16.2.6 Academic freedom policy
Diversity and Inclusive Policy
Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) enforces a specific, written policy to guarantee the fundamental principles of academic freedom, demonstrating a robust commitment to intellectual inquiry and open discourse. While published within the Polisi Diversiti dan Inklusif (Diversity and Inclusive Policy) as an essential related regulation, the dedicated Polisi Kebebasan Akademik dan Kecemerlangan Profesional (Academic Freedom and Professional Excellence Policy) serves as the institution’s formal statement on this principle.
UTM is committed to: "menegakkan dan memelihara kebebasan akademik serta kecemerlangan profesional di kalangan staf akademik dan penyelidik" (upholding and preserving academic freedom and professional excellence among academic staff and researchers). This commitment is viewed as crucial, aligning directly with the University's mission to foster creative and innovative minds.
The policy provides a protective framework that explicitly secures the rights of its faculty and researchers, directly addressing the freedom to choose research areas and disseminate findings. This protection is defined as necessary to ensure academic staff and researchers: "mempunyai kebebasan untuk meneroka, mempelopori serta menyebarkan ilmu dan pengetahuan kepada pelajar dan masyarakat" (have the freedom to explore, pioneer, and disseminate knowledge and information to students and society).
By formally codifying this right, UTM ensures its academic community can pursue challenging research, teach publicly on their subjects, and pioneer new knowledge without undue constraint, making the policy a clear, published guarantee of intellectual liberty.
Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) explicitly upholds academic freedom through its Polisi Kebebasan Akademik dan Kecemerlangan Profesional, integrated within the broader Polisi Diversiti dan Inklusif (effective 6 March 2019), committing to protect and promote the unrestricted right of academic staff and researchers to explore, pioneer, and disseminate knowledge without fear of reprisal. The policy guarantees freedom to select research areas, pursue innovative inquiries, and publicly speak or teach on their expertise, aligning with UTM’s mission to foster creative and innovative minds. This protection extends across teaching, learning, research, and professional development, ensuring no discrimination based on gender, race, or background interferes with intellectual autonomy. Decision-making bodies are encouraged to include diverse representation to enrich academic discourse, while staff training and performance management avoid bias that could stifle free inquiry. Violations are addressed via established governance procedures, reinforcing institutional accountability. Though not a standalone document, these provisions—publicly accessible on the UTM Registrar’s governance portal—collectively form a robust policy framework supporting academic freedom, enabling scholars to contribute boldly to national and global knowledge without institutional censorship or external pressure
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Polisi Kebebasan Akademik dan Kecemerlangan Profesional
Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) formally enshrines academic freedom in its Polisi Kebebasan Akademik dan Kecemerlangan Profesional (UTM.P.A.0.4), approved by Senate on 8 August 2011, explicitly granting all academic staff and researchers full autonomy to select research areas, design teaching content, publish findings, and publicly express expert opinions without institutional censorship. The policy guarantees freedom to explore, pioneer, and disseminate knowledge across teaching, research, publication, and community service, provided activities adhere to professional ethics and Malaysia’s legal framework. Staff may freely discuss course-relevant materials using preferred methods, propose policy improvements through lawful channels, and share expertise for societal and national benefit. Rooted in the UTM Constitution (Section 24(3)) and Statutes, and aligned with the 2011 National Academic Integrity Guidelines, the policy upholds six core values trust, prudence, accountability, respect, transparency, and fairness while safeguarding creative and innovative minds. Applicable to all appointed lecturers, professors, and researchers, it ensures intellectual independence is measured against professional standards, not administrative interference. Hosted on the UTM Registrar’s governance portal, this binding policy robustly supports scholars’ rights to choose research domains and speak or teach publicly on their expertise, fostering innovation and public discourse.
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