Comments on: Fake thesis and pseud-PhDs - why no action by Mustapha and higher education ministry? http://blog.limkitsiang.com/2007/12/22/fake-thesis-and-pseud-phds-why-no-action-by-mustapha-and-higher-education-ministry/ for Malaysia Wed, 03 Dec 2008 08:36:08 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.5 By: buntal http://blog.limkitsiang.com/2007/12/22/fake-thesis-and-pseud-phds-why-no-action-by-mustapha-and-higher-education-ministry/#comment-68285 buntal Tue, 08 Jan 2008 07:44:06 +0000 http://blog.limkitsiang.com/2007/12/22/fake-thesis-and-pseud-phds-why-no-action-by-mustapha-and-higher-education-ministry/#comment-68285 A scenario that happens to those who get PhD locally once upon a time......I, from University X check your thesis from University Y. Long time ago, they wrote their thesis in BM and it's definitely impossible for international scholars to comprehend. Therefore, it is up to this guy from University Y to comment on what that guy from University X did. If he's his friend, surely the PhD title is confirmed his. Another funny but embarassing scenario is that a PhD with his or her thesis written in BM, had a difficulty to translate it in English when required by a layman. Couldn't even present his or her idea to ordinary people. The quality is very questionable. I know those out there trapped in these 2 situations will not admit. ;P A scenario that happens to those who get PhD locally once upon a time……I, from University X check your thesis from University Y. Long time ago, they wrote their thesis in BM and it’s definitely impossible for international scholars to comprehend. Therefore, it is up to this guy from University Y to comment on what that guy from University X did. If he’s his friend, surely the PhD title is confirmed his.

Another funny but embarassing scenario is that a PhD with his or her thesis written in BM, had a difficulty to translate it in English when required by a layman. Couldn’t even present his or her idea to ordinary people. The quality is very questionable. I know those out there trapped in these 2 situations will not admit. ;P

]]> By: buntal http://blog.limkitsiang.com/2007/12/22/fake-thesis-and-pseud-phds-why-no-action-by-mustapha-and-higher-education-ministry/#comment-68283 buntal Tue, 08 Jan 2008 07:30:35 +0000 http://blog.limkitsiang.com/2007/12/22/fake-thesis-and-pseud-phds-why-no-action-by-mustapha-and-higher-education-ministry/#comment-68283 I graduated from an Australian university but did my diploma in one of the oldest tertiary institutions in Malaysia. I can see the difference of how these 2 treat plagiarism. The former one, when a student does not do proper referencing using either Harvard or Oxford Referencing System, he or she would not get any mark for any single word written. On top of that, he or she will be considered plagiarising and this student may be dismissed from his or her course. On the other hand, this local tertiary of education of that we have here would not even mind where a source is obtained from. Who cares if an individual jotted down the whole content from any book and make it as his or her ideas? He or she will still get high mark for that assignment or thesis as long as it is submitted and something is written inside. No in-text references and no bibliography. Is that what we call quality??? It's a shame to call oneself a Masters or PhD holder if this really happens. They can lie to people but not to themselves and God. I graduated from an Australian university but did my diploma in one of the oldest tertiary institutions in Malaysia. I can see the difference of how these 2 treat plagiarism. The former one, when a student does not do proper referencing using either Harvard or Oxford Referencing System, he or she would not get any mark for any single word written. On top of that, he or she will be considered plagiarising and this student may be dismissed from his or her course.

On the other hand, this local tertiary of education of that we have here would not even mind where a source is obtained from. Who cares if an individual jotted down the whole content from any book and make it as his or her ideas? He or she will still get high mark for that assignment or thesis as long as it is submitted and something is written inside. No in-text references and no bibliography. Is that what we call quality??? It’s a shame to call oneself a Masters or PhD holder if this really happens. They can lie to people but not to themselves and God.

