Rampant academic dishonesty is destroying Malaysia's soul

If one goes to Google Scholar and checks the publication citations of some of the new universities, it will become very evident that many academics are gaining large numbers of citations for their work within very short periods of time. This has been particularly the case over the last three to four years. High numbers of citations are being generated through the sheer volume of papers where lecturers cite their own work, and make agreements with other lecturers to cross-cite each other's work.

Many other dishonest activities are going on within Malaysian universities include;

· The falsifying of student appraisal surveys to eliminate criticism of teaching,

· The 'cut and paste' of curriculum from other universities when developing new courses,

· Some foreign students who fail just purchase a locally produced fake degree before returning home. Some even go to the convocation and take photos with their friends on graduation day,

· There are still faculty members with dubious degrees and qualifications within Malaysian universities today. As of today, there are still no laws against this practice, and

· Unfortunately some international universities are cashing in on the Malaysian Ministry of Education's quest to improve qualifications among public university lecturers. Many Malaysian lecturers are sent to overseas universities which guarantee a pass to gain their PhD.

There is currently a very low state of academic integrity within Malaysian universities today. However universities are only a microcosm of the general society around them. Fraudulent academic practices and dishonesty is almost an acceptable behaviour today in Malaysia, as the national and institutional leaders have done very little to highlight the seriousness of these offences.

Academically dishonest people are leniently dealt with in Malaysia, which has given today's younger generation 'skewed ideas' about morality and ethics. Academic dishonesty is a destructive modus operandi which is running freely in Malaysia today.

The prevalence of academic dishonesty shows that moral and ethical standards are slipping in Malaysia, where a whole new generation is being told that it's OK to steal the creative work and ideas of others. There is a very high tolerance in Malaysian society for fraud, cheating and mediocrity.

This also partly explains why the prime minister of Malaysia Abdul Najib Razak can survive the current 1MDB scandal. Malaysians have become 'seasoned' to deceit, lies, and corruption.

Malaysia is now a country where some ministers don't know their own portfolios, students don't know their career disciplines, and university professors who just don't know their fields.

This is costing Malaysian society greatly. Mediocrity rather than meritocracy is favoured, which will affect Malaysia's human capital competitiveness in the coming years.

This is a problem that is coming from the top of Malaysia's institutions, where reform is desperately needed.