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From cheesy messages on birthdays to long letters on anniversaries, stars often take to social media to publicly express gratitude for their loved ones. Amid all these messages of glowing praise came a rather odd message Hira Mani recently posted for her son — the star praised her child for not cheating on his online exam, despite her encouraging him to do so.

As strange as this sounds, the Do Bol star posted on Instagram to appreciate her little one Ibrahim for making his own decisions and not falling prey to his mother's bad advice. She told him to use unfair means on his exam, since it was online and no one would find out.

"This is for you Ibrahim jo tum ne exam main cheating nahi ki mere kehnay pay bhe nahi ki I am so proud of you [This is for you Ibrahim, that you didn't cheat in your exam despite me telling you to. I am so proud of you]," she wrote.

"Ghusa tou aya tha mujhey tum pay kerlete online exam tha kis ko pata lagta lekin chalo tumhari honesty pay ye appreciation post bunti hai for you for life [I was a little furious at you, you should have cheated, it was an online exam, no one would have found out. But never mind, you deserve an appreciation post for your honesty for life]", she added, alongside the picture of the duo.

Since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, students in Pakistan have been undergoing an academic crisis. With schools shut down, online learning encouraged, and external factors such as finances and shoddy electricity supply adding hurdles towards education, the year has been tough.

But it being a tough year is no excuse to encourage children to cheat. It might be better for parents to encourage their children to overcome these hurdles and challenges as best they can.

Cheating may help them pass an exam, but the lasting impacts of dishonesty will be detrimental for the child's personal growth — something we're glad Ibrahim chose to stand up against despite his mother's bad advice.