Thai Chalk Talk: Ghost schools, fake diplomas, unlicensed universities, TI says

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CHALK TALK
Ghost schools, fake diplomas, unlicensed universities, TI says
Chularat Saengpassa

BANGKOK: -- Does an academic degree guarantee the knowledge and abilities of a person? If you acknowledge the latest report from Transparency International, the answer will very much depend on whether that person has graduated from a qualified institution.

Transparency International recently released its "2013 Global Corruption Report: Education". Its key finding - ghost schools, fake diplomas and undue corporate influence in university research are among the many things corrupting the world's educational sector.

What's the situation like in Thailand?

I hate to point out the fact that some so-called higher-education institutions here are not qualified to conduct their courses in the very basic sense. Adamson University and Rochville University are among them.

Both universities have operated in Thailand but without proper permission from the Office of the Higher Education Commission (Ohec). These universities are uncertified. This means no matter what courses they have conducted, their graduates will never get any recognition in the country's civil-service sector. Their degrees will mean nothing, as soon as employers find out the truth.

Ohec has recently instructed universities to re-examine the education credentials of their lecturers.

Kamjorn Tatiyakavee, deputy secretary-general of Ohec, said if the lecturers used degrees from uncertified institutions, their qualifications as lecturers would be in doubt.

Thonburi University president Bancha Kerdmanee said he sacked many lecturers after finding their doctorate degrees were not certified by Ohec.

"Without the certified doctorate degrees, they are not qualified to do their job at my university," he said.

Uncertified institutions have often used aggressive marketing to lure students. Among the many victims are school administrators from rural provinces who hope a higher academic degree will help them advance professionally. Some of them are also attracted to the uncertified universities' tempting promises.

Adamson University, for example, has promised to take its students to the Philippines.

A school administrator, who works in Thailand's Northeast, places much trust in Adamson University despite the latest uproar. She has paid Bt430,000 to the university for its course, which includes overseas field trips.

But corrupt practice in the educational sector has clearly delivered a huge financial loss to many unknowing students. Graduates, after all, will have no chance of getting promoted by producing a degree from Adamson University. Adamson students may be happy today but they will very likely lament in the future that they spent Bt430,000 and their time for virtually nothing. Promotion chances aside, they may not get any real or precious knowledge.

Uncertified universities must have had some quality problems, otherwise they should have not failed to win proper permission from Ohec.

In the event that some of the uncertified universities' graduates secure teaching jobs, the toll will be on their students because they may not at all be qualified to teach.

This information has already provided a glimpse into the ghost schools and fake diplomas mentioned in Transparency International's report.

Then what about undue corporate influence?

Many Thai universities now receive partial funding from companies to sponsor their research. The number of papers can give lecturers a better chance of rising in rank and getting bigger allowances. To universities, the number of papers boosts their credibility.

Thai academics have insisted that they and their institutions have maintained their credibility and objectivity. Although they have insisted that money from firms will not bias their judgement when conducting research, the public may not be fully convinced. Over time, the judgement by some can be clouded because a conflict of interest may be present.

All authorities and stakeholders should pay attention to the findings from the latest report by Transparency International - then do something to address the problems.

If regulatory bodies are strong and efficient, no institution should be able to operate without a proper licence.

If they can prescribe strict regulations on research funding by the private sector, they should be able to prevent the granting of research funds where conflicts of interest may arise.

Last but not least, I also would like the government to allocate a bigger budget for research because when conducted transparently and efficiently, research findings can deliver better productivity and improve people's wellbeing and not just in Thailand. In some cases, impacts may even be felt across the world.


-- The Nation 2013-10-07

[NongKhaiKid]

How is it the two universities named are still operating without the proper certification ? Many and varied answers possible.

Universities have been informed to check the qualifications of their lecturers and I am sure many will not stand up to scrutiny but it didn't stop their being recruited in the first place and we can make an informed guess as to why.

Thai education has been aired via this forum on many occasions but the system is rotten from top to bottom and change will be almost impossible as everyone benefits except students who cannot pay to get into uni, pay to ensure pass grades and ultimately pay to graduate.

For years now I've noticed how job adverts indicate in the qualifications section that a degree from a foreign university is preferred.

Says it all really !

