Why selling degrees still thrives in Indonesia<\/p>\n
By Nirwan Idrus<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): A few weeks ago a flattering facsimile came,
\nciting my experience, qualifications and positions and said that
\nI deserve a Doctor Honoris Causa from the sender's institution
\nwhich I did not recognize. It also said that a decision on
\nacceptance had to be made immediately as graduation would occur
\nwithin a couple of days of the fax arrival. Oh, yes, also please
\ndon't forget to send Rp 1 million if you wish to accept the
\noffer.<\/p>\n
Although most people do not use the title of their honoris
\ncausa, in Indonesia many do. By its name, such a "degree" is only
\nan honor to the recipient, perhaps because of his or her position
\neither in government, or in society or for some community
\nservice.<\/p>\n
Anyway, perhaps because I had already earned a PhD from a
\nreputable international university, the invitation found its way
\nto the wastepaper basket. But it would be understandable if some
\npeople did consider sending Rp 1 million in the next couple of
\ndays to be awarded the Doctor Honoris Causa.<\/p>\n
But there are of course "degree factories" out there which
\nchurn out their products to get maximum profits. And why not, if
\nthe demand is there anyway. This indeed is the crux of the
\nmatter. As long as there is demand, there shall be supply, such
\nis the natural law of the market.<\/p>\n
Such a situation is normally exacerbated by debilitating
\neconomic conditions and unrealistic competitions for jobs and
\npositions. In such a case therefore, those at the bottom rung of
\nthe qualifications ladder will always lose out in their pursuit
\nfor better jobs and better positions.<\/p>\n
It is also not unrealistic to suggest that one of the reasons
\nwhy those at the bottom of the qualifications ladder are there,
\nis because of their lack of academic ability or at least a
\nperception of such.<\/p>\n
The size of the population, the limited number of "good" jobs
\nand the need to have good jobs for survival have resulted in an
\nunrealistic level of competition, that further erodes the self-
\nconfidence of those who resort to buying their degrees.<\/p>\n
Hence we have taxi drivers with a university degree, we see a
\nhotel porter with a university degree, we have receptionists with
\ndegrees and so on.<\/p>\n
Of course it is very difficult to eliminate extrinsic
\ninfluences; influences that we cannot control or modify.<\/p>\n
* It is not your fault that the country has such a large
\npopulation.<\/p>\n
* It is not your fault if your parents could not send you to
\nthe best kindergarten, the best primary and secondary schools.<\/p>\n
* It is not your fault if you can't get into a prestigious
\nuniversity because your parents can't gather enough money to
\nbribe the right university officials.<\/p>\n
So what do you think when you find out that the so called
\nprestigious university you aspired to be your alma mater is ill-
\nequipped, and the full-time lecturers nowhere to be found on a
\nworking day because they are busy doing unrelated consulting jobs
\noff campus, lining their pockets at the expense of the students?
\nOne can easily understand why you might be thinking: Why not just
\nbuy a degree?<\/p>\n
However, not all reasons are uncontrollable. It is no secret
\nthat we in Indonesia are over regulated. There are too many PPs
\n(Peraturan Pemerintah; government regulation), SKs (Surat
\nKeputusan; decision paper) and Kepres (Keputusan Presiden;
\npresidential decree) on things which are really not even
\ncontrollable.<\/p>\n
Three years after reformasi and a new democratically elected
\ngovernment, the government still insists on controlling private
\ninstitutions, through rules which simply do not make sense or
\nthat treat its citizens as if they were mentally impaired.<\/p>\n
In The Jakarta Post of June 7 ("More private universities
\nprepare doctorate programs") it was reported that government
\nrules require private universities which desire to offer a PhD
\n(S3) program comply with a number requirements, including a
\nstipulated number of full-time scholars in the particular area of
\nresearch.<\/p>\n
One wonders whether the named Ministry of National Education
\nofficers understand what an S3 or claimed PhD equivalent degree
\nis. The success or failure of a research degree candidate depends
\non the candidate rather than a battery of professors whose full-
\ntime status is suspect anyway.<\/p>\n
It is time for the ministry and the government to treat people
\nas adults. In general, people are not as silly and stupid as the
\nbureaucrats think them to be. Why not adopt a hands-off policy
\nand let the private institutions and the people to do what they
\nhave to do.<\/p>\n
The fact that the business of selling degrees is still
\nthriving in Indonesia is not because private institutions and
\ncitizens have nothing else to do.<\/p>\n
One logical and more plausible reason is that the system, in
\nthis case the public service system, is providing a condition
\nthat encourages this malpractice.<\/p>\n
If the system had kept up with the times and measured
\nperformance rather than the number of "certificates" a public
\nservant collected in order to get promoted -- the so called kum
\nsystem -- we would have one less problem.<\/p>\n
If Indonesia is serious about being democratic, about adopting
\na free-market stance and about being prepared for the free-trade
\nera, then it must seriously look into changing its governance
\nrole from control to provision of conducive environments.<\/p>\n
It must let its citizens decide for themselves what action
\nthey wish to take and then take the responsibility for it. Caveat
\nEmptor -- let the buyer beware -- should be the only declaration
\nthat the government makes to help its citizens protect themselves
\nfrom the ravages of unscrupulous operators, including those who
\nsell degrees.<\/p>\n
The writer is executive director of IPMI Graduate School of
\nBusiness in Jakarta.<\/p>",
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