UMS granted autonomy status

KOTA KINABALU: Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) is among six public universities that have received the autonomy status from the Malaysian Education Ministry.

UMS Strategic and Corporate Communications Center (PPSKK) yesterday said the acceptance of the mandate made UMS in line with all 20 public universities (UA) in the country which were now autonomous.

“UA assessment for the purpose of granting such autonomous status has been made in stages since 2013, with the assessment referring to four areas of institutional governance or governance, academic governance, finance, and human resource management.

“Under this autonomy status, the decision will come from the central agency to the University Board (LPU) in order to enable UMS to move effectively to achieve excellence and empower the university to the world level,” said PPSKK in a statement.

The autonomy status also allows UMS to be more flexible in decisionmaking to determine the direction of the university, with the management of UMS able to make decisions at the university level in implementing certain specified or decentralized matters by the central agency in relation to the four areas listed.

“Nevertheless, while university management has the power to manage resources without having to refer to central agencies, the university needs to adhere to the fundamental principles because UA autonomy is not absolute and still subject to government regulations, strategies and policies as well as ministries.

“In line with this autonomy status, the role of UMS LPU as decision makers will continue to be strengthened in line with the responsibilities given to ensure university resources are governed by integrity and accountability.

“This autonomy is a responsibility and trust that UMS residents need to work together and all parties are required to work hard to ensure that UMS meets the specified criteria,” the statement added.