Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia: The best of times

Then-UKM student Wong Chun Wai in his room at the Kamsis E hostel.

Those seeking to pursue their tertiary education in the 1980s would tell you just how competitive it was because there were only five public universities in Malaysia then. Available places and choices of courses were limited. For non-Malays, with the affirmative policies in place, it was even more difficult. Private universities were non-existent then.

In 1980, I had just completed my Higher School Certificate (now called the Sijil Tinggi Pelajaran Malaysia or STPM), and had started working at The Star in Penang. Six months into the job, I received the offer to study at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia