Malaysian VC remarks about teacher-student sexual relationships is just the tip of the iceberg

Murray Hunter : Its time to rid universities of this form of corruption. The reported remarks by Universiti Teknikal Malaysia Melaka’s (UTeM) Vice Chancellor Massila Kamalrudin about relationships between academic staff and students is just the tip of the iceberg in ethics breaches in Malaysian universities.

Massila was reported to comment that academic staff and students having sexual relationships should suppress it from public view. “if you want to flirt, even with the dean, do it outside”. Sexual relationships between teachers and students are not only a breach of professional ethics, such behaviour damages the whole system of trust between, destroying any dignity and respect.

Such relationships are totally outside the boundary of any codes of ethics that any reputable institute of higher learning would have governing their organizations. This is also a sign of the disintegration of social ethics in wider society, if such practices are condoned and allowed. Tip of the iceberg Massila advising more discreetness in academic staff-student relationships are much more widespread than UTeM in Malaysia.

Stories went around during my academic career that a vice chancellor took on a foreign student as a second secret second wife, and was given scholarships and privileges far beyond other students. Foreign female students have long been easy prey for male academic staff in universities. Many use the ‘pay to play’ ploy to obtain sexual favours from students to pass.

In some cases, academic staff are offered such favours by students to pass or gain higher marks in courses. Unfortunately, such practices are much wider than many believe. The practice of academic staff keeping their office doors open when female students consult with them is just not enough. Weak and unethical academic staff find it too easy to use their power to take advantage of students, or be taken advantage of.

Some have even been blackmailed by students after been involved in sexual relations with students. While some academic staff take sexual advantage of female students, stories also have surfaced of supervisors asking money from foreign male students to pass their courses, and/or thesis. These practices rarely come to light, as foreign students most often just desperately what to pass and gain their aspirated qualifications to move on in life.

These practices occur mostly with powerless and vulnerable foreign students, but not restricted to just the foreign cohort. Such practices described above should be not just considered as a breach of ethics but a form of bribery. Unfortunately, under Malaysian law, with no money changing hands, the practice is outside the jurisdiction of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC).

Malaysian universities don’t act upon any of these types of accusations due to the fear of loss of reputation. Massila has opened the door on one of the dark sides of Malaysian higher education. Such practices have also been reported in Malaysian secondary schools before.

Although the Ministry of Education has said there is zero tolerance for such behaviour in education, the latest comments by a vice chancellor indicate that a blind eye to the problem is still continuing, as universities protect their reputations.

Its time for the minister of higher education Zambry Abdul Kadir to act. He can start by finding a new vice chancellor for UTeM