[horsewell]

A piece of paper is worthless regardless where it came from if the person attached to it doesn't have the knowledge and experience that it purports. I'm not talking about fake certificates or unqualified institutions or teachers for that matter. A certificate should be able to sort out most of the "wheat from the chaff" but may actually filter out a lot of very talented individuals because of the lack of formal qualifications. There are more and more different places to acquire knowledge outside of the formal education system that sooner or later there will have to be a fundamental rethink about how education is approached world wide.

[Tiffer]

I worry about some of the certified institutions in the private sector that sell false dreams to poorer upcountry folk who take out bank loans that they can ill afford. They'd be better off buying a 7-11 franchise!

[Emdog]

"These universities are uncertified. This means no matter what courses they have conducted, their graduates will never get any recognition in the country's civil-service sector. Their degrees will mean nothing, as soon as employers find out the truth." Hey wait just a minute! The rule here is "It is who you know, not what you know" and now these trouble makers are trying to change that? How do you fire your nephew from that cushy civil service job you got him? You don't need to go to a certified university: look at "Dr." John Gray, "Phd" ("Men are from Mars" fame). He has a mail order Phd and it hasn't hurt him at all.

[zoroastra999]

Doesn't anybody notice that 'authentic' Thai graduates who have majored in English (just as an example) can barely string together a coherent sentence - while Pattaya bar girls usually can?

The 'graduates' have a fake degree from a 'real' university and they have paid an extortionate price for it - and wasted several years of their life into the bargain. As far as their English skills are concerned, they are completely unemployable. They may only use their rubber-stamped, fake diploma to get an elevated civil service position where English is not a requirement.

If someone actually can speak fluent English (e.g. the bar girl, or someone of mixed parentage) they can't get a degree unless they choose to spend four years 'studying' what they already know in a class of nincompoops.

The true value of a qualification must surely be proportional to the failure rate. In Thai universities practically everyone who completes the course passes regardless of competence. Ergo the university is running a criminal racket yet operating within the law. The 'fake certificate vendors' are operating a criminal racket outside the law - but are less extortionate about it.

The simple solution? Set up independent test centres where competent people can prove their competence and get real certification for it - perhaps certification could be embedded in a smart card to avoid forgery. Universities wouldn't 'do' assessment any more - consequently they would cease to exist - at least in their present (largely useless) form. Students would thus 'graduate' as soon as they were competent - and competence could be gained in any number of ways from any number of places. If they were to fail they could try again at any time - and, of course, pay to be assessed.

Driving Test Centres operate like this. Why can't it apply elsewhere? (Answer: Too many incompetent and useless people benefit from employment at all levels in the education system - and the population is too dumbed down by that system to question anything of substance.)

[purushanti]

"These universities are uncertified. This means no matter what courses they have conducted, their graduates will never get any recognition in the country's civil-service sector. Their degrees will mean nothing, as soon as employers find out the truth." Hey wait just a minute! The rule here is "It is who you know, not what you know" and now these trouble makers are trying to change that? How do you fire your nephew from that cushy civil service job you got him? You don't need to go to a certified university: look at "Dr." John Gray, "Phd" ("Men are from Mars" fame). He has a mail order Phd and it hasn't hurt him at all.

Emdog, simply as an educator I would be interested in where John Gray got his doctorate. Could not find his academic resume when searching. Can you provide more info? Thanks.

And I do understand how some uneducated people are smarter, and wiser than those with, to use the USA term, "accredited" degrees.

A person who has done a great deal of work on questionable schools is John Bear, who has written valuable books on th subject, and been called to testify by the FBi in court cases.

[cup-O-coffee]

I never let any governing body tell me how I should think about myself. Reading how these Thai mental giants decide who is who and what is what makes me want to vomit. They are Thai. That is all I need to know in this article to make me want to vomit. Looking at their own back yards and reading their tripe makes me want to vomit even more, because it all originates with them. These people seem to like to create their own problems simply to bemoan them or to put themselves on pedestals and orate to the world their solutions and accusations. Again, nothing ever gets done.

[indyuk]

I enjoyed this article. I am unable to comment efficiently due to my lack of teaching experience. All I can say is that my Thai daughters were let down so badly by their teachers that they will likely never succeed in the Thai workforce. My then Thai wife spent years with a Wai to all their teachers every time she saw them and refused even to discuss the girls education with them or with me. Now one of the girls is married (still in her teens) to a moron that cannot read or write, has never had a job and lives only for beer or football.

Edited October 8, 2013 by Scott

[Credo]

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Now one of the girls is married (still in her teens) to a moron that cannot read or write, has never had a job and lives only for beer or football.

So she married a Farang?