SDG 5 Indicator

5.3.1 5.3.2 5.3.3 5.3.4 5.6.4 5.6.5 5.6.6 5.6.7

5.6 – Women’s Progress Measures

5.6.6 – Women’s Mentoring Schemes

Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) has women’s mentoring schemes, with at least 10% of female students participating. The compulsory mentor-mentee program offers personalised guidance from academic staff, helping students, especially women, succeed academically. With more female students than male, this program is key to promoting gender equity and empowering underperforming students.

Additionally, the Leadership Shadowing Program for newly appointed lecturers includes strong female participation, with 52 of 83 lecturers and 13 of 45 mentors being women. This initiative fosters leadership development and promotes gender balance in university governance.

UKM also collaborates with USANITA and EWA for the Women Entrepreneurs Mentoring Scheme, designed to empower women and students interested in entrepreneurship. This program focuses on enhancing skills, creativity, and employability in the business sector, equipping participants with the tools needed to succeed as entrepreneurs.

UKM Mentor-Mentee Program

In the Faculty of Islamic Studies, a Mentor-Mentee Week was organised from January 31 to February 5, 2023, to provide students an opportunity to meet their mentors. This initiative was designed to offer academic guidance and support, especially to help students prepare for their final exams. The program fosters a closer relationship between mentors and mentees, ensuring that students receive the necessary assistance to succeed in their studies, especially during critical periods like exam preparation.

This picture shows a poster of Mentor-Mentee Week organised by the Faculty of Islamic Studies.

This picture shows mentees meeting with their mentor during the Mentor-Mentee Week organised by the Faculty of Islamic Studies.

Leadership Shadowing Program

The Leadership Shadowing Program is an annual program organised by Profesional UKM for newly appointed lecturers. This program highlights strong female participation in 2023, with 52 out of 83 lecturers and 13 out of 45 mentors being women. This two-month program pairs new lecturers with senior leaders, offering valuable experience in leadership and governance, further promoting gender balance in university leadership roles.

The program is one of the university’s efforts to provide exposure, experience, and observation in leading the university both now and in the future. This talent group represents the future leaders of the university. The leaders are members of the university’s top management, including the Vice-Chancellor, Deputy Vice-Chancellors, Pro Vice-Chancellors, Legal Advisors, Deans, and Directors.

The images show the first mentor-mentee meetings from the 2023 Leadership Shadowing Program.

Women Entrepreneurs Mentoring Scheme

In 2023, UKM collaborated with Usanita Sdn Bhd (USANITA) and the e-Entrepreneurs Women Association Malaysia (EWA) to empower women entrepreneurs and students. This program is a dedicated mentoring initiative for women who aspire to start their own businesses and pursue entrepreneurship.

USANITA aims to enhance the employability of women and students in the entrepreneurial sector by equipping them with essential industry skills. The collaboration between USANITA, UKM, and EWA Malaysia will focus on skill development, abilities, creativity, and innovation.