Professors and new graduates at LMII. (Photo source: skopini,blogspot)
Indonesia, GIVnews.com – Indonesian authorities are tracking down higher learning institutes which have awarded fake academic titles and diplomas and which do not have operational licenses.
Their move started last week with Research, Technology and Higher Learning Education Minister M. Nasir making impromptu inspection of two higher learning institutes namely STIE Adhy Niaga, an economic sciences higher learning institute (STIE) that is located in Bekasi, East of Jakarta; and Lembaga Manajemen Internasional Indonesia (LMII), or Indonesia International Management Institute, in Central Jakarta. It was said to be a branch of the University of Berkley, Michigan in the United States.
STIE Adhy Niaga has turned out a number of baccalaureate (S-1) graduates, many of whom had not fully completed required credits. Some had even obtained their S-1 degrees after one semester only, Minister Nasir told reporters during his visit to STIE Adhy Niaga last Thursday (21/5), Tempo.co reported.
Meanwhile, at the Yarnati building in Central Jakarta’s Menteng area last Thursday, Nasir and his entourage found a 6m x 4 m room, which was said to be the office of LMII. They found only a man in the room who claimed to be its administrative staff. There were two tables and a few chairs in the room. On its walls, there were pictures of people in graduation dresses including professors and foreigners. According to Minister Nasir, they could be “actors” paid to pose for the photos.
LMII had turned out 147 graduates, mostly with doctorate degrees. But their names were not found at the database of Nasir’s office namely the Research, Technology and Higher Learning Education. Among the 147 people were managers at business companies, police officers and university rectors of two higher learning institutes in Kupang, the provincial capital of East Nusa Tenggara.
But, LMII rector Prof. DR Liartha S Kembaren told Detik.com on Sunday (24/5) that its students were mostly staffs of embassies who did not question whatsoever the status of LMII. He did not identify the embassies, however. He said that Berkley University had cooperated with LMII since 10 years ago to carry out the former’s education programs in Indonesia. Its teaching and learning activities were carried out through the Internet, Liartha said.
Nasir said last week that STIE Adhy Niaga and LMII were among the 18 higher learning institutes which had been identified as illegal. He said his office would take legal action against them. National Police Chief Gen. Badrodin Haiti said last Friday that so far they had not received any official reports from Minister Nasir’s office and other related agencies about the illegal institutes. He said the institutes, their leaders and graduates could be given administrative sanctions and punishments as criminals.
Illegal higher learning institutes in Indonesia are believed to be quite many. Their number should be much bigger than 18. Observers say that such institutes had been in operation in Indonesia since dozens of years ago, selling diploma certificates. The Indonesian authorities were aware of this fact but no systematic action had been taken against it. In the past years, authorities only sporadically identified and arrested illegal diploma holders.
Education analyst Tongam Sinambela mentioned two main factors behind the widespread business of selling academic titles in Indonesia. Firstly, most Indonesians think that holding such academic titles would provide them with special prestige and privileges in their societal life; and secondly, higher learning institutes face a continuous decline in the number of students from year to year, which forces them to ‘trade’ academic titles in order to survive financially.