IPOH: The sacred purpose of education among children in schools and higher learning institutions must be restored to address the country's deepening integrity crisis, says Sultan Nazrin Muizzuddin Shah.
The Perak Ruler said nurturing moral character in institutions of learning should be of the utmost importance and the top priority, following recent troubling events in schools that included bullying, sexual assault, deaths and murders committed by minors.
"These incidents reflect a failure of education to fulfil its role in instilling human values, resulting in emotional crises and psychological distress.
"Schools, which should be the safest havens for children, are now exposed to environments that threaten their security," he said in his Royal Address when opening the National Integrity Month celebration at the Perak Darul Ridzuan building here on Wednesday (Nov 5).
Sultan Nazrin said there needs to be courage to admit to the issues, which have grown.
"In all honesty and with sincerity, we must find the courage to admit that the cancerous cells, now grown to a critical stage, began as small ones.
"A persistent culture of denial, the inability to acknowledge mistakes, the ego that resists correction and refuses to change, coupled with a tendency to compromise and a lack of courage to take firm corrective action, these are the factors that have allowed the malignancy to spread.
"We may have long neglected the sacred purpose of education, becoming overly fixated on achieving quantitative KPIs, at the cost of sacrificing its qualitative values," he added.
Sultan Nazrin said education is not solely about producing the smartest individuals but about nurturing the most humane.
"Education is about guidance, not mere instruction.
"Teachers are not merely conveyors of knowledge; they are sowers of values.
"True education builds the mind and the soul, integrating intellect, emotion and morality to nurture individuals who are not only intelligent but also noble in character.
"Inculcating integrity must begin in schools so that young people understand that success without honesty brings no blessing," he added.
His Royal Highness also said that the substantial budget allocations for the Education and Higher Education Ministries for programmes would be meaningless if the true purpose of education is unfulfilled, "if young minds remain empty of values, and if the current educational focus fails to produce thoughtful, morally grounded individuals with a clear sense of purpose."
Quoting Confucius, Sultan Nazrin said the strength of a nation is built on the practice of integrity, and its values must first be sown at home.
"Integrity is cultivated through continuous education – nurtured at home, reinforced at school, strengthened by society, and inspired by exemplary leadership.
"Parents play the most crucial role in planting the seeds of integrity in their children, for the home is a child’s first school," he said.
Sultan Nazrin also called for the people to uphold the first principle of the Rukun Negara as the second priority – belief in God.
He said integrity is emphasised by all religions, philosophies, cultures and civilisations.
These included teachings of the Prophet Muhammad, Guru Nanak, the Bible, Bhagavad Gita and Buddhist teachings, he added.
"Scholars assert that religion cannot flourish, nor can society truly prosper, without trustworthy leaders.
"The virtue of a nation is shaped by the character of its leaders," he added.
