those with learning pro-
blems and implement special education programmes. For instance, the remedial work-
shops were organised in 2005 and 2006 with the following aims: (a) to provide
classroom teachers with basic remedial teaching techniques in Malay and mathematics
to promote learning within regular classrooms, (b) to enable teachers to deliver a
Downloaded by [University of Saskatchewan Library] at 14:10 19 March 2015
a positive picture of schools’ responses to inclusive education (e.g. Alus 2001; Abdul
Aziz 2001; Abdullah 2000; Mak 2001; Noraini 2010; Norhayati 2010; Osman 2000;
Pang 2001; Raudah 2006; Saibah 2000; Siti Zaleha, Amran, and Bradshaw 2005;
Siti Zaleha and Koay 2010; Taibah 2003).
Omar et al. (2004) surveyed six groups of respondents from 96 schools on the effec-
tiveness of the LAPs in primary schools in Brunei Darussalam. The results indicated
that head teachers, parents, classroom teachers and pupils with special needs were sup-
portive of the LAPs. This was reinforced by the SENA teachers who felt that their
schools appreciated their contributions in the implementation of educational pro-
grammes for pupils with special needs.
A major study examining the attitudes and perceptions of learning assistance tea-
Downloaded by [University of Saskatchewan Library] at 14:10 19 March 2015
chers (SENA teachers) and regular teachers towards inclusive education was initiated
in 2000 by Koay, Sim, and Elkins (2004) with the specific intention of recommending
possible improvements to policy and practice regarding inclusive education in Brunei
Darussalam. The participants of the study comprised 56 upgrading SENA teachers, 96
practising SENA teachers, 308 regular teachers with experience in teaching children
with special needs and 308 regular teachers with no such experience. The findings
showed significant differences between the SENA teachers and regular teachers in
their attitudes and perceptions towards inclusion, perceived self-efficacy, perceived
desirability, feasibility and frequency of use of instructional adaptations for inclusive
classrooms and perceived actual and ideal collaborative roles of SENA teachers and
regular teachers. In general, an invariant order was found, with upgrading SENA tea-
chers having the highest means and regular teachers with no experience teaching
special needs students having the lowest. There were various qualitative differences
between the SENA teachers and regular teachers in their open-ended responses
related to perceptions of inclusive education examples of classroom adaptations for
instruction, supports needed and barriers encountered when using these adaptations,
examples of collaborative roles for inclusive classrooms and supports needed and bar-
riers encountered during collaborative efforts. It was observed, however, that the strat-
egies that they suggested were very similar and not very innovative.
While the findings imply that the current programmes and activities for inclusive
education are apparently proceeding in the right direction, they have also been sugges-
tive of some specific changes that could contribute towards improving policy and prac-
tice, not only in schools but also for teacher education in Brunei Darussalam. For
example, in developing innovative strategies for teaching and managing children
with special needs, special attention needs to be paid to the collaborative relationships
between SENA teachers and regular teachers. Research into specific collaborative
arrangements, including in-depth case studies, is still needed.
Koay et al. (2006) investigated the perceptions of both SENA and regular teachers
towards including students with special needs in the regular school environment. The
findings of this study of teachers’ perceptions towards including students with special
needs provide some evidence of the progress of inclusive education while also delineat-
ing some areas to look into to improve the success of inclusive education in Brunei
Darussalam.
More recently, Amran et al. (2008) and Koay, Mundia, and Mak (2009) reported
and discussed the views of 230 primary school regular teachers and 51 SENA teachers
who attended and evaluated mathematics and Malay remediation workshops that were
organised to address the problems faced by students with problems in learning math-
ematics and Malay. In general, the teachers agreed that the remedial strategies for
International Journal of Inclusive Education 1035
low achievers from these workshops were useful and could be applied to help these
pupils. The teachers also recommended that such workshops should be conducted
for regular teachers in all the four districts in Brunei Darussalam.
SEN in regular classrooms. Koay, Sim, and Elkins (2004) in their study found that
regular education teachers required basic knowledge and skills in teaching students
with SEN. Regular in-service training at the school and district levels in the form of meet-
ings, seminars, sharing sessions and workshops should be organised and made compul-
sory. In this way, teachers can upgrade their knowledge and skills and develop new ones.
Specialist training is also needed to enable SENA teachers to work effectively with
students who have communication, hearing or visual impairments, intellectual or phys-
ical disabilities and other types of SEN. Koay, Sim, and Elkins (2004) reported that
SENA teachers required more knowledge and skills, especially in handling students
with high support needs and on how to collaborate with regular teachers. More teachers
are required to enhance the localisation of services in accordance with national policies.
The study also surfaced the need for training on how to enhance cooperation and col-
laboration between SENA and regular teachers as well as members of the SBT in the
development and implementation of special education programmes in inclusive
schools.
The training of all teachers, administrators and Ministry of Education staff and the
raising of awareness about special education in the community are crucial in the
implementation of inclusive education. Alus (2001) and Pang (2001) found that tea-
chers and school principals who had taken or attended special education courses or
workshops had more positive attitudes towards inclusion of students in regular class-
rooms than those who did not take or attend such courses or workshops. Changes in
thinking and attitudes towards children and towards learning have to occur and
move towards the perspective that all children can learn and that every student is a
unique individual (Omar and Csapo 1996).
