April 2006 : Open to Commonwealth degrees  

4 April 2006

Malaysia's first charity-backed private open learning institution is teaming up with the intergovernmental Commonwealth of Learning (COL) to offer Executive masters programmes in business and public administration by distance learning.

Wawasan Open University College and COL signed an affiliation agreement at a ceremony here today that will pave the way for working adults to obtain an internationally recognised qualification without having to quit their jobs or to attend evening or weekend classes. Instead, students enrolled on these courses will be able to advance at their own pace using Wawasan's flexible open campus approach.

COL was created by the Commonwealth Heads of Government in 1987 and is the only intergovernmental organisation working towards enhancing access to education and training through open learning. The Commonwealth Executive MBA and MPA (CEMBA/CEMPA) programmes are the outcome of collaboration between the Vancouver-based COL and four open universities in South Asia.

These degree programmes when they become available in Malaysia will mark another milestone in the collaborative approach adopted by the international open learning community. Specially designed for part-time study by busy working professionals, the programmes are flexible, modular and affordable. Students can choose either Business Administration (MBA) or Public Administration (MPA) as their major.

CEMBA/CEMPA as it is currently run in the other open universities allow students the option to leave at various stages in the programme after having earned a certificate, diploma, graduate diploma or degree. Subject experts from universities in Australia, New Zealand, Sri Lanka, India and Canada developed the instructional materials for each course.

They wrote original material as well as adapted and updated existing courses acquired from the Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU), the Open University of Hong Kong (OUHK), Charles Sturt University in Australia and Massey University in New Zealand.

As a result of this collaboration and network, the Commonwealth Executive masters programme is internationally recognised and allows students mobility and credit transfer across participating institutions. Taking part in today's signing ceremony were Sir John Daniel, COL's President and Chief Executive Officer, and Dato' Professor Emeritus Gajaraj (Raj) Dhanarajan, Wawasan Open's Chief Executive Officer and Vice Chancellor.

Wawasan Open is also hosting for the first time in Malaysia the CEMBA/CEMPA's Executive Governing and Academic Board meetings on 4-5 April 2006. Wawasan Open is opening its doors to undergraduate students in October. The main campus in Penang will be supported by regional offices and learning centres in Kuala Lumpur, Ipoh, and Johor Baru, with the coverage later expanded to cover all states in the country.

COL, on the other hand, has been active in Malaysia since its inception, working with government ministries and institutions such as Universiti Malaya, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Universiti Sains Malaysia and the Open University of Malaysia. Malaysia is also an annual contributor to COL's budget, and has provided expertise and experience that has been shared with other Commonwealth countries through COL's influence.