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