A member of the Shoura Council has proposed drawing up a blacklist of “bogus universities” to help people seeking genuine academic qualifications avoid being duped into investing time and money in worthless certificates while also exposing those intending to pass themselves off as bearers of valuable knowledge. “We know the value of real academic instruction and of preparing a generation to contribute in the development process of our country,” said Ahmad Saad Aal Mufrih, a member of the Shoura's Education Committee. “Acquiring these degrees is a form of theft.” A week ago another Shoura Council member, Khidr Al-Qurashi, described the “danger” of bogus institutions and certificates as “deadlier than swine flu”, and as enabling unqualified individuals to rise to “sensitive positions” in government. The Board of Senior Ulema has also forbidden their acquisition and Sheikh Abdul Aziz Aal Al-Sheikh, the Kingdom's Grand Mufti, along with other notable scholars, has issued fatwas in this regard. “The least we can do is to draw up a blacklist of bogus universities on the Ministry of Higher Education website,” Aal Mufrih continued, “and I'd like to see the media working with the ministry to expose the purveyors of fake degrees.” The Ministry of Higher Education has taken some measures to address the situation, ordering a comprehensive investigation and instructing the Ministry of Commerce to only approve degrees from universities recognized by the higher education ministry. Fifty-two establishments and purported educational bodies in the Kingdom offering distance courses have also been shut down by the ministry. According to Aal Mufrih, however, the essence of the problem is the lack of coordination between the ministry and the departments that employ people. “This has allowed many persons with fake degrees to find posts in both the public and private sector,” Aal Mufrih said. “We need to stick to Ministry of Higher Education criteria for job applicants and only accept those with genuine degrees and qualifications.” Sheikh Azib Bin Sa'eed Aal Musbil, Chairman of the Islamic, Judicial and Human Rights Affairs Committee at the Shoura Council, deems a blacklisting of individuals or institutions inappropriate, however. “It's a question for the relevant authorities to decide as they embody the principles and rules on higher education in the Kingdom,” Aal Musbil said. “Fake offices should, however, be banned, while graduates of universities not recognized by the Ministry of Higher Education should be handled according to university in question. Not all universities are fake, but a Muslim should seek the best and refrain from flouting the rules as much as possible.” Innocent victims are numerous, and Mohammed A. is but one example of someone who acquired a degree believing it to be internationally recognized, his certificate bearing the seals of several official bodies in the United States, only to find out he had been duped. “Fake academic authorities should be blacklisted and made an example of so that students don't continue to fall prey to them,” Mohammed said. “They exist not only here, but all around the world.” “Some people acquire more and more academic titles for reasons of prestige, and pay out large sums of money for doctorates for which they've made no effort whatsoever,” Mohammed added. In recent times several lecturers have been found to be among persons employed on the evidence of false academic qualifications, the most recent case being a female lecturer at Sajir Educational College who was given a one year suspended prison sentence and fined SR1,000 for holding a forged Master's degree in Home Economics.
