Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddien College

The Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddien College (SOASC), natively known as Maktab Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddien (MSOAS), is a government boys' secondary school in Bandar Seri Begawan, the capital of Brunei. It is the first secondary school in the country. The school is also one of the only three boys' secondary schools nationwide, with the other two being Muda Hashim Secondary School and Ma'had Islam Brunei (Brunei Islamic College). The school provides five years of secondary education leading up to GCE 'O' Level and IGCSE qualification.

Name
The school is named after Sultan Omar 'Ali Saifuddien III, the twenty-eighth Sultan of Brunei, who preceded the current Sultan of Brunei, Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah.

History
In Brunei, there was only access to primary education prior to World War II. The government of Brunei established the Education Department in 1951. To encourage English education among Bruneians, the Brunei Town Government English School was founded in Brunei Town on 15 October 1951. Two qualified instructors, one from Malaya and one from the United Kingdom, worked at the school. Their choices—likely made in conjunction with the State Education Officer—have had a long-lasting effect on Brunei's educational system, as seen by the numerous practices that were implemented at the time and are still in use today.

At the time of the establishment, the school functioned as a preparatory school. It was also the first government school in the country which provided education in the English language. Since Brunei did not have an official English education system, the school did not initially have any students. As a result, English courses were introduced at Primary 4 at four chosen primary schools. The age at which English-medium education started in Brunei was set by the more gifted students who got extra tuition from the State Education Officer prior to starting school.

The school eventually renamed to Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddien College in 1955. It later became the first school to provide secondary education in the country. It was gradually implemented, beginning in 1953 with the introduction of Form 1. By 1957, the school had all five years of the secondary education and for the first time the Cambridge Overseas School Certificate examination, a precursor to GCE 'O' Level, was conducted at the school in that year for its Form 5 students. Because the British utilised Sultan Muhammad Jamalul Alam Malay School as a military base during the 1962 Brunei revolt, the school was temporarily moved to SOAS College.

Academics
At present, secondary education in Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddien College lasts five years, beginning in Year 7. At the end of Year 11, students sit for GCE 'O' Level and/or IGCSE examination. After that, they may proceed to sixth form for A Levels. Alternatively, they may also opt for vocational education at IBTE schools or other types of post-secondary education at various non-government schools.

SOAS College in collaboration with Army Cadet Team (Pasukan Kadet Tentera), created the SOAS College Military Cadet.

Extra information
The school magazine "Seri Berunai" was produced from the early 1960s until 2020. It was replaced with a frame with a class photo.

In late 2013, the newly built SOASC New building was completed. It is a five storey building adjacent to the old one built to accommodate more than a thousand students with facilities consisting of a lecture theatre, learning space, laboratories, ICT labs and a new administration block and staff rooms. There are also normal classrooms that are used by "Advance" and "Science" class. (The Advance program is a program where students that are taking O-Level are only having four years of study instead of five years). The building was officially handed over to Maktab SOAS on 19th April 2014.

Class of '64 Library is located at the old block near the surau. The library is a dedication from the Alumni of Form 4 Arts 1964, Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddien College, to His Majesty The Sultan on the occasion of His Majesty's 60th birthday. It is a reference and a research library with its core collection focusing on works on and about His Majesty. Other related materials on Bruneiana are also collected. The resources are available in print and multimedia formats. The facilities is equipped with internet access, study areas, a small multi media room, display area and a reading lounge.

Notable staff

 * Anthony Burgess, British writer and composer

Notable alumni

 * Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah, the current Sultan of Brunei
 * Prince Mohamed Bolkiah, a member of Wazir
 * Pengiran Anak Yusof, a member of Cheteria
 * Abu Bakar Apong, politician and a member of Manteri
 * Abdul Rahman Ibrahim, politician and a member of Manteri
 * Zakaria Sulaiman, politician and a member of Manteri
 * Pengiran Umar, police officer and a member of Cheteria
 * Abidin Abdul Rashid, politician and a member of Manteri
 * Ali Mohammad Daud, politician and diplomat of Brunei
 * Pengiran Mohammad, politician and writer of Brunei
 * Hayati Salleh, lawyer
 * Salbiah Sulaiman, politician and a member of Legislative Council
 * Hamdillah Abdul Wahab, politician
 * Goh King Chin, businessman and a member of Manteri
 * Eusoff Agaki Ismail, politician
 * Bahrin Abbas, lawyer and a member of Cheteria
 * Ong Tiong Oh, businessman and a member of Legislative Council
 * Lim Jock Seng, politician and a member of Manteri
 * Muslim Burmat, writer
 * Muhammad Bey Muntassir, a member of Cheteria
 * Ariffin Abdul Wahab, military officer and a member of Manteri
 * Ya'akub Zainal, police commissioner and a member of Manteri
 * Shariffuddin Metali, historian and monographer
 * Matussin Omar, historian and writer
 * Mahmud Saedon, Muslim scholar
 * Mariam Abdul Aziz, former royalty
 * Husin Ahmad, military officer and a member of Manteri