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By Mihar Dias October 2025
Education director-general Dr Mohd Azam Ahmad recently blamed “lying” as the root cause of crimes in schools — including bullying and sexual misconduct. Malay Mail
He cautioned schools not to hide cases to protect their image, warning that covering up problems is like sitting on an “atomic bomb waiting to explode."Malay Mail
He’s right to be alarmed. But is “lying” really the main cause of what’s happening in our schools — or just the most convenient excuse?
The old Malay pantun that he quoted rings true:
Siakap senohong, gelama ikan duri,
Bercakap bohong, lama-lama mencuri.
It reminds us that lying can snowball into bigger wrongdoing. But it’s too easy to stop there — to make morality the scapegoat while ignoring the culture that breeds silence.
Let’s face it. Schools don’t hide cases of bullying or assault because they love lying. They do it because they fear the system.
A principal who reports a case risks being blamed for “failing to control students.”
A teacher who speaks up may be reprimanded or quietly transferred.
Everyone is reminded that “bad news” reflects poorly on the school, the district, and the Ministry.
So what do they do? They sweep it under the carpet. They call rape “misconduct.” They label assault “disciplinary.” And the victims learn an early, brutal lesson — that the truth comes with punishment.
That’s not a moral failure. That’s a policy failure.
When the DG blames lying, he’s only describing the final symptom of a system built on fear. From the top down, the education bureaucracy rewards silence and punishes honesty. Reporting a crime feels riskier than committing one.
The result? A generation that grows up learning the wrong lesson — that truth is optional, and justice negotiable.
If the Education Ministry really wants to clean house, it must first stop treating transparency as a threat.
Encourage principals to report openly. Protect whistleblowers. Punish those who conceal, not those who confess.
Also, moral education has its place. But pantun and sermons won’t stop the next case of bullying or sexual assault. What will is action — clear reporting systems, trained counsellors, and a Ministry that practices what it preaches.
Because the real danger isn’t lying — it’s silence.
Silence that protects bullies, shields predators, and teaches children that integrity is for textbooks, not real life.
So before the DG warns teachers about lying, perhaps he should ask: what kind of system have we built that makes truth-telling so dangerous?
Until that question is answered, we’re not fixing the problem. We’re just reciting poetry over the sound of ticking bombs.
Mihar Dias (mihardias@gmail.com) is a content creator under the Newswav Creator programme, where you get to express yourself, be a citizen journalist, and at the same time monetize your content & reach millions of users on Newswav. Log in to creator.newswav.com and become a Newswav Creator now!
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