Kuala Lampur, March 2 -- The misconception that university lecturers in Malaysia enjoy high salaries and minimal professional demands is far from their lived realities.

The recent establishment of a special committee investigating the actual workload of lecturers in Malaysian public universities has shed light on their overwhelming work-related responsibilities. The pressure to meet teaching, evaluation, research, supervision, and administrative demands may lead to ethical compromises. If professional integrity is sacrificed for convenience or status, what does that imply for the credibility of Malaysian tertiary institutions?

Discussions on integrity in academia often focus on students, but lecturers must first lead by example. Academi...