Cambodia's Ministry of Education Warns of Legal Action Against Degree Forgers

The Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport has issued a stern warning against individuals who forge, alter, or use forged doctoral degrees or degree certificates, threatening legal action. This warning comes after the ministry previously discovered cases of forged ministry documents used to certify doctoral degrees obtained from higher education institutions abroad. These forged documents were reportedly used as supporting materials for various requests, such as for thesis supervision. The ministry emphasized that doctoral degrees obtained from abroad must undergo examination and evaluation by the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport before they can be officially used. For degrees obtained through online training programs, the authenticity of the degree and the legal status of the institution in its country of origin must be verified by the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport. Furthermore, each higher education institution must ensure that its teaching staff with doctoral degrees use authentic and non-forged qualifications. The ministry clarified that certificates with forged formats, content, signatures, seals, or other information are not documents issued by the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport and will absolutely not be recognized. The ministry warned, "Any individual or staff member who forges, alters, or uses a forged doctoral degree or degree certificate will be held responsible and punished according to current laws and regulations." Legal measures will also be taken against individuals or parties involved in forgery or the use of forged documents. The ministry appeals to the public, higher education institutions, and all stakeholders to use only genuine documents and to follow the official procedures for requesting the certification of degrees from abroad. In cases of doubt, the ministry requests notification for examination and verification. In the past, a case was reported where an individual named Nan Seiha presented a forged engineering degree in construction, purportedly from the Institute of Technology of Cambodia, to operate a civil construction business. Regarding this issue, the institute issued a statement denying the degree and requested relevant authorities to take legal action. Source: Kampuchea Thmey Local