The Malaysian Social Science Association (PSSM) has expressed hope that the higher education ministry will place the revised ethnic relations module on its website as promised, to enable feedback to be provided.

Referring to a recent assurance by the minister Mustapa Mohamed, PSSM president Prof Abdul Rahman Embong said this would be an "important step towards a transparent culture and openness in engaging scholarly and public dialogue...".

He also addressed the issue of feedback on the revised module for public universities, noting that growing concern has been expressed in public debate over the contents.

In a recent letter to the editor, academic Prof Dr Lim Teck Ghee had called on the PSSM "to provide a statement of its position on this important matter which carries strong implications for the integrity of the discipline and profession, and to monitor future developments".

"Should the PSSM continue to be a silent consenting party on this matter, it will undermine the objectives and purpose for which the association was set up to pursue," added Lim.

However, Abdul Rahman pointed out that PSSM is not in a position to offer substantive comments on the module as it has not been made available to the public.

"We are prepared to make our contribution by giving our co-operation in providing scholarly feedback and input on the final draft if invited to do so, and when the module is officially available," he said.

Commenting on the objective of the module - to inculcate critical thinking among undergraduates - Abdul Rahman said this is necessary for better appreciation of ethnic diversity.

"It is in the nature of critical thinking that we have to be objective and analytical in our approach, and be aware of and acknowledge various versions or facts of history and social existence besides dominant and obvious ones," he said.

The 190-page module, approved by the cabinet on Jan 24, was almost immediately sent back to the drafting committee for revision, following the discovery of typographical and grammatical errors in the text.

The module will not be available to the public until it is printed, which is expected in April. The original guidebook was withdrawn last July after a furore over inaccuracies.

The drafting committee is led by Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia academician Prof Dr Shamsul Amri Baharuddin.

The module will be used in teaching first-year undergraduates from this year.