]]> By: mayfoo02 http://blog.limkitsiang.com/2007/12/22/fake-thesis-and-pseud-phds-why-no-action-by-mustapha-and-higher-education-ministry/#comment-67565 mayfoo02 Sat, 05 Jan 2008 05:49:20 +0000 http://blog.limkitsiang.com/2007/12/22/fake-thesis-and-pseud-phds-why-no-action-by-mustapha-and-higher-education-ministry/#comment-67565 Plagiarism, academic fraud and malpractices have been prevalent in our local universities for a long time. It is just that they have never been reported because they are considered as non-issues. If there is anyone who knows of such incidences and feel uncomfortable about it, there would be grumbles but would be very quickly forgotten. Very few people in education at all levels ( not only in universities ) actually talk about plagiarism seriously, much less look at it as an ethical issue.However, taking the Minister of Higher Education and his Deputy to task for this malady in our local universities would not address the root of the problem though one can argue that at least someone needs to do something and that someone should be the Minister himself. Instead, it would be wise for us to look at the wider implications of this problem. Doesn't this imply one very important and glaring flaw in our university students, i.e they lack the linguistic, study and research skills that are so necessary in preparing and writing their theses? Hence, the scurry for help at whatever cost. If this is the case, then should the universities be held solely responsible for the paucity of these students? Yes, definitely, at least to the extent where they have failed to impress upon the students that plagiarism, academic fraud and malpractices are issues that they take seriously and anyone who is caught committing any one of these offences does not deserve a place there.But, what about the early education providers, i.e the primary and secondary schools? Shouldn't they be held accountable for what is happening as well? All too often, when a problem occurs in institutions of tertiary education all fingers would point to them as the culprit. Very few people actually realise that the root of the problem starts in the schools where these students had their primary and secondary education. These schools are entrusted with a very heavy responsibility of providing a positive learning environment for children to develop their potential thus also preparing them for tertiary education if and when the opportunity arises. However, the question is, are our schools actually doing this or are they caught in the delusion that they are but they are really not. Let's look at some examples of the current practices in our schools. 1) Most teachers in primary schools especially those in the urban areas adopt a "copy the answers into your exercise books" approach, either from their boards or their textbooks. Ask any Year 6 child especially those from the Chinese primary schools how many "karangans" and essays they have to copy into their exercise books in a year and you'll be shocked. Of course all this is done with the misguided belief that practice makes perfect. True it does, but not this kind of mindless practice! And wouldn't encouraging this amount to inculcating the belief that copying aka plagiarism as acceptable culture? 2) Another rampant practice in secondary schools is to provide samples of coursework done by students from previous years to their current batch of students all in the name of helping them. However, most teachers ( though not all ) allow their students to borrow from the archives of students' work which they keep, thus allowing them to copy with very minimal changes. Again many teachers, rightly or wrongly, just browse through the work handed in and give a mark ( usually a high one unless it's an extreme case) without checking to see if the work is copied. All these with the self justified reason of "why make it so difficult for them when other schools are also helping their students out with the marks?" After all, it doesn't matter whether they have breached an ethical principle as long as they have helped their students get an "A" and their schools chalk up a high percentage of passes and distinctions. It's the reputation that's more important than understanding the ethics underlying the action. Again, wouldn't this be setting the precedence for a society to view such practices as acceptable culture? There are are many more malpractices that pervade in our schools that could fill a whole book. Suffice to say that the rot in our education system is not confined to our institutions of tertiary education. It started in the schools, is allowed to proliferate and now it is manifested in the form of our skill-impoverished local undergraduates. So, Mr. Lim Sir, besides the alternative budget Tony Pua presented on behalf of your party, why not think about an alternative education blueprint drawn up from the input of sincere,capable apolitical educators? That might help in the long run towards the development of human capital in our country.Cheers Plagiarism, academic fraud and malpractices have been prevalent in our local universities for a long time. It is just that they have never been reported because they are considered as non-issues. If there is anyone who knows of such incidences and feel uncomfortable about it, there would be grumbles but would be very quickly forgotten. Very few people in education at all levels ( not only in universities ) actually talk about plagiarism seriously, much less look at it as an ethical issue.However, taking the Minister of Higher Education and his Deputy to task for this malady in our local universities would not address the root of the problem though one can argue that at least someone needs to do something and that someone should be the Minister himself. Instead, it would be wise for us to look at the wider implications of this problem. Doesn’t this imply one very important and glaring flaw in our university students, i.e they lack the linguistic, study and research skills that are so necessary in preparing and writing their theses? Hence, the scurry for help at whatever cost. If this is the case, then should the universities be held solely responsible for the paucity of these students? Yes, definitely, at least to the extent where they have failed to impress upon the students that plagiarism, academic fraud and malpractices are issues that they take seriously and anyone who is caught committing any one of these offences does not deserve a place there.But, what about the early education providers, i.e the primary and secondary schools? Shouldn’t they be held accountable for what is happening as well? All too often, when a problem occurs in institutions of tertiary education all fingers would point to them as the culprit. Very few people actually realise that the root of the problem starts in the schools where these students had their primary and secondary education. These schools are entrusted with a very heavy responsibility of providing a positive learning environment for children to develop their potential thus also preparing them for tertiary education if and when the opportunity arises. However, the question is, are our schools actually doing this or are they caught in the delusion that they are but they are really not. Let’s look at some examples of the current practices in our schools.
1) Most teachers in primary schools especially those in the urban areas adopt a “copy the answers into your exercise books” approach, either from their boards or their textbooks. Ask any Year 6 child especially those from the Chinese primary schools how many “karangans” and essays they have to copy into their exercise books in a year and you’ll be shocked. Of course all this is done with the misguided belief that practice makes perfect. True it does, but not this kind of mindless practice! And wouldn’t encouraging this amount to inculcating the belief that copying aka plagiarism as acceptable culture?
2) Another rampant practice in secondary schools is to provide samples of coursework done by students from previous years to their current batch of students all in the name of helping them. However, most teachers ( though not all ) allow their students to borrow from the archives of students’ work which they keep, thus allowing them to copy with very minimal changes. Again many teachers, rightly or wrongly, just browse through the work handed in and give a mark ( usually a high one unless it’s an extreme case) without checking to see if the work is copied. All these with the self justified reason of “why make it so difficult for them when other schools are also helping their students out with the marks?” After all, it doesn’t matter whether they have breached an ethical principle as long as they have helped their students get an “A” and their schools chalk up a high percentage of passes and distinctions. It’s the reputation that’s more important than understanding the ethics underlying the action. Again, wouldn’t this be setting the precedence for a society to view such practices as acceptable culture? There are are many more malpractices that pervade in our schools that could fill a whole book. Suffice to say that the rot in our education system is not confined to our institutions of tertiary education. It started in the schools, is allowed to proliferate and now it is manifested in the form of our skill-impoverished local
undergraduates. So, Mr. Lim Sir, besides the alternative budget Tony Pua presented on behalf of your party, why not think about an alternative education blueprint drawn up from the input of sincere,capable apolitical educators? That might help in the long run towards the development of human capital in our country.Cheers

