Fake Degrees Quite Common In Malaysia, Even High Up The Chain
Malaysia said to be “one of the worst” countries when it comes to fake education certifications.
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One in 20 job candidates have fake degrees and other qualifications while one in 10 has credentials from unaccredited institutions, according to The Star.
Akhbar & Associates, a Malaysian corporate fraud investigation agency, revealed in 2019 that the background checks on potential new hires for companies found that 5% to 7% of candidates had fake degrees, while 10% to 15% have qualifications from unaccredited universities.
Akhbar & Associates Managing Director Datuk Seri Akhbar Satar explained that these people were applying for Senior Management positions across multiple industries including banking and healthcare.
Last year in Pakistan, the CEO of a fake degree ‘mill’ called Axact – which boasted a network of over 370 fake online universities based in the United States and 22 others – was sentenced to 20 years in jail each by the courts.
From the case, Pakistani authorities also found 80 Malaysian names and addresses.
More in Malaysia?
It seems thousands of fake degree holders are working as doctors, nurses, teachers and engineers across Southeast Asia.
Akhbar said Malaysia was “one of the worst” nations plagued with the issue of fake degrees and certification because companies here didn’t do background checks or lodge police reports.
This allows false qualification holders to simply face “internal action” before moving on to the next job.
The Malaysian Medical Council (MMC) and Institution of Engineers (IEM) have already taken steps to ensure that only qualified and properly certified doctors and Engineers can practice their respective trade in Malaysia
Employers are now calling for action to be taken against staff who secured their post with degree mill and fake qualifications.
Echoing the call for action is Malaysian Employers Federation executive director Datuk Shamsuddin Bardan.
However, Malaysian Qualifications Agency (MQA) CEO Datuk Dr Rahmah Mohamed said it is the organization’s responsibility to check the qualifications of their employees were accredited accordingly.
So, it is still upon the employer to do their due diligence and conduct background checks if they suspect an employee’s qualifications are fake.
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