The buying and selling of "accelerated education" is chaotic, and many consumers have been "pitted"

Recently, some overseas students and relevant members of the public have reported to the Service Center for Overseas Study of the Ministry of Education that some intermediaries have involved a large number of false remarks related to the center and the certification of foreign academic qualifications and degrees in the online publicity of various "study abroad" programs.

In this regard, the center recently issued a solemn statement: the center does not have a cooperative relationship with any intermediaries. Any advertisement claiming to be "package certified" or "in-house channel certified" is false. The advertisements such as "guaranteed admission" and "guaranteed graduation" claimed by individual intermediaries do not conform to the relevant requirements of foreign formal colleges and universities such as admission and graduation, and are suspected of fraud or misleading.

Why do some students trust these intermediaries? How to deal with the chaos of intermediaries buying and selling academic qualifications? To this end, the reporter conducted an investigative interview.

□ reporter Wen Lijuan

□ Zhang Wanying, a trainee reporter of this newspaper

"With a down payment of 30,000 yuan, you can become a celebrity alumnus, no attendance in class, and the teaching teacher will help you complete your homework and thesis to ensure that you can graduate smoothly, and complete your master's and doctor's degree in 3 years at the earliest" "Help you complete the United States master's course in 3 months and obtain a degree certificate widely recognized by the enterprise" "As long as tens of thousands of yuan, you can go ashore to study for a doctorate at ×× University"......

Recently, the reporter of "Rule of Law Daily" saw a lot of "experience posts" of "accelerated education" on some social platforms, and some people described how they successfully obtained a master's or doctoral degree. This kind of post that seems to share their successful entrance examination is actually the enrollment method of some intermediaries - they take advantage of the characteristics of some overseas colleges and universities that are "easy to admit, good to graduate", "short study period" and "low price", and have opened up a new path of study abroad that seems to be "very cost-effective", from helping to "operate" applications, writing student assignments and papers, to improving the background when students return to China to find a job, and providing a complete "one-stop" service.

The interviewed experts believe that aiming at the pursuit of high education by some audiences, some education and training institutions have launched "accelerated education" paid service projects, when academic qualifications become the business of intermediaries, related chaos follows, and in practice there may be multiple problems such as false publicity, contract breach, and academic fraud. To deal with the chaos related to it, it is necessary to start from the awarding of academic qualifications, certification, market supervision and other aspects to avoid consumers being "blinded" by mixed intermediaries.

Intermediaries boast about Haikou

said that after paying the money, he would definitely get the certificate

"My academic performance in high school was not very good, and it has always been a regret that I didn't get into a good university, and I am usually ashamed to talk to others about my college graduate school." Ms. Yue, from Hubei, said that this has become a problem for her. So at the beginning of this year, when she happened to swipe a post from an intermediary promoting "online graduate school", she decided to apply for the exam without much hesitation.

"At that time, according to my situation, the institution recommended two paths, one is to study abroad, and the other is to study in graduate school online." Ms. Yue said that considering that online graduate school students do not need to go abroad, and the cost is lower, she spent more than 60,000 yuan to register. The school is an overseas university, with a total of one and a half semester hours, including 10 courses and 30 credits, all of which are taught online, and you can obtain a master's degree by submitting assignments and theses on time. "The institution promises that there will be teachers to help complete the homework, and after graduation, they can help to do the WES (World Education Service) certification, which can be recognized by domestic enterprises."

The reporter interviewed and found that there are not a few people like Ms. Yue who hope to spend money to buy academic qualifications. Many respondents believe that in the current job market, academic qualifications are often regarded as a direct reflection of the ability of job seekers, and some employers will clearly require applicants to have a certain academic background when recruiting, which prompts some people to have an urgent need to improve their academic qualifications.

Judging from the survey, because the threshold for obtaining some overseas academic qualifications is relatively low and fast, and they also have a certain degree of recognition in the society, many people are willing to spend tens of thousands of yuan or even hundreds of thousands of yuan on "tuition" to improve their academic qualifications. A number of intermediaries have taken the opportunity to launch "academic qualifications" and "academic qualifications" services.

The reporter searched on social platforms and found that many intermediaries advertised the "academic expedited service" in the form of sharing experience. And as long as you click on a post with related content, the platform will continue to push similar content, such as "2-year undergraduate, the tuition fee for the whole course is 2180 yuan, no need to go to school to get a degree", "3 days can get an online master's degree", etc. Many institutions boast of Haikou when they advertise, and there are not a few "tempting" promises that Ms. Yue's "one and a half years of online graduate study and certification" are more "attractive", from registration, exams, writing papers to graduation and job hunting, "all-inclusive services", as if students don't have to do anything, and everything will be fine after paying the money.

