Academic titles for sale

Academic titles for sale

From Kompas

The presence of local and foreign colleges claiming to be
accredited by overseas principals and cooperating with national
universities to grant various academic titles is the talk of the
town.

The degrees range from master's degrees to doctorates and are
offered by phony colleges that are either hard to find or do not
exist. The degrees, meanwhile, are sought by military and police
officers, officials, artists, entrepreneurs, religious
propagators and paranormal practitioners.

Why are Indonesians so eager to possess academic titles,
though only honorary? This can be traced back to the feudal
system, when people were judged according to their title.

With the nation's development, this attitude further changed.
In the 1950s and later decades, parents were most proud of the
university degrees earned by their children. Today, people are
more interested in master's and doctorate degrees.

JUMARO N. BASA
Jakarta