NOT too long ago, I had the privilege of interviewing a number of academics in Malaysian universities. One of the questions I asked was, in what capacity do you think Malaysian academics have autonomy? Typically, most academics would say that they had autonomy in the teaching methods that they used or in the research topics they chose to pursue, as long as they were not deemed ‘too sensitive’. However, one young academic’s reply struck me. He said “I have full autonomy because I can decide what time I come into office and what time I want to leave.”
Although not quite the answer I expected, I realised that he was not wrong. He was merely stating what he considered was “autonomous” about his job as an academic in a Malaysian public university. The flexible working hours he enjoyed was possibly the only form of freedom he enjoyed.
Win a prize this Mother's Day by subscribing to our annual plan now! T&C applies.
