RIYADH, 2 August 2007 — Saudi newspapers regularly report on professionals, especially medical workers, found to have fake certificates. Arab News reported in May that in the past five years the Commission for Health Specialties stopped 572 health workers with fake certificates from working in the Kingdom.
However, it is not just medical workers that tend to purchase false certificates, which are widely promoted in newspapers. Bachelor, Masters and Ph.D. certificates in all sorts of disciplines are easily obtainable at affordable prices.
Muhammad Al-Duaijan, a Saudi who recently obtained a BA from Imam Muhammad ibn Saud University in Riyadh, said he made contact with a fellow citizen over the Internet, who offered to help him obtain a Masters degree within 10 days.
“He said it would take him 10 days and cost no more than SR10,000. The certificate would come from a foreign country,” said Al-Duaijan, who refused to disclose the contact details of the person he met.
“I’m currently applying for a Masters degree from an office, which claims to be the sole Saudi representative of the University of Columbus, which offers distance learning courses,” he said, adding that course fees cost SR20,000 and that the Masters degree will be obtained after 18 months of study.
On contacting the Saudi representative of the University of Columbus, a man who introduced himself as Ahmad said: “We got accreditation five years ago and have been commercially registered.” The business operates from an apartment.
“It should be remembered that this is an organization that provides distance learning courses and that the governmental sector doesn’t accept distance learning certificates. We do tell people this prior to them joining us,” he said.
According to Ahmad, many Saudis register for distance learning courses at the University of Columbus. A Bachelors degree costs SR10,000, a Masters costs SR13,000 and a Ph.D. costs SR14,000. “There is no specific time in which a student has to finish his course. Those registering in a Bachelors course have to complete eight modules and a dissertation, while the Masters and Ph.D. courses demand a person finishes five modules and a dissertation,” he said.
Ahmad, who got his Bachelors degree from King Saud University, is working for his Masters also from a Saudi university and says he will probably try for a Ph.D. from the University of Columbus.
Although many institutes refuse to recognize degrees issued by distance learning universities, Al-Duaijan said that while at university he and his friends noticed weaknesses in many of the lecturers. “We never complained simply because we knew nothing would change,” he said, adding that a lecturer at Hail University renewed her contract year after year in spite of students complaining that she was unable to teach and weak in her subject.
It is not just the complaints of students that are not taken seriously. A dean at a college in Al-Qurayat demanded an investigation into the accuracy of the Masters degree obtained by one of the faculty members there. She did not receive a reply and so sent another complaint to the municipality, which investigated the case and found out that the lecturer had bought her certificate for SR15,000.
Nawal Al-Eid, a faculty member at a college in Riyadh, said that it is difficult for staff members to complain about colleagues. She added that the recruiting committees at educational institutes are to be blamed in cases in which people with fake certificates are recruited.
Sita Al-Husun Al-Juhani, a member of a recruiting committee at an educational institute, said that her committee is very careful when recruiting new staff. “The committee consists of 10 specialists in different fields and meets all applicants. We meticulously decide on who is fit for the jobs. We refuse to accept many applicants simply because they haven’t provided us with the proper documentation,” she said.
Nasir Al-Awda, the head of the deanship at Imam University in Riyadh, said that obtaining fake certificates is a crime and blamed newspapers for promoting those that sell such certificates.
