The Nation Education System for the 21st Century

SPN21 is the acronym for Sistem Pendidikan Negara Abad ke-21 or the National Education System for the 21st Century, which has been approved by the Ministry of Education in 2007. It has brought about major changes to education in Brunei Darussalam through various stages of implementation

SPN21 aims to: 

• SPN21 is the Ministry of Education's platform towards achieving Wawasan Brunei 2035
• It realizes the Ministry of Education's Vision and Mission
• SPN21 add value and raise the quality of education in line with current/contemporary needs and the anticipated needs in the future years
• Fulfil the needs and challenges of the social and economic development of the 21st Century
• Develop 21st Century Skills amongst students
• Uphold and develop desired values and attitudes in line with the Malay Islamic Monarcy (Melayu Islam Beraja, MIB) concept as the national philosophy amongst students

The rationale of SPN21 is based on the National Vision known as Wawasan Brunei 2035 which aims to make Brunei Darussalam, by the year 2035, a nation widely recognized for:

• The accomplishment of its educated and highly skilled people as measured by the highest international standards
• A quality of life that is among the top 10 nations in the world
• A dynamic and sustainable economy with income per capita within the top 10 countries in the world

The eight (8) policy directions in the Education Strategy of Wawasan Brunei 2035:

• The education mission which is to 'provide holistic education to achieve fullest potential for all'
• Reference to the education systems and curricula of other countries indicate the need to emulate international best practices
• Improving students' achievement, mainly on the three core subjects namely English Language, Mathematics and Science
• Increasing the percentage of students' enrolment to Higher Education from 14% to 30%
• Sustaining and Strengthening students' performance in Bahasa Melayu and