]]> By: ktteokt http://blog.limkitsiang.com/2007/12/22/fake-thesis-and-pseud-phds-why-no-action-by-mustapha-and-higher-education-ministry/#comment-65943 ktteokt Thu, 27 Dec 2007 02:12:43 +0000 http://blog.limkitsiang.com/2007/12/22/fake-thesis-and-pseud-phds-why-no-action-by-mustapha-and-higher-education-ministry/#comment-65943 If Chua Soi Lek can represent someone in offering an apology, I don't see why one graduate cannot represent another in writing theses! Just another instance of MALAYSIA BOLEH! If Chua Soi Lek can represent someone in offering an apology, I don’t see why one graduate cannot represent another in writing theses! Just another instance of MALAYSIA BOLEH!

]]> By: Jonny http://blog.limkitsiang.com/2007/12/22/fake-thesis-and-pseud-phds-why-no-action-by-mustapha-and-higher-education-ministry/#comment-65525 Jonny Tue, 25 Dec 2007 05:50:34 +0000 http://blog.limkitsiang.com/2007/12/22/fake-thesis-and-pseud-phds-why-no-action-by-mustapha-and-higher-education-ministry/#comment-65525 Everything can be bought here in Malaysia. Even the life of a Mongolian. Everything can be bought here in Malaysia. Even the life of a Mongolian.

]]> By: ktteokt http://blog.limkitsiang.com/2007/12/22/fake-thesis-and-pseud-phds-why-no-action-by-mustapha-and-higher-education-ministry/#comment-65497 ktteokt Tue, 25 Dec 2007 03:34:06 +0000 http://blog.limkitsiang.com/2007/12/22/fake-thesis-and-pseud-phds-why-no-action-by-mustapha-and-higher-education-ministry/#comment-65497 Just another case of "MALAYSIA BOLEH!" Just another case of “MALAYSIA BOLEH!”