"As long as you sign up and pay the fee, have a pre-academic qualification, and can understand basic English sentences, we can guarantee that we can successfully apply to United Kingdom×× university and graduate successfully." When the reporter consulted an intermediary agency in Shanghai on the grounds of improving his academic qualifications, the other party replied, "You can graduate with a master's degree in 1 year, and you can study for a master's degree and a doctorate in 3 years at the earliest." ”

When the reporter mentioned that his academic performance was poor and he was worried that he would not be able to pass the paper, the staff of the institution promised, "You can spend an extra 20,000 yuan to apply for the VIP class, there is no attendance, and there are teachers to help you complete your homework and papers throughout the process to ensure that you can graduate."

When communicating with an education technology company in Beijing, the reporter said "think about it again" after consultation, and the other party immediately replied: "Don't hesitate anymore, our institution can ensure that you can get a degree from a first-class overseas university online, and there is absolutely no problem with graduation." Tens of thousands of students have graduated from our institution, and many of them have achieved promotions and salary increases because of the overseas qualifications provided by our institution, and they have also given us pennants. ”

In a number of academic qualification improvement institutions interviewed by the reporter, the other party said that it could do WES diploma certification and interconnect with the academic information network. The reporter consulted the HR (human resources) of several companies on this kind of certification, and they unanimously said, "Only the certification of the Service Center for Scholarly Study of the Ministry of Education is recognized, and we cannot confirm the authenticity of other methods."

In addition to selling overseas "accelerated education", some intermediaries also include the domestic education market.

Some institutions claimed, "As long as the money is in place, there is no need to attend classes, and the exam will be charged in advance, and 85% of the questions can be charged", "Even if you do not have a secondary school graduation certificate, you can also upgrade your secondary school degree to 985, 211, and 'double first-class' part-time colleges and universities through our institution."

Mr. Chen, from Zhengzhou, Henan Province, had purchased related services from an institution. He has a college degree and works in a vocational qualification examination training institution. In order to open up the promotion channel, he plans to take the vocational qualification certificate, but the application requirements for this certificate are a bachelor's degree or above. After seeing an advertisement for an institution's "Academic Qualifications", he spent 3,000 yuan to buy a "package for upgrading the capital".

"They said that they could help with the lessons, and the teacher would give them the information on the questions, and they could basically pass by looking at them, but in fact they didn't use it, and the questions in the final exam had never been seen." Mr. Chen complained.

The academic qualifications are not recognized when the job search is in hand

The intermediary is suspected of fraud

In addition to employment opportunities, some people also buy academic qualifications to improve their social status and gain more social identity.

Mr. Liu from Cangzhou, Hebei Province, spent 170,000 yuan to apply for a one-year overseas master's degree, "I am a teacher in an English training institution, in our industry, the requirements for teachers' academic qualifications are generally relatively high, but I am usually busy with work, so I hope that I can obtain a better academic degree as soon as possible to pave the way for future career development."

But can buying academic qualifications through intermediaries really get what people want?

Mr. Liu bluntly said that the academic qualifications he obtained at a high price could not be certified by the Service Center for Scholarly Study of the Ministry of Education, and in the process of changing jobs, he found that many domestic enterprises and units did not recognize this academic qualification.

The reporter searched on a third-party complaint platform with "education" as the keyword and found that up to now, there have been more than 40,000 related complaints, most of which are "false publicity" and "refusal to refund". Among the complaints involving the keyword "overseas academic qualifications", the main disputes include: the education and training institution packaging non-academic education as academic education, the students cannot pass the recognition of the China Service Center for Scholarly Studies, there is misleading and fraudulent behavior in the sale, and the institution refuses to refund the money.

A consumer reported that he was "trapped" by an intermediary: he signed a service agreement with the intermediary, and it was written in the agreement that "Party A ensures that when the student enrolls, the institution to which he applies can be checked on the foreign-related supervision network or the China Study Abroad Network." Whether you apply for a Sino-foreign joint on-the-job MBA (master's degree in business administration) or an international independent on-the-job MBA, you can obtain a foreign master's degree certificate after graduation, and the validity of the certificate after certification by the China Service Center for Scholarly Study is equivalent to that of a domestic postgraduate degree." However, he could not find the school he studied on the foreign-related supervision network, and his academic qualifications could not be certified on the China Study Abroad Network. The "apostille" mentioned by the other party is not recognized when applying for a job.

Ge Youshan, director of the Consumer Rights Protection Committee of the Beijing Lawyers Association, pointed out that according to the provisions of the Civil Code, the above-mentioned behavior of intermediaries may constitute fraud, and if the trainees prove that the agency deliberately concealed or falsely advertised, causing them to mistakenly believe that the certificates obtained can be universally recognized and suffer losses, they can request to revoke the contract through civil channels, return the money paid, and request compensation for losses. "When an institution only provides a degree certificate but does not have a diploma, and the certificate is not universally recognized, the student shall promptly request the withdrawal of the contract and the recovery of the tuition fees paid. Students can also claim damages if the organization's claims are misleading and the unaccredited degree affects the student's career plan and financial interests. ”

Contrary to the basic purpose of education

The contract may be held to be invalid

As for the contracts that some institutions claim to help students "complete their studies on their behalf", Ge Youshan believes that this is contrary to the basic purpose of education and the public interest, and such contracts are likely to be found invalid. According to the Measures for the Management of Employees of Off-campus Training Institutions (for Trial Implementation) issued by the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, off-campus training practitioners must not publish or forward erroneous views or fabricate and disseminate false information through various channels. If the academic qualification promotion institution does not complete the study according to the normal attendance, but enjoys the service of completing assignments and papers on behalf of the student by paying the fee, the behavior of the education practitioner and the student may constitute fraud and harm the public interest.

