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People's Daily Online>>Opinion

Expert: Glitter of foreign diploma to fade away

By Huang Chong (China Youth Daily)

10:16, March 10, 2012

Edited and translated by People's Daily Online

The total population of Chinese overseas students was about 340,000 in 2011, more than 310,000 of who were at their own expense, according to the Ministry of Education. From 1978 to the end of 2011, the population of all kinds of Chinese overseas students totaled nearly 2.25 million. On a conservative estimate, these 300,000 students in 2011 would prize an international student market of about 60 billion yuan.

It is noteworthy that a “chain of academic fraud” is hidden in the huge oversea study market. It was reported that 400 out of 410 foreign students who were awarded diploma by the Dickinson State University since 2003 in fact did not complete all required courses and 95 percent of them were Chinese students, according to an audit report on Dickinson State University in North Dakota, United States.

Qi Lixin, honorary president of the Beijing Entry and Exit Service Association, said during an interviewed that the Dickinson State University Event is definitely not the first and neither will be the last.

"Profit trap" behind oversea study bubble

Reporter: What should we think over the incident mentioned above considering that the Dickinson State University has cooperated with 19 Chinese universities.

Qi Lixin: On this matter, one thing we focus on is that the Dickinson State University uses its school funds to make a promotional tour in many universities of China. Many North American and European countries have long turned their eyes on China. Chinese students are a huge profit point of contention. Therefore, this university would come to China at the risk of fiscal deficits. And the result brought by this is that a state university can establish cooperative relationships with 19 universities in China. The profit they get from Chinese students is far greater than the cost.

Today, almost every university in China has at least three or four foreign cooperative education programs and the number of such programs is growing constantly. Under such circumstances, the incident like what has happed in the Dickinson University is likely to occur. This is definitely not the first and neither will be the last.

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（Editor：张茜）

Leave your comment6 comments

Arthur Borges at 2012-03-22219.150.142.*: Some overseas universities are not even accredited: they"ll sell you any diploma you want. Another option is Thailand where diplomas are PhotoShopped and quite cheap, complete with transcripts and letters of recommendation from professors; in other cases, corrupt administrative officers of entirely respectable institutions have been selling diplomas too. If I were hiring, I"d be listening more to the idiomatic quality of the candidate"s proficiency of a foreign language than scrutinizing the actual transcript: if his/her mastery of the foreign is keen, then the person invested time in learning a new mindset and that"s what China needs: people who can think in at least two different mindsets.
elee at 2012-03-15183.39.48.*: Seen and heard quite a few number of local Chinese lecturers who could NOT even speak nor write in English; but said "diplomas" were attained in Canada, USA, Europe & Southern Asia. Recruiters" Notes: Points to ponder for Chinese recruiters are to scout for foreign / overseas Chinese talents ought to include merits such as Chinese loyalty and pride with a desire to make China into a much better China, intrinsically. Then, China should make it a point to happily ignore those many local Chinese who are yearning to immigrate to overseas nations; particularly those in Chinese universities where rumours have had it that many of them with PhDs (* falsified and/or bought from "diplomas millers" *) are longing to immigrate as their backdoor exit strategies. CPC has to keep an ear and eye pair opened ajar to monitor such undesirous attitudes because behaviours of lecturers (* esp. non-engineering ones *) tend to influence younger generations of Chinese; hence not all with PhDs will do China good and well.
Jack Smith, USA at 2012-03-1124.26.135.*: China should be wary of U.S. Higher Education, which has become a classic racket. The U.S. Government and Banking Industry throw massive amounts of money at the system, which in turn gouges students and their families, who feel they must pay in to secure a future. Don"t be fooled by this. Develop your own university system and do not look to the U.S., where higher education has become only one more fraud along with the rest of the U.S. Don"t follow the U.S. China should follow its own path. This is coming from an American citizen. Jack Smith, USA
helen at 2012-03-11175.136.168.*: Most of the Bachelor's degrees in the USA are below European standards and many of them give out 'fake certificates' in exchange for money. Only in some notable US universities are the post-graduate (Master & Ph.D) degrees worthy of pursuits. As a pretext for immigration, then going to the USA for 'studies' is one sure way. Other than that, I advise Chinese students to skip US universities for first degree courses.A lot of universities in the United States are in for the money which they crave very badly. They are willing to print 'certificates' (like the Fed printing US$) to those who are prepared to pay. In fact, many employers in other parts of Asia or Asean do not employ a Bachelor degree holder from almost all US universities. They think US bachelor degrees are a joke!And many of the students who go overseas did not pass the Chinese 'Gao Kao' and therefore going overseas is one option. Others because their parents 'came across some ill-gotten gains' and need to leave China before justice is done to them. And some just think that the grass is greener on the other side!In fact only Chinese government funded students going overseas (and usually for post graduate and research positions) are the better ones. And local Chinese universities are easily of a higher standard than those in the United States.
fool at 2012-03-10117.242.144.*: good now focus on peoples mind positive and negative traits.