In these early days of 2023, adjusting to a new year may seem like a surreal endeavour. After all, the previous year may feel like it has not yet become rooted in the past; some of us may have goals still unfulfilled, and loose ends still untied.

Nevertheless, here at OUM we are happy to conclude an exciting 2022: a year in which we held three convocations, launched a new academic programme, and won several awards.

It was also a year that saw us building new bonds and strengthening old ones. For instance, we continued to actively contribute to OU5, a collaborative research group comprising five ASEAN open universities. We also participated in international conferences, such as the 35th Annual Asian Association of Open Universities Conference and 10th Pan-Commonwealth Forum on Open Learning.

Building relationships with other higher education institutions is something I am personally truly passionate about.

In addition, we became a new member of the Consortium for Benchmarking Framework for Online, Open, Smart and Technology-Enhanced Higher Education, hosted by Hamdan Bin Mohammed Smart University in Dubai and involving 23 multinational universities. What we can learn and adopt through this consortium will hopefully lead to tangible improvements at OUM, specifically in the context of quality assurance, and teaching and learning.

Building relationships with other higher education institutions is something I am personally truly passionate about. Beyond that, I also believe that continuing to operate independently is a luxury not all institutions could afford in this increasingly challenging and competitive world. In actuality we should take this as an opportunity to join forces and leverage each other’s strengths so that we, together with other institutions, have a chance to prosper even as the educational landscape continues to shift and transform.

In connection with this, a big part of what we plan to achieve in 2023 involves continuing to work together with other universities in Malaysia, regionally in Asia, and globally as well.

So, in the coming months, OUM will be looking to further develop our ongoing partnerships in such countries as Vietnam, Sri Lanka, the Maldives, Ghana, and Somalia. Through them, we hope to increase the number of international learners and graduates, and expand our programme offering outside Malaysia.

a big part of what we plan to achieve in 2023 involves continuing to work together with other universities in Malaysia, regionally in Asia, and globally as well.

Moreover, we hope to ink new partnerships so that we can continue building a reputable international presence and championing ODL for all communities within and outside Malaysia. We treat every collaborative endeavour as a learning opportunity, so we regard every partnership, whether old or new, as a chance to gain and share valuable knowledge that will help OUM do better, especially for our learners.

As always, we are optimistic about making the most of our efforts this year. And, as we step further into 2023, I welcome the support and contribution of everyone in the OUM community as we strive to reach each new milestone that lies ahead.

My best wishes to all inspired readers for the rest of this year.

Prof Dr Ahmad Izanee Awang
President/Vice-Chancellor