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Another case of “fake diplomas” was discovered at the University of Lyon. The commercialization of fake diplomas is exploding, whether in Chinese or Anglo-Saxon universities or on the Web where anything can be bought. After Toulon in 2009, where Chinese students of the University Institute of Business Administration had purchased their diplomas, in Lyon this year the University is suspected of having granted degrees in communication to dozens of West Indians students who had never set foot in the city.

Police are investigating an Indian university suspected of issuing fake PhDs after it awarded more than 400 doctorates in a single year. They have arrested four senior officials from CMJ University in the northeastern state of Meghalaya on suspicion of fraud and forgery and are hunting for the chancellor, who has fled.

A few years ago, not many companies recognized the problem of false diplomas. According to a study published in February 2013, 75% of CVs are fake, 90% of the candidates justify doctoring a CV due to the fact that "competition is tougher" and that "one has to sell well." The study has also revealed that 33% of candidates often or always have false diplomas.

Although Chinese students have been going to America to study for decades, their numbers have grown dramatically in the past few years. Many of them have only a basic knowledge of foreign universities and difficulty making sense of complicated applications. As a result, a huge industry of education agents has arisen in the country to help guide them — and, in some cases, to do whatever it takes to ensure that they are accepted.

Falsification of report cards to obtain admission into private schools in Kigali is listed as one of the major challenges hampering education quality. Speaking during an education workshop organised by Kigali City Council, an education activist from Power in Education, a local civil society organisation, revealed that a recent survey indicated that over 100 students in various city schools used forged report cards to obtain admission.

A Mail and Guardian reporter reveals the growing trend of fake degrees through her investigation. More specifically, Ashford University and Belford University offer life experience degrees, where qualifications can be obtained solely through the payment of a fee, without any training or studying required. These documents are available online and are being included on CVs across 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.