- Joined
- Jul 24, 2008
- Messages
- 33,627
- Points
- 0
<TABLE border=0 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%"><TBODY><TR><TD class=msgleft rowSpan=4 width="1%"></TD><TD class=wintiny noWrap align=right>29746.1 </TD></TR><TR><TD height=8></TD></TR><TR><TD class=msgtxt><TABLE class=bodytext border=0 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=560><TBODY><TR><TD class=bodytext height=7>>> ASIAONE / NEWS / EDUCATION / STORY </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><!-- start story details --><TABLE border=0 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=560><TBODY><TR><TD height=7 colSpan=3>
</TD></TR><TR><TD></TD></TR><TR><TD><!--tr> <td colspan="3"> </td> </tr--></TD></TR><TR><TD><!-- ~RENDER PAGE MARKER~ --></TD></TR><TR><TD><!-- Story With Image Start --></TD></TR><TR><TD vAlign=top width=350>
</TD><TD width=5>
</TD><TD vAlign=top width=200 align=left><TABLE><TBODY><TR><TD height=81>
</TD></TR><TR><TD class=content_subtitle align=left>Thu, Feb 25, 2010
The New Paper </TD></TR><TR><TD height=15>
</TD></TR><TR><TD align=left><TABLE border=0 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0><TBODY><TR><TD vAlign=top align=left>
</TD><TD height=15>
</TD><TD vAlign=top align=right></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR><TR><TD colSpan=3><!-- TITLE : start -->Angry netizens say: 'Now our degrees are less valuable' <!-- TITLE : end--></TD><TD><TABLE><TBODY><TR><TD height=15 colSpan=3>
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD><TD><!-- Story With Image End --></TD><TD><TABLE><TBODY><TR><TD class=bodytext_10pt colSpan=3><!-- CONTENT : start -->By Liew Hanqing
AN ONLINE peddler of fake degrees from local universities has removed all traces of his activities from the Internet.
He did this immediately after he was exposed by The New Paper on Sunday.
<TABLE border=0 cellSpacing=2 cellPadding=2 width=300 align=right><TBODY><TR><TD>
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>The peddler's website, which was still active last Friday, was removed over the weekend.
The 24-year-old foreign national had been selling fake degrees from local universities and private institutions for up to $4,000 each.
He has since also removed most of his posts from the Singapore-based Chinese forum where he had been advertising his services.
The QQ instant messenger account which the man had been using to communicate with prospective customers was also inactive.
One local university has since asked The New Paper for information on those known to be selling counterfeit degrees, as news of the fake certificates is picked up around the region.
About 20 foreign news agencies, including China News Service, Global Times, Sohu News, China.com.cn and Kwong Wah Yit Poh, have picked up The New Paper on Sunday report.
Meanwhile, netizens are incensed over the blatant sale of counterfeit degrees from local universities.
In response to the report, one blogger wrote that he felt the sale of fake local university degrees was "a little too close for comfort", as all previous instances of fake degrees here had to do with foreign institutions.
One netizen wrote in Chinese: "It's a serious offence to sell fake degrees here. Aren't these sellers afraid they will get caught? They will definitely pay a price for what they are doing.
"It is better to just work hard and earn a degree through honest means. Only then will your conscience be clear."
Another netizen said he felt there was a need for prospective employers to step up measures to verify the credentials of job applicants.
He wrote: "If not, the value of our degrees would just be dropping every day."
Similarly, Mr Chong Wei Nurn, 27, a masters student at Singapore Management University, said he was concerned that the proliferation of counterfeit degrees would tarnish the universities' reputations and devalue their degrees.
He said: "I think it would be wise for companies to do verification checks on job applications, with the universities facilitating these checks."
Another netizen questioned the need for prospective job applicants to buy counterfeit degrees in the first place.
He wrote: "An A-Level certificate or polytechnic diploma is sufficient to do business at a basic level.
"The rest of it depends on life and business experience."
Buying and selling counterfeit degrees is unfair to those who have genuinely completed their academic programmes, added Miss Zanthe Ng, 24, an events planner who will commence a degree programme at UniSIM later this year.
She said: "It was the hard work put in over the years by the students of various institutions that earned them the prestige they enjoy today.
"With these counterfeit degrees, all this effort may be washed down the drain - it's unfair to both current and past students."
