M’sian student uses a meme phrase in an exam, teacher expresses frustration and disappointment

MALAYSIA: A secondary school teacher took to his TikTok account to express his frustration over a student’s exam answers.

The male teacher, Muaz Samad, uploaded a video on his TikTok under the username ‘muazsmd’ while he was grading an exam paper of a student.

The student’s response caught netizens’ attention, which seemed unserious, despite it being an examination paper.

The question asked was related to the factors of highway construction in Malaysia, yet all the answers were ‘Sebab boleh’ (Because it’s possible).

Upon seeing the student’s answers, the teacher expressed disappointment with the student’s actions.

The video has gained significant attention, reaching 1.2 million views as of the time this article was written, and it was uploaded on 21 Aug.

@muazsmd._

Pening

♬ bunyi asal – Muaz Samad – Muaz Samad

Netizens Express Concern Over School Student’s Unserious Approach to Answering Exams

Looking at the comments section of the video, most netizens expressed concern over the school student’s audacious act of answering the exam question in such a manner.

“Seems funny, right? But it’s sad for teachers when they have given their all when teaching students, but they receive answers like this.”

“It looks funny but is also disheartening.”

“But this is not just because it is a trend, respect for teachers is essential. Even if you don’t know the answer, provide a logical response related to the subject.”

“If I were a teacher, I’d feel disappointed if my students answered like that.”

“I was checking the English papers of Form 4 students, they used the phrase “I went to the beach for healing/ we can go healing/ cycling helps me healing.” What kind of healing?”

“If I knew my children answered like this in an exam, I would immediately take them to meet the principal.”

A TikToker replied, “This is the challenges when kids are always on their phones and social media instead of socializing in the real world.”

“This isn’t funny, you know. Even kids in preschools are imitating it now. When asked questions, they reply with ‘Kamu nanyak?’ (You (are) asking me?), which is an Indonesian meme.

“This isn’t a joke. The influence of social media makes kids bold. They even trivialize exams.”

At the same time, they also shared their views on the increasingly concerning influence of social media on society.

“The immense influence of social media. During my time, answering like this would lead to teachers scolding me in class,” a TikTok commented.

“More TikTok than textbooks,” said another comment.

Origin of the ‘Sebab boleh’ (Because its possible) meme

The catchphrase frequently used on social media, ‘Sebab boleh dik’, originates from the words of a man known as Azri Walter.

In a video, Azri answered a question posed to him with the phrase ‘Sebab boleh dik’.

Since then, the tagline ‘Sebab boleh dik’ has been mentioned and used by the general public in Malaysia.

Screenshot from TikTok: azriwalter