A Malaysian teacher’s social media post has sparked concern over a growing trend among parents allowing their children to skip school simply because they “woke up late.”
Mohd Fadli Salleh, a teacher and influencer, took to Facebook on May 13 to share a screenshot of a class attendance record that revealed 4 out of 7 students who were absent that day had given the same excuse—waking up late.
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“These days, the reasons kids give for not going to school are just… facepalm.
“The best one I’ve heard? When you ask a student why they were absent, and they say, “My dad woke up late. No one could send me.
“And if you look closely, most students who skip school because they “woke up late” tend to come from lower or middle-income families. I’m not saying all, but the majority,” his post read.
“Back then, our parents had it tough. They worked the rice fields, tapped rubber trees, reared other people’s cows, built homes. But if we dared skip school, we’d get a beating with ubi kayu.
“They understood that they struggled in life because they didn’t get a good education.
“That’s why they pushed us so hard to study.
“But nowadays (not everyone), many struggling families seem to just let their kids skip school, not do homework, not attend extra classes. It’s strange.
“Is it because there’s so much content out there now saying you can become rich without needing to study or go to university? I don’t know,” he wrote.
His post has since drawn mixed reactions online. While many agreed with his concerns about the declining importance of education, others urged for empathy, pointing out the challenges families face with transportation, shift work, and the lack of support systems.
One user called Azman Haikal commented: “Sometimes I chase money so much that I end up working until 2am — then I get home, shower, pray, do other things, and only fall asleep around 4am. By 5.30am, I have to be up again. Gosh, it’s honestly embarrassing. Back then, my job had different hours and responsibilities. But now that I’m in retail, I really feel like I’m just endlessly chasing this worldly life — and I’m not even rich!
“Every day, I rely on the “lioness” (my wife) to wake the kids. Without her, I feel like the kids would probably skip school every day.”
Hani Salleh wrote: “My student—if they wake up late, I just tell them to come anyway. Better late than never, right?”
“The other day in my kid’s class, there was a parent who actually gave this reason: ‘My child’s not in the mood to go to school.’ Honestly, I think it’s the parents who need to be schooled,” Sam’s Daughter lamented.
Some netizens also responded with humour.
“So honest. They write “woke up late” as the reason without even feeling guilty. At least try to lie a little—say you had a stomach ache or a toothache or something,” Mat Jan said jokingly.
