A journalist from the Mail and Guardian reveals the growing trend of fake degrees, provided by Ashford University and Belford University, which offer life experience qualifications on a fee-only basis, without the need for training or study. These documents are available on the Internet and are being included on resumes at all levels of the employment sector.

The President of the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) mentions that the institution's website permits to ensure that the information is accurate. The CHEA maintains a database of more than 7.700 accredited colleges and universities, and nearly 19.000 accredited programs with links to their accreditors.

The Higher Education Commission (HEC) and the Election Commission of Pakistan have locked horns over the verification of fake university degrees held by members of the federal and provincial assemblies, as the scandal spread to qualifications obtained at high school.

As Pakistan's Election Commission began its first hearings into parliamentarians' fake degrees last week some feared the scandal had been pushed out of the limelight by the devastating floods. Nonetheless, the degree debacle is straining the credibility of the country's higher education and election systems.

The commission in Cameroon responsible for assessing higher education qualifications issued abroad has exposed more than 300 cases of fraudulent diplomas, reported Quotidien Mutations info of Yaoundé.

The University of Tokyo will overhaul its thesis examination process and throw the book at anyone found to have plagiarized other people's work, according to the university President. The tighter screening and tougher penalties come after the university last month effectively dismissed a Turkish assistant professor and revoked his doctorate after finding he had falsified his academic credentials and plagiarized major portions of his doctoral thesis.