The British High Commissioner presenting the Heart of Borneo pack to Brunei's Deputy Minister of Industry & Primary Resources

The British High Commissioner, His Excellency John Saville, hosted a lunch and handover ceremony of booklets and education packs about the Heart of Borneo at his Residence in Jalan Kota Batu on 26 February 2008. The materials were presented formally to the Guest of Honour, YM Dato Paduka Hj Hamdilah bin Hj Abd Wahab, Deputy Minister of Industry and Primary Resources, in the presence of senior representatives of the Ministry of Education who have approved the content.  

The booklets were commissioned and paid for by the British High Commission in Bandar Seri Begawan and were produced by CfBT Education Services with support from the International School Brunei.  Written and designed by CfBT teacher Peter Boyce, the booklet aims to inform secondary level students about the Heart of Borneo initiative to protect the central highlands of Borneo, which span Brunei, Indonesia and Malaysia, and about the island’s astonishing biodiversity. It includes a crossword puzzle for students and has been written to include an English-language learning dimension with vocabulary development and explanations.
 
Along with the booklets go packs of supporting materials for schools also sponsored by the British High Commission.  Each pack contains a series of maps and pamphlets produced by WWF, which detail the precious flora and fauna of Borneo and the importance of conservation for future generations.

“I am delighted to have been able to help provide these materials; I hope they will inform and enthuse the next generation about Brunei’s marvellous green heritage. As Ministers highlighted at the Brunei Forum last week, Heart of Borneo is a key part of the country’s future development plans and environmental education is therefore assuming a growing priority” the High Commissioner said.

Also present at the ceremony, were John Harwood, Chairman of CfBT Education Trust, and Jonathan Greenwood, CfBT’s International Operations Director, visiting from UK, as well as local stakeholders who have been involved with the Heart of Borneo initiative.

The Ministry of Education has approved the distribution of 200 sets of the Education Packs to all secondary schools in Brunei Darussalam as well as 8,000 of the booklets: Heart of Borneo - My Home, My Island and My Future. The booklets were originally commissioned in conjunction with the Borneo Global Issues Conference 2007 organised by the International School of Brunei, which enjoyed support from the High Commission that also included sponsorship for the visits to Brunei of world-famous environmentalists Wangaari Maathai and David Bellamy. In addition, the UK Government granted a sum of £25,000 in 2007 to the WWF to support preparations for the implementation of the Heart of Borneo initiative.