KUALA LUMPUR: The Higher Education Ministry has yet to receive complaints on the sale of fake degrees involving local institutions of higher learning that are registered with the ministry.

Deputy Higher Education Minister Datuk Dr Hou Kok Chung said investigations carried out by the ministry on such cases reported by the media found that such activities were the work of private companies and individuals selling degrees for universities abroad.

"We monitor public and private universities here to make sure they are not involved in selling fake degrees. Stern action will be taken on those found guilty of such action," he said when answering a question from Datuk Johari Abdul (PKR-Sungai Petani) in Dewan Rakyat here today.

Johari had wanted to know the government's efforts to curb the sale of fake degrees in the country, and whether the government plans to look into the authenticity of degrees held by civil servants, including Members of Parliament.

Hou said civil servants were subjected to the Public Officers (Appointment, Promotion and Termination of Service) Regulations 2012, whereby they can be terminated if found guilty of amending or falsifying documents.

In response to a supplementary question from Datuk Bung Moktar Radin (BN-Kinabatangan) on whether the government wants to impose a strong punishment on foreign universities which issued fake degrees, Hou said the ministry cannot take action on foreign universities.

He also reminded the public that not all foreign universities were recognised by the ministry and Public Service Department.

He stressed that fake degrees were rampant following existing social pressure which emphasised on academic qualification, forcing some people to obtain it the wrong way.

"To tackle this, the community and employers need to investigate any suspicion they may have on an individual's academic qualification. This way people will think twice before taking the easy way out," Hou added.

- Bernama

Read more

10pc of Foreign Student Applications Rejected