]]> By: helpless http://blog.limkitsiang.com/2007/12/22/fake-thesis-and-pseud-phds-why-no-action-by-mustapha-and-higher-education-ministry/#comment-65366 helpless Mon, 24 Dec 2007 09:35:04 +0000 http://blog.limkitsiang.com/2007/12/22/fake-thesis-and-pseud-phds-why-no-action-by-mustapha-and-higher-education-ministry/#comment-65366 The reply is very simple. Question : Why you hesitate to take action? Mustafa : This is my direct selling product. I sell PhD too.......? The reply is very simple.

Question : Why you hesitate to take action?
Mustafa : This is my direct selling product. I sell PhD too…….?

]]> By: ahoo http://blog.limkitsiang.com/2007/12/22/fake-thesis-and-pseud-phds-why-no-action-by-mustapha-and-higher-education-ministry/#comment-65338 ahoo Mon, 24 Dec 2007 07:37:08 +0000 http://blog.limkitsiang.com/2007/12/22/fake-thesis-and-pseud-phds-why-no-action-by-mustapha-and-higher-education-ministry/#comment-65338 What can we expect our Universities to produce when the education systems was turn upside down in the 70s' ? Those who were around that period can fully understand and appreciate the good old days of GCE ! With the change in policy and the fervent pursuit of NEP agenda, we have what we witness today. What you sow, you shall reap ! We must only vote in people with integrity and honesty. Who are willing to serve the people and at the same time have fear of God in their hearts - no matter what religion they profess, then only will there be a solution for Malaysia. Am I dreaming or thinking of heaven on earth ? The problems are not limited to the govt. Universities but I think there are many fake PhDs lecturing in local private colleges as well as with the title the pay is obviously going to be higher. Maybe someone can start to gather facts and figures on " bogus degrees " from diploma mills out there and post it to shame them for short-cutting the honorable educational system. The day when our bn ministers can proudly enrol their sons and daughters in the local schools will be the day we know that the rots have been taken care off ! Good day to all and may the coming election be a day where we can be proud to call ourselves Malaysian again to have played our rightful role as a voter. Vote wisely and No to excesses. What can we expect our Universities to produce when the education systems was turn upside down in the 70s’ ? Those who were around that period can fully understand and appreciate the good old days of GCE !

With the change in policy and the fervent pursuit of NEP agenda, we have what we witness today. What you sow, you shall reap !

We must only vote in people with integrity and honesty. Who are willing to serve the people and at the same time have fear of God in their hearts - no matter what religion they profess, then only will there be a solution for Malaysia. Am I dreaming or thinking of heaven on earth ?

The problems are not limited to the govt. Universities but I think there are many fake PhDs lecturing in local private colleges as well as with the title the pay is obviously going to be higher. Maybe someone can start to gather facts and figures on ” bogus degrees ” from diploma mills out there and post it to shame them for short-cutting the honorable educational system.

The day when our bn ministers can proudly enrol their sons and daughters in the local schools will be the day we know that the rots have been taken care off !

Good day to all and may the coming election be a day where we can be proud to call ourselves Malaysian again to have played our rightful role as a voter. Vote wisely and No to excesses.

]]> By: Jimm http://blog.limkitsiang.com/2007/12/22/fake-thesis-and-pseud-phds-why-no-action-by-mustapha-and-higher-education-ministry/#comment-65234 Jimm Mon, 24 Dec 2007 02:09:27 +0000 http://blog.limkitsiang.com/2007/12/22/fake-thesis-and-pseud-phds-why-no-action-by-mustapha-and-higher-education-ministry/#comment-65234 Education is the next biggest commercial to Malaysian. We just keep paying to get result where it matters most. At the end of everything, our children just spend their time on drugs to get over their life meaning as they are only living in their parents' world. Education is the next biggest commercial to Malaysian.
We just keep paying to get result where it matters most.
At the end of everything, our children just spend their time on drugs to get over their life meaning as they are only living in their parents’ world.

]]>