Two UBD students will be leaving for the United Kingdom this Saturday, 10 October to further their studies at the Prince's School of Traditional Arts (PSTA) in London, demonstrating the growing Islamic and educational links between Brunei Darussalam and the UK..

Ampuan Siti Ramlah binti Ampuan Babba and Mohamed Rusydi Roseli, both second year students at UBD, will spend a year studying Visual Islamic and Traditional Arts at PSTA. The diploma is part of a one-year international exchange programme with UBD and follows up on the visit to Brunei last year of His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales, who founded the school.

Ampuan Siti Ramlah and Mohamed Rusydi are undergraduates of UBD's BA(Education) Art and Design. They have been selected for the programme following interviews and submission of their portfolios to PSTA. Ampuan Siti Ramlah is a member of the Brunei Art Forum where she is the youngest member of the group. She has attended art exhibitions outside Brunei. Mohamed Rusydi is one of the founders of another art group known as G5 or Fifth Generation Artist, a group made up mostly of students who have a passion for art. He has been taking part in many art competitions both locally and abroad.  

Muhamed Rusydi said that both of them feel very lucky to have been selected to attend the programme. "I am very excited to be able to further my studies in the UK and I look forward to knowing more about Islamic Arts, both in theory and practice," he said. Siti Ramlah also looks forward to studying abroad, as this would be her first time to live outside Brunei.

Notes for Editors

1. The Prince's School of Traditional Arts in London was founded as a charity by HRH The Prince of Wales in 2004 but its roots go back to 1984 at the famous Royal College of Art.  It teaches a range of courses from short courses to doctorate level.  The School looks at the traditional arts of various religions, countries and indigenous peoples from around the world. The Prince's School of Traditional Arts offers the following Degrees and Diplomas: all validated by the University of Wales: Doctor of Philosophy (PhD); Master of Arts Degree (MA); Masters of Philosophy Degree (MPhil) and Post-Experienced Diploma Course (PED). For the past three years, PSTA alumni have been invited by the British High Commission to give out art workshops to Bruneian students. In 2006, a PSTA student showed her work at the Majlis Ilmu while two other alumni gave several workshops in conjunction with the visit of The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall to Brunei last year.
   
   
2. University Brunei Darussalam , UBD started in 28 October 1985, opening its doors to the first intake of 176 students. In 1988, the Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah Institute of Education was integrated with the University. Today the University accommodates more than 300 academic staff and 2,800 students in seven faculties, namely Arts and Social Sciences, Business, Economics and Policies Studies, Sultan Haji Omar Ali Saifuddien Institute of Islamic Studies, Science, Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah Institute of Education, Academy of Brunei Studies and Institute of Medicine.

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