Conclusion
The provision of special education supports and services for students with special needs
within regular schools has grown at a steady rate in Brunei Darussalam since 1994. To
inform the future direction and development of inclusive educational policy and prac-
tice in Brunei Darussalam, it is important that current practices related to school and
tertiary levels be monitored and evaluated. As inclusive practices occupy a greater
part of teachers’ work in regular schools, a more comprehensive body of research is
needed to monitor, inform and improve current inclusive education efforts in the
school system. Brunei Darussalam has made significant strides in promoting the prac-
tice of inclusive education within its mainstream schools in the past decade. Further
research, when strategically planned and developed, can certainly help in the future
development and improvement of inclusive education in Brunei Darussalam.
1036 T.L. Koay
While Brunei Darussalam has come a long way towards developing teacher training
programmes which include special education, many and even greater challenges lie
ahead. Perhaps the greatest challenge would be the introduction of a comprehensive
evaluation and feedback system that would continuously monitor the efficacy of the
training programmes and respond appropriately and adequately to the emergent and
unmet needs of all teachers. It would then be obvious that nothing short of a total
system approach would suffice in confronting the problems of inclusive education. It
would be useful to consider the possible involvement or input of all stakeholders in
the process of developing or re-developing the training programmes – teacher educa-
tors and Ministry of Education officers, school administrators and teachers, specialists
and regular classroom teachers, parents and the community, as well as children, both
Downloaded by [University of Saskatchewan Library] at 14:10 19 March 2015
Notes on contributor
Dr Teng Leong Koay is an Associate Professor in Special Education at the Sultan Hassanal
Bolkiah Institute of Education, University of Brunei Darussalam. He has contributed signifi-
cantly to the development of Special Education/Inclusive Education in Brunei Darussalam.
Besides teaching, he pursues an active programme of research in special education with a
focus on inclusive educational practices and has published widely. Dr. Koay has been invited
as a speaker and workshop facilitator/presenter in several countries in the Middle East (Qatar:
2007, 2008, 2009 and Kuwait, 2010), Indonesia (2009) and Malaysia (2010, 2011, 2012).
In June– July, 2010, he was also appointed a Visiting Professor to the Sookmyung University,
South Korea.
References
Abdul Aziz, bin Umar, and Pehin Orang Kaya Laila Wijaya Dato Seri Setia. 1996. Opening
address. In Conference proceedings of the first national conference on special education,
ed. Special Education Unit, 1 –5. Bandar Seri Begawan: Special Education Unit.
Abdul Aziz, bin Taha. 2001. Perceptions of collaborative roles of learning assistance teachers
and regular teachers in the delivery of educational services to children with special edu-
cational needs in Brunei’s inclusive primary school system. MEd diss., Universiti Brunei
Darussalam.
Abdul Rahman, bin Dato Setia Haji Mohamed Taib, and Yang Berhormat, Pehin Orang Kaya
Seri Lela Dato Seri Setia Haji. 2005a. Opening address at the second international confer-
ence on special education, June 6– 8, in Brunei Darussalam.
Abdul Rahman, bin Dato Setia Hj Mohamed Taib, and Yang Berhormat, Pehin Orang Kaya Seri
Lela Dato Seri Setia Haji. 2005b. Foreword. In Programme and abstract book second inter-
national conference on special education, Abdul Rahman, bin Mohamed Taib, Pehin Orang
Kaya Seri Lela Dato Seri Setia, ed. Special Education Unit, 2 – 3. Bandar Seri Begawan:
Special Education Unit.
Abdullah, bin Haji Saidi. 2000. Perceptions of principals, teachers and pupils of pilot project 1
(pp1) and control schools regarding the learning and working environment. MEd diss.,
Universiti Brunei Darussalam.
Abosi, O.C., and T.L. Koay. 2008. Attaining development goals of children with disabilities:
Implications for inclusive education. International Journal of Special Education 23, no.
3: 1 – 10.
Alus, bin Tujoh. 2001. A survey of the attitudes of regular education teachers toward inclusion
of students with special needs into regular classrooms in the Tutong school district. MEd
diss., Universiti Brunei Darussalam.
Amran, Mohidin, L. Mak, T.L. Koay, and L. Mundia. 2008. Perceptions of primary school tea-
chers towards the remedial Malay workshop for low achievers. Brunei Darussalam Journal
of Special Education 4: 81 – 90.
International Journal of Inclusive Education 1037
Department of Statistics. 2009. Brunei darussalam key indicators 2009. Bandar Seri Begawan:
The Department of Economic Planning and Development, Prime Minister’s Office.
Koay, T.L., L. Lim, W.K. Sim, and J. Elkins. 2006. Learning assistance and regular teachers’
perceptions of inclusive education in Brunei Darussalam. International Journal of Special
Education 21, no. 1: 119 –30.
Koay, T.L., L. Mundia, and L.Y.F. Mak. 2009. Views of primary school teachers towards the
remedial mathematics resource package and workshop. International Journal of Learner
Diversity 1, no. 1: 127 – 44.
Koay, T.L., W.K., Sim, and J. Elkins. 2004. Teacher education initiatives on inclusive education
in Brunei Darussalam. In CARE review 2004, K.Y. Wong, ed. Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah
Institute of Education, Universiti Brunei Darussalam, 38 – 64. Bandar Seri Begawan:
Ministry of Education.
Loo, S.P. 2010. Brunei Darussalam – Teacher training in Brunei Darussalam. In International
handbook of teacher education world-wide – Issues and challenges, volume II, ed. K.G.
Downloaded by [University of Saskatchewan Library] at 14:10 19 March 2015