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THE SAGA OF INFORAMA

 History

 Since independence Brunei Darussalam has been promoting the awareness and use of Information Technology (IT) in educational institutions and in the public and private sectors. Now, due to the liberal tax policies of His Majesty's Government, Bruneians enjoy Internet access and powerful PCs at affordable prices.

 The Ministry of Education (MOE), in co-operation with Universiti Brunei Darussalam (U BD) and some private organisations such as Brunei Shell Petroleum (BSP) Co. Sdn. Bhd., started a national schools' IT compe­tition in 1996. This was in line with the Ministry's plans for developing the concept of thoughtful schools.

 The first national computer competition, named Inforama '96 was held in 1996. Since then, the event has been organised each year.

 The three main objectives of Inforama among others are:

 ·      to promote IT awareness among the public and students;

·      to build challenging spirits among the student community; and

·        to make the needs of the academic community known among the public and private sector in the country.

 INFORAMA ‘96

 Inforama '96 started with merely writ­ten and practical tests/computer com­petitions for secondary schools. The convening school was Maktab SOAS. Thanks are owed to the Pnncipal who set standards in conducting computer competitions. The theme for the Inforama'96 was 'Information Technol­ogy: Highway to the future'.

 "COMPUTERS have revolu­tionised our ability to store and access vast amounts of information in the world today. Information, once difficult to obtain, is now potentially available to anyone almost anywhere at a reasonable cost. It brings the world closer together by enhancing global communication in the creation of intricate networks, and offers untold benefits and possibilities. Information technology broadens the perspective and expo­sure of the human mind and awareness of our environment within the world we live. As such, information technol­ogy is often referred to as the Highway to the Future, a route that each one of us must endeavour to be familiarised with to reap its benefits for our present and future generations

 The quiz was conducted in 3 stages: preliminary, semi final and grand final. The preliminary stage consisted of a written test. The teams with the highest scores proceeded to the semi-final. The semi-final consisted of 2 matches. There were 3 teams in each semi-final. The winning team of each match was declared a grand finalist team and proceeded to the grand final stage. The winning team in the grand final was declared the quiz winner and the winner was Sekolah St. Andrew, Bandar Sen Begawan. The guest of honour was Pehin Orang Kaya Laila Wijaya Dato Seri Setia Haji Awang Abd Aziz bin Begawan Pehin Udana Khatib Dato Seri Paduka Haji Awang Umar, Minister of Education.

 INFORAMA’97

 During Inforama '97, more activities were introduced like the Preliminary Written Quiz (PWQ), Skills Competitions Contest (SCC), Just-A-Minute (JAM), Draw-Think-Tell (DTT), and the Poster-Computer Contest (PCC). Two additional mini projects, the HomePage Project (HPP) and the Best Booth Award (BBA) were also conducted as part of Inforama '97. The theme for the Inforama'97 was  'Multimedia: Pathways to the new millenium’.

"The time has come for all of us to see that we make use of this pow­erful media in education to meet the challenge of the new miIlennium. Thanks to the Ministry of Education for proposing the establishment of 'Thoughtful Schools' in Brunei Darussalam. These 'Thoughtful Schools' will be making use of multi­media and other advances in informa­tion technology in preparing children who are capable of thinking critically and creatively. It is hoped that Inforama paves the way for students, educators  and parents alike in facing the challenges of the year 2000 and beyond. And it is without doubt that the current and future roles played by Multimedia will provide Pathways to the new millenium - the theme of Inforama ‘97..."

The second Inforama was convened by SM Pengiran Anak Puteri Hajah Masna. The team with the highest score was declared the winner and the winner was Maktab Sains Paduka Sen Begawan Sultan. Yang Amat Mulia Pengiran Indera Wijaya Pengiran Dr Haji Ismail Bin Pengiran Haji Damit, Minister of Development was the guest of honour for the finals held at ICC.

 INFORAMA ‘98

 The Inforama '98, for the first time, involved the participation of Primary Schools. Com­puter competitions/games like Objective Writ­ten Test, Build With Waste, Smart With Com­puter, Computer Lingo Contest, Draw To Win, Map the Idea and My Computer Booth were organised. The theme for the ~forama'98 was  'IT: in pursuit of knowledge'.

 "Information Technology (IT) based knowledge acquisition has the 'Just-In-Time' advantage. It is often argued that the best time to provide training is at the precise mo­ment when the learner needs to apply the knowledge gained.  This is not simply be­cause it is more efficient, but also because it maximises the fit between task requirements and the knowledge and skills required to meet those require­ments. More importantly, perhaps, it offers training at the moment when the trainee's motivation is likely to be at its highest level. IT based knowledge acquisition tools are affordable and within the reach of many people in our society. Educators must exploit these IT-based knowledge acquisition systems for the benefit of the learners. Then only can we move forward and be able to meet the challenges in the new millennium".

 The third Inforama was convened by SM Awang Semaun. Pehin Orang Kaya Laila Wijaya Dato Seri Setia Haji Awang Abd Aziz brn Begawan Pehin Udana khatib Dato Seri  Paduka Haji Awang Umar, Minister of Education was the guest of honour at the finals held at RTB. The overall champion in the primary level was

Sekolah Rendah Delima Satu and in the secondary level was Maktab Sains Paduka Sen Begawan Sultan.

 INFORAMA ‘99

 The forth-coming Inforama ‘99 will be the 4th to be held. This year the format is slightly different. Three types of computer competitions will be organised: and essay competition, a skills competition and a pubIc speaking competition. The schools/students taking part will be divided into three levels: level  I - primary school students, level II - secondary school including craft education students, and level III university and college students. The first round of competition 'the essay competition' was held at Maktab Sains Paduka Seri Begawan Sultan on 20th May 1999. The second competition, the 'skills and presentation competition', was held at UBD on 27th May and 29th May 1999. At the end of the second round, two schools with the highest scores for each level will be selected for the finals. The finals will be held on 6th June, 1999 at RTB. Thanks to Microsoft, Singapore for sponsoring some prizes for the first time in Brunei Darussalam. In addition to the competitions, an IT Fair/Exhibition will be organised in Yayasan from 3rd June to 6th June1999.

 The theme for inforama '99 is "IT in Pursuit of Excellence in Human Resource Development", based on the Titah by His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah of Brunei Darussalam.

 One highlight of this year's Inforama will be the Education and IT Fair to be held in the Yayasan Complex. This fair will be opened by the chief guest Yang Di Muliakan Pehin Orang kaya Putera Maharaja Dato Seri Leila Jasa Awang Hj Abd Bakar Bin HjApong,  Permanent Secretary of Mnistry of Education. Seventeen private companies will set up stalls and displays and offer their products to the public.

 From the 3rd June to 6th June, a series of lectures and seminars, given by local and oversea's experts will also be held. The public are encouraged to attend.

 So far, this nation-wide Computer Competition cum game fair has been a success each time and is gaining' popularity among parents, teachers and stu­dents. It has also helped to boost students' confidence in taking part in IT compe­titions.  It is hoped that Inforama '99 and the forth-coming ones will strive to be successful and pave the way for the nation to take part in the ternational Olympiad in Informatics (101), one of the five international science Olympiads.