Recent months have seen no shortage of developments in higher education. Proposals for a grading system that measures character alongside academic performance, announcements on making Federal Constitution and history courses compulsory at university level, and the launch of the 2026–2035 Malaysia Education Blueprint all signal significant shifts in the national landscape. The Blueprint’s emphasis on AI integration, in particular, is likely to shape academic discourse for years to come.
These developments warrant careful consideration. They will influence how universities operate and how education is delivered. Yet alongside these national conversations, there is another dimension of university life that receives far less attention: the steady, disciplined work that sustains institutions.
At OUM, excellence is built through routine practice. Faculty members and tutors teach, certainly, but beyond conducting e-tutorials they produce learning materials, review curricula, conduct research, publish, assess, and mentor. Learning centre staff across the country work tirelessly to recruit new learners, strengthen learner retention, and provide high-quality support services. Meanwhile, support staff ensure that courses run smoothly, IT systems function as intended, enquiries and problems are addressed promptly, academic records are maintained accurately, and learners are supported throughout their learning journey.
These responsibilities are not dramatic, nor are they often visible. They are procedural, detailed, and continuous. Yet they form the operational backbone of the University. Our commitments to learners, regulatory bodies such as the Malaysian Qualifications Agency, and stakeholders are met not in moments of publicity, but through consistency.
Such work rarely attracts headlines. Nevertheless, it is this sustained professionalism that has underpinned OUM’s progress over the past 25 years and will continue to do so in the years ahead.
As we publish the first issue of inspired for 2026, I find it fitting to recognise this collective effort.
Institutions endure not only because of strategic plans or sector-wide reforms, but because of the unflinching discipline of their people. That steady dedication remains OUM’s most valuable foundation.
Prof Dato’ Dr Ahmad Izanee Awang
President/Vice-Chancellor
inspired is OUM’s not-for-profit popular journal on the 3Ps – practice, policy and philosophy – of open, distance, and digital higher education (ODDE). Published three times a year, it engages global scholars, policymakers, practitioners, learners, and other stakeholders, as well as a general readership seeking the latest insights and perspectives on ODDHE.
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