Speaking to The Brunei Times yesterday, JIS principal Andrew Fowler-Watt expressed pride at the school's record-breaking examination results. "It shows that our brightest students are fulfilling their potential, which couldn't have been done without excellent teaching," he said.

"However bright you are, you're not going to get an A* grade without the right teaching as well," he remarked.

This year, 27 per cent of JIS students who sat for the GCSE and IGCSE examinations were awarded with A*, while 53 per cent of students received either an A or A* grade. At JIS, A* to C grades have consistently remained above 90 per cent since 2009 with 2012's 93 per cent at the lead.

"Our results are excellent, but I don't see why it shouldn't be better. We always need to be looking at how we can improve," said the principal.

He hopes to facilitate the attainment of more record breaking examination results with the inculcation of critical-thinking skills and entrepreneurial culture. "I want to develop these aspects of learning rather than just teaching students out of the book," he said.

"In today's society, increasingly both universities and employers are looking at people who can actually be independent in their thinking and have the confidence to communicate," he added.

Fowler-Watt also acknowledged the international school's new state-of-the-art facilities, such as the Secondary Academic and Administration Centre (SAAC).

He pointed out, however, that "you can have the best facilities and resources in the world, but if you don't have good teachers then it's not going to actually help".

"I'm very pleased with the teachers that we have here at JIS. We're known internationally now. Over the year, we received over 1,200 applications for 22 teaching posts here at the school. JIS is highly sought after, because it's such a good school."

- Rabiatul Kamit

The Brunei Times