As a result of this new phenomenon, in August 1999, the Minister of Education invited Multimedia Technology Enhancement Operations Sdn. Bhd. (METEOR), a consortium of 11 public universities in the country, to set up an open university. The move by the Minister led to the establishment of Open University Malaysia (OUM) in August 2000 followed by its official launching on 26 August 2002 by the Right Honourable Dato Seri Dr. Mahathir Mohamad, the then Prime Minister of Malaysia.
OUM is the seventh private university in Malaysia. Although incorporated as a private university under the Private Higher Education Institutions Act 1996, the University leverages on the quality, prestige and capabilities of its strategic partners - a consortium of the 11 public universities. OUM adopts the motto “University for All" which is consistent with its philosophy on democratisation of education. This philosophy underlies the belief that education should be made available to all, regardless of time, place, age and social economic background. The open and distance learning (ODL) mode is specifically targeted at working adults who need to take care of their families as well as manage their careers while pursuing higher education. Under the able stewardship of the then founder and President/Vice-Chancellor, the late Tan Sri Dr. Abdullah Sanusi Ahmad, OUM has positioned itself as an alternative avenue for the public to gain quality tertiary and lifelong education.
As an open learning institution, OUM subscribes to the following principles:
- Flexible entry requirements to provide more opportunities for the members of the society to pursue their aspirations;
- A student-friendly academic system where the constraints and needs of working adults are well understood;
- A learning mode that incorporates learners’ interaction with lecturers, online learning and self- study, thus enriching learning experiences.
OUM has certainly brought into existence a new approach to tertiary education that gives rise to greater flexibility in learning, as well as providing the necessary knowledge and skills for the workforce to compete in the ever challenging environment of the new millennium.
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