Sultan Nazrin cautioned against politicising or assigning blame for the current crisis to present leaders, noting instead that it may stem from a long-standing neglect to take earnest preventive measures at the earliest stages.
IPOH: The sacred meaning of education must be restored as part of national priorities to address humanitarian crises unfolding in schools today, said the Sultan of Perak, Sultan Nazrin Shah.
His Royal Highness said a series of recent shocking incidents in schools, including bullying and murder, reflect a failure of the education system to fulfil its fundamental role in nurturing human values.
However, Sultan Nazrin cautioned against politicising or assigning blame for the current crisis to present leaders, noting instead that it may stem from a long-standing neglect to take earnest preventive measures at the earliest stages.
“The true and sacred goal of education may have been forgotten in our obsession with achieving quantitative Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), at the expense of qualitative components.
“A persistent culture of denial, an unwillingness to admit mistakes, ego that resists criticism and change, compromises in principles, and the lack of courage to take corrective action are the factors that have allowed the ‘cancer cells’ of the problem to grow and spread,” the Perak ruler said when gracing the 2025 National Integrity Month celebration here today.
Present were Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Saarani Mohamad and Chief Secretary to the Government Tan Sri Shamsul Azri Abu Bakar, who is also chairman of the Malaysian Institute of Integrity.
Sultan Nazrin further emphasised that education should not merely aim to produce the most intelligent individuals, but rather, the most humane ones.
“In the 2026 Budget, RM66.2 billion has been allocated to the Ministry of Education, and RM18.6 billion to the Ministry of Higher Education, but all these figures will remain mere numbers if the hearts and souls of our children remain empty of values, if education fails to produce civil, thoughtful human beings with a clear sense of direction in life,” he said.
The Sultan also underscored that education plays a crucial role in building personal integrity, a value that must be nurtured from an early age, beginning in schools.
“Integrity does not emerge spontaneously. It cannot be formed merely through well-written plans or the establishment of institutions. It is cultivated through continuous education, sown at home, nurtured in schools, strengthened by society, and inspired by exemplary leadership.
“Therefore, the sacred meaning of education must be restored. Education should be a compass that gives direction, not just instructions. Teachers should not merely be transmitters of knowledge, but cultivators of values.
“Integrity education must begin in the classroom, so that the younger generation understands that success without honesty brings no blessing,” Sultan Nazrin concluded.
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