Saudi Arabia cracks down on bogus degrees

Saudi Arabia’s education minister has pledged to take action against bogus qualifications purporting to be offered by the country’s universities.

Ahmed Al-Issa expressed concern following the placing of advertisements claiming to offer undergraduate and postgraduate degrees from Saudi higher education institutions, as well as universities based in Syria and Egypt.

“The ministry will look into the issue and will take the necessary measures to ensure there is no exploitation of people,” Mr Al-Issa told the Jeddah daily Al Watan, according to Gulf News.

King Abdulaziz University, one of the universities affected, said that it would take legal action against anyone who used its logo without permission.

“These are bogus ads and the people who are promoting them are abroad,” a university spokesman said. “They are using the university logos for lucrative purposes and people have to be extra-cautious and not deal with them in any way.”

chris.havergal@tesglobal.com