We began conceiving this issue on gender with the hypothesis that some form of gender inequality must surely exist at the level of tertiary education, considering the amount of attention which gender inequality in society has been given by the media.
To our pleasant surprise, when the commissioned lead article came in from Dr Thirumeni, we found that our initial assumption proved to be a false one. Women, it appears, not only have more than equal access to education, they also have more or less equal opportunity in comparison to males when it comes to joining the workforce, at least where Malaysia is concerned.
This, in turn, brought us to the re-realisation that OUM has been and is playing a key role in ensuring that more Malaysian women (and men) get the chance to obtain higher education, which is key to personal emancipation and a skilled workforce. This alone, we feel, is reason for all of us - lecturers, tutors, and learners - to give ourselves a pat on the back, for we are all contributing to a more egalitarian Malaysian society, irrespective of whether we realise it or not.
As usual, we hope the features in TCX29 will serve as food for thought on the focal theme. Let us know if you agree or disagree with any of the findings and responses we managed to obtain from various stakeholders. Best