Plagiarizers face dismissal

SEMARANG, Central Java: Diponegoro University rector Muladi threatened Saturday to fire teachers who plagiarize their students' papers or theses.

Muladi said plagiarizing is a serious breach of intellectual property rights and deserves harsh punishment.

Muladi, also a member of the National Commission on Human Rights, said that if it goes unchecked, plagiarism will tarnish the national education system as a whole.

"I was surprised to near news that several teachers in different universities plagiarize their students' work," he was quoted by Antara as saying.

The prestigious state university, with 45 professors, has just adopted a code of ethics for teachers and students. (pan)