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Commons committee leader calls for an investigation into reports of 'academic fraud' in British universities by Tom Short |
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A parliamentary committee may begin an investigation into the possibility of dubious degree standards in UK universities. The news comes after allegations were made this week by an anonymous whistleblower who claimed that foreign students were being handed degrees from top universities, despite having only a basic grasp of English. Phil Willis, head of the Commons committee for innovation, universities, science and skills, told the BBC that is issue is tantamount to academic fraud. He said: “I am hoping to be able to persuade my committee to take this on to investigate the veracity of what is happening…otherwise we may see a tarnished reputation for some of our finest universities.” The fees paid by foreign students at British universities often accounts for a great deal of an institution’s income - up to 20% in some cases according to a source within the Higher Education Policy Institute. Bahram Bekhradnia, the director of HEPI, said: “British universities can be very dependent in some cases on foreign students for their income. Because of that, they simply need to recruit. Therefore there is always the temptation and the risk that they will allow students who shouldn’t be recruited to come onto a course.”
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