'Close down unlicensed colleges'

'Close down unlicensed colleges'

Police have declared the Institut Managemen Global Indonesia as
an illegal institution and detained its owner and board members.
Police are also going after people who have received diplomas
from the institute, which has operated in Indonesia since 2000
and opened branches in several towns across the country. The
Jakarta Post interviewed residents on who should be held
responsible for the fiasco.

Susi, 31, is a resident of Setu village, Serpong district,
Tangerang. He works as a marketing staff in a car showroom on Jl.
Sudirman, Central Jakarta.

Rumors about universities or other educational institutions
issuing diplomas illegally are not new. Many people already know
of such universities.

I hope newspaper reports about fake diplomas will warn people
to be careful in selecting educational institutions.

If you ask me about who should be held responsible for phony
educational institutions, I would say that many parties
contribute to the problem. People, who want to get diplomas
easily, will push for the establishment of non-credible
educational institutions.

On the other hand, relevant government institutions including
the Ministry of National Education also do nothing to stop such
practices.

I agree with the police crackdown on illegal educational
institutions, but the relevant offices must also stop the
operation of such institutions.

Ardi, 35, lives in Bintaro Jaya housing complex, Tangerang
regency. He is working for a private company on Jl. Rasuna Said,
South Jakarta.

I hope that police will seriously investigate illegal
educational institutions. I think they have cheated the public.

I believe that not all students who go to such institutions
want to get a fake diploma.

Many of them may really want to have a regular education. They
are victims of such institutions.

The Ministry of National Education must monitor all
educational institutions that have been allowed to run such
programs.

As for those who received the fake diplomas, police must not
treat them as criminals because they may be victims.

I hope that extensive reports on fake diplomas will warn
people to be careful in selecting universities.

--The Jakarta Post