KUALA LUMPUR: Universiti Teknikal Malaysia Melaka (UTeM) has come to the defence of its vice-chancellor, Professor Datuk Dr Massila Kamalrudin, saying that her speech, which was criticised for allegedly offering inappropriate advice to students, was taken out of context.
In a statement released yesterday, UTeM said that the news report linking negative remarks to the vice-chancellor was entirely false.
"The video footage of the vice-chancellor's speech has been edited and does not accurately reflect her true message. She advised students to uphold a code of conduct as scholars and to avoid immoral behaviour," the statement read.
UTeM said that the students' responses during the speech were positive and harmonious, in line with the vice-chancellor's commendable character.
To further support Massila, UTeM highlighted several achievements under her leadership, including the university being named Malaysia's Best TVET University.
Additionally, Massila was recognised as Malaysia's Outstanding Personality at the Malaysia Education and TVET Awards and received a lifetime achievement award for distinguished women leaders at the 2024 World Women Economic and Business Summit.
"UTeM boasts the highest student enrollment among the Malaysian Technical University Network, reflecting the confidence of students and parents in UTeM as a premier institution of higher education," it said.
UTeM also refuted any defamatory statements that could damage the reputation of its management.
The university said that the negative report might have originated from individuals or groups dissatisfied with UTeM's recent directive requiring all academic staff to publish indexed journals annually — a policy that has been in place for several months.
"UTeM hopes that any parties making statements regarding UTeM will verify the information with the university first before issuing media statements," it said.
Previously, Massila was reported to have advised students to keep their romantic relationships with academic staff private and away from campus.