Reputations tarnished
Ms Grace Lin, 27, a manager who graduated from Nanyang Technological University, added that the prevalence of fake degrees could be detrimental to those seeking employment overseas.
She said: "More people are venturing overseas for work and the use of counterfeit degrees could limit employment opportunities if the reputations of our universities are tarnished by job applicants using them."
But not all are too concerned about counterfeiters.
Mr Ian Wui, 28, who is currently pursuing a part-time degree at a private institution, said: "Prospective employers can always refer to the relevant institution if they want to find out if an applicant's qualifications are genuine."
Mr Paul Heng, owner of human resource firm Next Career Consulting Group, added that it would be difficult for prospective employees to get away with using a fake degree in a job application.
He said: "There's a high chance they'll get found out here. I don't think the problem will be that rampant."
This article was first published in The New Paper.
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
The New Paper </TD></TR><TR><TD height=15>
</TD><TD height=15>
AN ONLINE peddler of fake degrees from local universities has removed all traces of his activities from the Internet.
He did this immediately after he was exposed by The New Paper on Sunday.
<TABLE border=0 cellSpacing=2 cellPadding=2 width=300 align=right><TBODY><TR><TD>
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>The peddler's website, which was still active last Friday, was removed over the weekend.The 24-year-old foreign national had been selling fake degrees from local universities and private institutions for up to $4,000 each.
He has since also removed most of his posts from the Singapore-based Chinese forum where he had been advertising his services.
The QQ instant messenger account which the man had been using to communicate with prospective customers was also inactive.
One local university has since asked The New Paper for information on those known to be selling counterfeit degrees, as news of the fake certificates is picked up around the region.
About 20 foreign news agencies, including China News Service, Global Times, Sohu News, China.com.cn and Kwong Wah Yit Poh, have picked up The New Paper on Sunday report.
Meanwhile, netizens are incensed over the blatant sale of counterfeit degrees from local universities.
In response to the report, one blogger wrote that he felt the sale of fake local university degrees was "a little too close for comfort", as all previous instances of fake degrees here had to do with foreign institutions.
One netizen wrote in Chinese: "It's a serious offence to sell fake degrees here. Aren't these sellers afraid they will get caught? They will definitely pay a price for what they are doing.
"It is better to just work hard and earn a degree through honest means. Only then will your conscience be clear."
Another netizen said he felt there was a need for prospective employers to step up measures to verify the credentials of job applicants.
He wrote: "If not, the value of our degrees would just be dropping every day."
Similarly, Mr Chong Wei Nurn, 27, a masters student at Singapore Management University, said he was concerned that the proliferation of counterfeit degrees would tarnish the universities' reputations and devalue their degrees.
He said: "I think it would be wise for companies to do verification checks on job applications, with the universities facilitating these checks."
Another netizen questioned the need for prospective job applicants to buy counterfeit degrees in the first place.
He wrote: "An A-Level certificate or polytechnic diploma is sufficient to do business at a basic level.
"The rest of it depends on life and business experience."
Buying and selling counterfeit degrees is unfair to those who have genuinely completed their academic programmes, added Miss Zanthe Ng, 24, an events planner who will commence a degree programme at UniSIM later this year.
She said: "It was the hard work put in over the years by the students of various institutions that earned them the prestige they enjoy today.
"With these counterfeit degrees, all this effort may be washed down the drain - it's unfair to both current and past students."
Reputations tarnished
Ms Grace Lin, 27, a manager who graduated from Nanyang Technological University, added that the prevalence of fake degrees could be detrimental to those seeking employment overseas.
She said: "More people are venturing overseas for work and the use of counterfeit degrees could limit employment opportunities if the reputations of our universities are tarnished by job applicants using them."
But not all are too concerned about counterfeiters.
Mr Ian Wui, 28, who is currently pursuing a part-time degree at a private institution, said: "Prospective employers can always refer to the relevant institution if they want to find out if an applicant's qualifications are genuine."
Mr Paul Heng, owner of human resource firm Next Career Consulting Group, added that it would be difficult for prospective employees to get away with using a fake degree in a job application.
He said: "There's a high chance they'll get found out here. I don't think the problem will be that rampant."
This article was first published in The New Paper.
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
