SEREMBAN: Public universities have always worked hard to reduce and do away with dishonesty and unethical working culture in their institutions as they represent the government and nation in higher education as public entities.
Malaysian Academic Association Congress (MAAC) President Prof Datuk Dr Mohd Idrus Mohd Masirin said all public universities were working hard to enhance and improve the performance of their universities to be on par if not better than the rest of the world.
“Whether integrity is still alive or not in public universities in Malaysia is never a big issue because public universities have always been monitored and closely scrutinised by many agencies including the MQA (Malaysian Qualifications Agency), professional accreditation bodies, the National Audit Department and not forgetting the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission.
“Academic integrity or plagiarism, as claimed by a graduate of a public university, is not an isolated case in the world. It is happening all around the world because lecturers or supervisors are the directors of research for the student during their studies,” he told Bernama here, today.
He said this when responding to a news report by the local online news that recently the nation was rocked by allegations of academic dishonesty and agreed that there was a need for a check and balance to ensure academic integrity.
Mohd Idrus said as an academician, he believed academic standing and reputation were not gained by producing lots of papers or research works, but they were given through recognition by the community at large.
“An academic is considered successful if he is able to prove his ability to contribute to society by means of his expertise and knowledge. The reputation of academics does not depend on publications or research alone but, it is more importantly related to societal contribution and well-being.
“I believe Malaysian academicians are ethical and can differentiate between what is right and wrong, what is ethical or unethical and the difference between being honest and being a liar. If we continue to debate the issue, it might settle the issue but what worries me most is what damage it will do to the reputation of academicians and institutions of higher learning in Malaysia,” he added. – Bernama
