Chung Hwa Middle School

The year 2016 is momentous for the century-old Chung Hwa Middle School, Bandar Seri Begawan. The school has successfully enhanced its reputation by producing aspiring highfliers who actively participate in a myriad of activities. The school, the embodiment of Chinese Education in Brunei, will embark on a new chapter where challenges and opportunities abound.

To implement learning across the curriculum, the school provides an integral, quality education by assisting students to creatively and collaboratively achieve the broad learning objectives under a clean, tranquil and harmonious environment.

In accordance with the mission to lay in our students strong eastern values, the ability to do well in both their studies and sports, and the confidence to excel in their future careers, Chung Hwa encourages multiple means of representations, expressions and engagements via ICT (information and communications technology). In this regards, the flipped classroom, a pedagogical model in which the typical lecture and homework elements of a course are reversed, is introduced. The notion of a flipped classroom draws on such models as active learning, student engagement, hybrid course design, and course podcasting. Its key benefit includes the repurposing of class time into a workshop where students can inquire about lecture content, test their skills in applying knowledge, and interact with one another in hands-on activities.

Flip classroom is one of the many programmes initiated to mould Chung Hwa BSB into the preferred school in Brunei that exemplifies excellence. Other measures such as engaging education consultants, shaping interactive classrooms and incorporating e-learning into normal lessons are also implemented to take the school to new heights.

The school has always put much emphasis on the integration of ICT into learning so students are more empowered to learning via different platforms. The school is reputed for its holistic approach to education in the spirit of pedagogical school visions to cultivate adaptability, competitiveness and survival skills. It vows to be the cradle grooming future leaders who make substantial contributions to Brunei and Southeast Asia.

Acknowledging the fact that the only constant in life is change and it propels us for continuous enhancements, the school always outdoes itself with more education reforms and upgrades. Chung Hwa Middle School, BSB achieved important milestones, encompassing hardware, software development, pervasive use of ICT (Information and communications technology) in learning and the implementation of contemporary pedagogies. For instance, the school has employed multiple means of representations, expressions and engagements to trigger ongoing, voluntary, and self-motivated learning amongst our students. Moreover, the school will do its level best to help Brunei realise its 2035 National Vision by meeting the most stringent requirements for a preferred school that provides all the necessary materials to groom well-rounded talent. Such effort also echoes the school mission to provide an education with equal emphasis on the learning of the Chinese, English and Malay languages in accordance with the social and national needs of the country. In order to make this into a reality, the school is working closely with many renowned multinational corporations and have received numerous accolades. One glaring example is that the school was awarded as the first Microsoft Showcase School in Brunei in 2014. This year, the school was honoured to be awarded consecutively as the Microsoft Showcase School. The awards reflect the leading position of the school in teaching and learning via ICT tools.

The school is always at the forefront of contemporary pedagogies, integrating ICT in every facet of teaching and learning. In this respect, the whole school is now covered by strong Wi-Fi coverage, making contemporary pedagogies such as distance learning and flipped classrooms possible. Such efforts are paying off as Chung Hwa students can transcend time and geographical limitations by learning anywhere, anytime enthusiastically using different learning means.

Amidst the reforms, the school intends to use emerging technologies to engage students and enhance their success in the pursuit of excellence. Teenagers nowadays face great challenges in the current society where hedonism and materialism slowly erode their moral values. Therefore, the school serves as a stronghold to safeguard and instil into students the much-treasured moral values as the essence of culture. Concurrently, the school also uses advanced technologies to stay connected with students so their potential as creative and innovative learners can be fully tapped. In other words, the school aims to produce law-abiding, righteous, aspiring graduates who will reshape the future of the country.

Chung Hwa Middle School, BSB intends to teach its students to learn by creating curiosity so they will pursue learning as long as they live. The school also believes in the importance of oriental culture and values because “Education without values, as useful as it is, seems rather to make man a more clever devil”.

The Chung Hwa Middle School Kindergarten programme aims to introduce pre-schoolers to learning in an environment of fun and play. In working at providing them with a strong foundation that will allow for their smooth transition to primary education, the programme covers five main syllabus areas as follows: Health, Language, Social Studies, Science and Arts.

The CHMS primary section is divided into the lower and upper primary levels. The lower primary levels, Year 1 and Year 2 are under the SPN 21 curriculum in this school year while Primary 3 are still using the old curriculum. By school year 2011, all 3 levels will be using the SPN 21 curriculum. The upper primary levels, Year 4 and Year 5 are under SPN 21 curriculum while Primary 6 are still under the old curriculum. By school year 2011, all 3 levels will be using the SPN 21 curriculum. Students in the upper primary levels are prepared for the P.S.R public examination at the end of Primary 6. This examination covers the entire upper primary level curriculum. For the SPN-21 levels, aside from the specified learning areas, emphasis is placed on the development of the following essential skills:

The secondary school comprises the upper and lower secondary sections. In the lower secondary section, both Year 7 and Year 8 follow the SPN 21 curriculum. The Year 8 students are prepared for the Student Progress Examination (SPE), the public examination at the end of Year 8. In the current upper secondary level, the students are prepared for the Brunei Cambridge GCE’O’ Level examination which they will sit for at the end of Form 5. The present Year 7 and Year 8 students however may sit for the same examination at the end of either Year 10 or year 11 depending on their SPA (Student Progress Assessment) after Year 8.