Biz Unusual

Behind the fancy foreign diplomas

By He Na, Hu Yongqi and Peng Yining in Beijing (China Daily)
Updated: 2010-07-15 13:59

Intense competition

Statistics from the Ministry of Education show 229,300 Chinese studied abroad last year, an increase of 49,500 on 2008.

Facing a bleak labor market, more graduates believe a foreign education background will help them land their dream job, like Wang Xuebing, 22, who graduated from Huaqiao University in Fujian province.

"I'm sure that with a foreign diploma I could be more competitive than my domestic peers," he said. "Besides, graduate study in Britain lasts less than a year sometimes, while ones at domestic universities last two.

"I don't want to waste my precious youth on (getting a diploma)," he added.

However, Wen Yueran, a professor at Renmin University of China's school of labor and human resources, warned that diplomas do not necessarily equal ability.

"Diplomas are just labels that suggest what you are capable of the job," he explained. "If Tang really fabricated his education background, he should admit it and apologize to the public. He doesn't need a certificate to prove his ability as he has already succeeded in business."

People are fastidious about certificates and background but do not have the patience to allow others to prove themselves, said Wen, adding: "People gamble with their reputation as they know in most cases they will win with little cost".

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"The diploma mill is a win-win business, except for the people who save money and really want to learn something abroad," Sang said.

Liu Xuewu, a teacher at a vocational institute in Guangdong province, spent a large amount of money and two years of his life to get an MBA from a university in Macao six years ago. To his surprise, when he applied to become a professor last year, the evaluation board said his diploma is not acknowledged by China's Ministry of Education

"I never thought it was a diploma mill. I had no choice but to apply for a domestic graduate degree," Liu said.

Since the 2000 crackdown on diploma mills, Sang said he has not heard about any new plans to tackle the problem in Beijing.

He suggested students check the reliability of academic credentials by sending copies to the authentication center of the Ministry of Education, which also has a list of verified universities on its website.

"It doesn't include all the qualified schools but at least it gives people a reliable choice," Sang said.