YBhg Prof Dato’ Dr Ahmad Izanee Awang, OUM President/Vice-Chancellor, opened the one-day Public Lecture Event on 6 August 2025 with a brief but meaningful welcoming speech.
Addressing the diverse audience at Seri Pacific Hotel, Dato’ Izanee introduced OUM as Malaysia’s first full-fledged open university. He shared that OUM was established in 2000, and has since enrolled more than 250,000 learners and produced more than 120,000 graduates.
He said that OUM’s motto, “University for All”, reflects the University’s enduring commitment to inclusivity, and noted how this spirit also inspired OUM’s 25th anniversary theme, “Humanising Digital Education,” which underscores OUM’s mission to combine digital technology with sound pedagogy to expand access to quality education.
Dato’ Izanee emphasised that OUM’s integration of digital tools aims not only to enhance teaching and learning but also to reduce participation barriers – an endeavour the University pledges to hold steadfast.
He especially thanked the Centre for Digital Education Futures (CENDEF), OUM’s think tank, for organising this inaugural event and hosting the five Global Fellows who, in their lectures, addressed critical questions about educational leadership in the digital age, the reimagining of leadership structures, and potential of digital education to disrupt rather than reinforce inequality.
Concluding his address, Dato’ Izanee thanked the audience for their participation and expressed hope that the discussions would inspire more human-centred approaches to education in an increasingly digital world.
August 2025 marked the height of OUM’s 25th anniversary celebrations, a highlight of which was the inaugural Public Lecture Event organised by the Centre for Digital Education Futures (CENDEF), OUM.
Held on 6 August at the Seri Pacific Hotel, the event carried the theme “Visionary Leadership: Charting the Futures of Digital Education”. It was officiated by the Deputy Minister of Higher Education, YB Datuk Ts Mustapha Sakmud, and graced by the Director-General of Higher Education, YBhg Datuk Prof Dr Azlinda Azman. Delivering the welcoming address was YBhg Prof Dato’ Dr Ahmad Izanee Awang, President/Vice-Chancellor of OUM.
The event featured lectures by all five of OUM’s appointed Global Fellows, distinguished experts whose critical inquiry and collaboration with OUM position the University as a global hub for thought leadership and innovation in digital education.
Prof Paul Prinsloo opened the series with reflections on the profound implications of AI and digital technology on education and humanity, warning against over-reliance on algorithmic systems that risk eroding identity, academic integrity, and human connection. He urged institutions to make deliberate choices about what should remain human-led, to guard against bias and automation traps, and to ensure that efficiency never overrides values, care, and trust in education.
Prof Junhong Xiao challenged the prevailing narrative of digital transformation, cautioning that unchecked digitalisation risks dehumanising education by reducing it to efficiency and profit. He argued for keeping education a fundamentally human-to-human endeavour, and outlined five leadership qualities – professionalism, criticality, pragmatism, technological scepticism, and proactivity – to ensure technology serves humanity rather than the reverse.
Prof Melinda dela Peña Bandalaria presented her vision of the “University of the Future” as a mindset rooted in values, adaptability, and stewardship. She
emphasised that while universities must respond to disruptions like AI, pandemics, and climate change, their core roles of teaching, research, and societal engagement remain vital. Leadership, she argued, must guide institutions with agility, social responsibility, and learner-centred approaches that sustain relevance in uncertain times.
Prof Olaf Zawacki-Richter explored how open, distance, and digital education (ODDE) can advance social, economic, and environmental sustainability while acknowledging the risks of digitalisation’s rebound effects. He highlighted distance education’s lower carbon footprint and broader access, but cautioned that unchecked expansion of digital tools can exacerbate inequities and environmental harm. He called for ethical, sustainable leadership that balances innovation with long-term planetary and human well-being.
Prof Insung Jung concluded the public lecture series with reflections on the promises and perils of digital education, recognising its power to expand access but also its tendency to reinforce inequalities, biases, and cultural blind spots. She underscored that technology is not neutral and must be shaped by inclusive, participatory
design. Her recommendations centred on justice: embracing diversity, ensuring fairness, amplifying grassroots voices, and adopting low-tech, high-impact solutions alongside advanced tools.
The series culminated in a lively roundtable where ideas converged, perspectives intertwined, and the shared challenge of reimagining leadership in digital education took centre stage. Moderated by Dr David Lim, Director of CENDEF, the concluding roundtable brought together OUM’s five Global Fellows as distinguished panellists to reflect on leadership for digital education amid the rise of AI and rapid change.
The discussion underscored that effective leadership must be inclusive, participatory, and value-driven, combining top-down direction with grassroots voices to ensure the human dimension of education is not overshadowed by technological imperatives. Examples were drawn from decentralised models and distributed structures that empower individuals across all levels, while panellists stressed that leadership must remain anchored in guiding values such as justice, humanity, and equity. The session concluded that there is no single universal model; rather, leadership must be context-sensitive and committed to cultivating holistic, critical thinkers.
Nearly two hundred participants attended the event, reflecting broad interest from within and beyond the OUM community. Special guests included three members of OUM’s Board of Governors – Prof Emeritus Dato’ Dr Muhammad Awang, Philip Mathews, and Datuk Dr Budiman Mohd Zohdi – alongside former Minister of Education Dr Maszlee Malik, officers from the Ministry of Higher Education, and representatives from Bank Negara, the Brunei High Commission, UNICEF, Maxis Broadband, OpenLearning, local universities, and other institutions. Widely covered in both mainstream and social media, the event sparked an enthusiastic response; one attendee wrote, “Today’s Public Lecture Series organised by CENDEF […] was a glimpse into the future […] Vibrant ideas, passionate people, and endless ‘Aha!’ moments everywhere you turn.”
Through this landmark gathering, OUM strengthened its leadership and strategic outlook by drawing upon global expertise, advanced research, and rich academic exchange. It also deepened engagement with communities and stakeholders, directly benefitting its staff and learners. Most significantly, the event enhanced OUM’s national, regional, and international visibility, affirming its emergence, through CENDEF, as an intellectual hub for open, distance, and digital education in Southeast Asia and beyond.
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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