The alarmingly low level of integrity among students has prompted Higher Education Minister Datuk Mohamed Khaled Nordin to call on universities in the country to establish an integrity programme and award credits to deserving students.
He said that to credit the students for their integrity was the way to attract their interest in the issue and create more awareness.

“At the moment, we are only introducing integrity into our students through some activities like debates. But I think the idea to have an integrity programme in school, championed by an 'integrity ambassador' through a club or association is a good idea.

“Its up to the universities to call it whatever they want and to decide on the credit system but I believe that we need to do it to instill intergrity into their core decision-making skills and it will affect everything they do,” he said.

Khaled said that universities and tertiary education institutes were the best place to instill the values as it is their 'last stop' before they enter the real working world.

“My ministry welcomes the proposal and hopes that the univesities can get the idea off the ground,” he said adding that it was up to each institution's students should to come up with the programmes with the help of the National Intergrity Institute.

He also said that the students themselves should be the ones handling the programme, as it will give them some 'softskills' needed when they start working and allow them to do something because they want to, not just because they're told to.

Khaled was speaking to reporters after watching the final debate at the Malaysian Prime Integrity Debate competition at Universiti Malaysia Sabah here today.

Malaysian Institute of Integrity president Datuk Dr Mohd Tap Salleh and UMS vice chancellor Prof Datuk Seri Dr Kamaruzaman Ampon.

Earlier in his speech, Khaled said that the a survey on university students showed a very low level of understanding of moral and professional ethics.

The "Exit Survey : Generic Students Attributes” revealed that 73.3 per cent of girls in public institutions of higher leaning understand the subject, and only 57.7 per cent are boys.

“The discovery is very worrying as morals and professional ethics are crucial elements in successful character building in the working environment,” he said.

Khaled said that the integrity credit programme would also mean more students, other than those involved in debates and other activities would be exposed to the values.

Meanwhile, the tournamen saw a total of 27 teams talking their way through the four-day challenge.

The team from Universiti Putra Malaysia emerged as champions followed by runners up Universiti Islam Antarabangsa Malaysia.


The winning team, consisting of Mohd Syamsul Salleh, Ammar Redza Ahmad Rizal, Amiruddin Abdul Rahman and reserve Cecelia Cornelius, won RM6,000 for their efforts as the opposing team on the subject of “For the sake of our country, a political ceasefire is needed.”

Mohd Syamsul also bagged an extra RM1,000 for winning the best speaker award.