"We should be cautious and rational about the commitment made by the training institution to 'guarantee the successful graduation of a master's degree in one year and the successful graduation of a doctoral degree in two to three years'. Fast-track graduation pathways such as 'accelerated qualifications' often mean that students may not have enough time to delve into and understand complex academic issues, resulting in students' lack of professional knowledge and skills, affecting their academic abilities and future career development. At the same time, such a commitment may expose training institutions to a variety of legal risks, including breach of contract and suspected unfair competition, Ge Youshan said. In the event that such a commitment is not fulfilled, the consumer may demand compensation from the training provider in accordance with the relevant laws.

According to Wang Yegang, a professor at the Central University of Finance and Economics, there are many factors that affect students' graduation from the perspective of the process and conditions for obtaining a degree, such as whether students can complete the school's training program and whether they can complete their graduation thesis. Postgraduate education requires students to actually participate in the course of study, cultivate students' academic literacy and cultural skills, if simply use money to pay instead of the learning process, not only violates the laws of education, but also violates the principle of good faith and public order and good customs, "this commitment is untenable at the legal level".

"If the training institution makes these promises to the trainees only for the purpose of recruiting students, inducing students to sign up, and seeking benefits, but in fact has no ability to fulfill the promises, it may constitute fraud and false publicity, and should be investigated for legal responsibility in accordance with the law." Wang Yegang said.

Strict academic certification review

Improve the degree awarding system

Since September 2021, the Service Center for Scholarly Study of the Ministry of Education has successively issued five batches of review announcements involving 32 foreign universities or their academic education programs. The Academic Degrees Law, which will come into force in January 2025, clearly requires that "the recognition of degree certificates issued by overseas educational institutions shall be handled in strict accordance with the relevant provisions of the state".

The interviewed experts pointed out that the chaos of buying and selling "accelerated academic qualifications" disrupts the order of education, undermines educational fairness, and damages the credibility of official certification bodies, and it is urgent to strengthen governance.

Wang Yegang believes that it is first necessary to improve the degree awarding system. When awarding degrees, we will intensify the review and strictly verify the authenticity and validity of students' degree application materials. Once falsification of application materials and other phenomena is discovered, it shall be dealt with seriously. In the process of conferring degrees, the education department should grasp the last hurdle to ensure the legitimacy of degrees and academic certificates.

"Second, we must improve laws and regulations and strictly enforce the law. In response to fraud and false publicity by training institutions, the legal responsibility of training institutions shall be further refined within the existing system of laws and regulations, so as to increase the cost of the perpetrator's violation of the law and preserve the credibility of the education system. At the same time, it is also necessary to encourage the public to have the courage to report illegal training institutions, so as to crack down in a timely manner, force them to be unable to gain a foothold in the market, and safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of consumers. Wang Yegang said.

"To check from the source, the official certification body continues to increase the intensity of certification review, combined with a number of auxiliary materials to judge. At the same time, a channel will be set up so that when an employer has any questions about a certain academic qualification, the education department shall actively cooperate with the review and appraisal and smooth the feedback channel. Ge Youshan said that it is also necessary to strengthen the quality control of certified institutions, strictly grasp the quality of mutual recognition institutions, and update the list of colleges and universities in a timely manner. Strict implementation of the approval process to ensure that the training provider meets the qualification requirements, so as to prevent the emergence of unqualified institutions. Different types of training institutions should apply to the corresponding government departments for approval, and classified management is conducive to accurate supervision.

"In the supervision of training institutions, the forces of education, market supervision, civil affairs and other departments can be mobilized to form a synergistic effect. For example, the market supervision department has stepped up law enforcement efforts in areas such as false propaganda and over-scope operations; The education sector has strengthened the review of education quality and teacher qualifications to ensure the healthy development of the academic training market more comprehensively. Ge Youshan said.

Ge Youshan suggested that regulators should strengthen the supervision and management of training institutions by establishing and improving laws and regulations, strengthening approval and daily supervision, improving information disclosure and complaint channels, so as to ensure the quality of teaching and safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of students and parents. Punishment of institutions that have committed fraud or fraud may be ordered by the competent department or other relevant administrative departments to make corrections, and warnings, confiscation of unlawful gains, and fines may be imposed on individual or concurrently based on the circumstances. where the circumstances are serious, order a suspension of business for rectification or revoke business licenses. A student who obtains a degree in violation of the regulations may have his or her degree revoked.