RIYADH – The Ministry of Education said it has found several fake TOEFL and IELTS certificates, which were submitted by Saudi scholarship students to get admission in foreign universities. The ministry's revelation came following reports that suspicious agents in Jordan were issuing such fake educational certificates, charging SR3,000 for each, Al-Watan daily reported. The fake certificates were used by Saudi scholarship students and government employees who wanted to join international universities and colleges for higher education. Jordanian agents were reportedly issuing not only English proficiency certificates but also Graduate Record Examination (GRE) and Project Management Professional (PMP) certification. The Jordanian agency received the certificate after appointing a professional to sit for exams on behalf of its clients. He obtains the grade required by the student or employee. Dr. Jasser Al-Harbash, deputy education minister for foreign scholarship affairs, said the ministry had discovered some fake TOEFL and IELTS certificates, which students purchased from agents in countries where they were sent for higher education. "We have noticed only a few cases of fake English proficiency certificates because it would not be easy for students to get away with such certificates," he told Al-Watan. He said the ministry would expose students who use such fake certificates. "We have already found out the use of some fake TOEFL and IELTS certificates." There are about 126,000 Saudi scholarship students pursuing higher studies in international universities and institutes and most of them study at state›s expense. "We have noticed only a few cases of students purchasing English proficiency certificates and we understand the reason behind it. Some Saudi educational attaches have established contacts with foreign universities to facilitate admission of Saudi students," he explained. Some attaches provide English orientation courses to students before sitting for TOEFL and IELTS exams. "The ministry is now in the process of approving a special English language program and we would like to publish a list of approved English language institutes in order for Saudi students to receive good training before sitting for IELTS and TOEFL exams," he said. He said the ministry would scrutinize certificates issued by examination centers. "We'll also monitor services of agencies that facilitate admission of students at foreign universities in order to prevent exploitation. Some of these offices make use of social networking sites to promote their services and we don't have any control over them," he added.
