These illegal advertisements lay a "trap" for the improvement of academic qualifications
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Against the background of many people having "education anxiety", it is not uncommon to see education promotion advertisements of "guaranteed", "graduate" and "diploma".
However, some educational institutions claiming to have "contracted" did not even enroll students for admission, and institutions that were not officially authorized to recruit students aggressively, and some institutions were even suspected of operating in violation of regulations and laws.
"Education does not mean ability; no, but it's limited everywhere" "If you don't have enough education, it's difficult to find a high-paying job, want to be promoted, get a job title, and get a job title!" At present, advertisements for "education improvement" are in the form of web pages, pop-up windows, videos, etc. A variety of social platforms are flooded, and many people's "education anxiety" has been continuously amplified by advertisements.
For those who want to improve their academic qualifications to gain more opportunities but do not have enough time to study, the advertisement's "easy to go to a famous school, comfortable to get a diploma" is particularly attractive.
However, is there such a good thing as "pie in the sky"?
Advertising slogans such as "get a diploma" and "but a refund" are attractive
"Have paid", "Graduate", "Diploma", "Xuexin can be checked", "No refund"... In June 2021, Liu Ping (pseudonym) saw the release of an online education technology company on the online platform advertisment.
"I was going to sign up for the first-level construction engineer qualification exam, but unfortunately because of the limited academic qualifications, I was very excited to see that I could apply for a college degree." However, after Liu Ping transferred 3,000 yuan to the educational institution, the institution did not fulfill its promise, or even did not To register Liu Ping for admission, Liu Ping's request for a refund from the institution has always been unsuccessful.
"We have authorization for all schools in the country that are eligible to open online distance education." During the enrollment process, in order to prove the authority to students, Teacher Lu, a staff member of another educational institution, said.
However, a reporter from "Workers Daily" randomly checked the official websites of several colleges and universities that have been approved by the Ministry of Education to carry out modern distance education pilots, and found that these educational institutions are not among the officially authorized learning centers.
In addition, the educational institution claimed that the tuition fee for a major in business administration in a university in Beijing is 10,400 yuan. There is no additional fee for registration through the institution, and it can also be paid in installments.
But the reporter checked with the learning center of the university headquarters and found that the tuition fee was actually 8,400 yuan.
In October 2021, the Ministry of Education, the State Administration for Market Regulation and other 5 departments jointly issued the "Notice on Strengthening the Administration of the Publication of Continuing Education Advertisements for Higher Degrees", requiring that advertisements for continuing education with higher education degrees should not contain false and illegal content such as "no need to study" and "no need to attend classes". , there shall be no express or implied guarantee commitment to the educational effect, such as "quick evidence collection", "exemption from the test", "no refund for the test", etc.
"The publication of false advertisements such as 'Bao Kuo' and 'Baobao Diploma' not only openly challenged the national continuing education system, but also violated the relevant provisions of the Advertising Law. The business license will be revoked," said Hao Xudong, a partner and lawyer at Beijing Xingzhu Law Firm.
There are tricks behind "no need to learn"
"No need to study" and "no need to go to class", how to achieve "enrollment"?
In the explanation of the educational institution, a method called "study assistance and examination assistance" surfaced.
"Students and exams don't need to do classwork and homework by themselves. You only need to cooperate with your face to take the exam. The teaching and research teachers are responsible for answering the questions, and the graduation thesis can also be written on your behalf. You can pay an extra 1,200 yuan per semester as a student and exam-assistance fee." In the words of Mr. Sun, a staff member of an educational institution, this is "handing over professional matters to professional people".
What if cheating is discovered?
In this regard, Mr. Sun's answer to the students was, "We are all directly connected with the university, what are you afraid of?" However, in the "Adult Education Entrustment Agreement" he sent to the students, it was written: "All in the exam Illegal acts such as cheating and their consequences have nothing to do with educational institutions, and students are responsible for them.”
"You can get a degree without taking an exam. Isn't it selling diplomas? Treating diplomas as a business damages the fairness and order of education." Xiong Bingqi, president of the 21st Century Education Research Institute, believes that "operation" allows students to get Diploma institutions are operating in violation of regulations, and information such as "exemption from the test" is flying all over the sky, which also reflects the problem of poor supervision.
Recently, the reform of continuing education for higher education has solicited opinions. One of the reforms is to increase the proportion of offline teaching hours.
The Ministry of Education also issued a document requesting to strengthen the establishment and management of higher education continuing education majors, and to cancel the qualifications for higher education continuing education for colleges and universities with serious violations.
There are no beneficiaries under the illegal operation
"Some colleges and universities have suspended the enrollment of online education in 2022. It is strongly recommended to apply for the exam as soon as possible. Don't wait until the entry threshold becomes higher and the certification requirements become stricter in the future." The reasons for the candidates to apply for the exam.
"Continuing education with academic qualifications expands people's choices of study opportunities, and promotes the construction of a learning society with universal learning and lifelong learning. The improvement of genuine academic qualifications is worth encouraging. However, the difficulty of obtaining a diploma is equivalent to its gold content, and 'exemption is included' Such advertisements are a serious harm to the image of continuing education, and even lead to discrimination against continuing education with academic qualifications, thinking that the improvement of academic qualifications is 'spending money to buy diplomas'. Under the illegal operation, there is no real beneficiary." Xiong Bingqi said.
How to manage chaos in continuing education?
Xiong Bingqi believes that the regulatory authorities should strictly investigate the false advertising information released by online platforms and self-media, investigate, punish and ban continuing education institutions that conduct illegal operations; colleges and universities should keep the bottom line, guide educated people to choose legal and formal institutions, and ensure course teaching. Quality; educated people should also change their concepts, not to believe in "pie in the sky", but to focus on the quality of education and the improvement of their own abilities.
In fact, some colleges and universities have issued a solemn statement on how to avoid these "traps" in the promotion of academic qualifications, saying that they have never authorized any individual or intermediary agency to enroll and collect fees on their behalf. Please do not believe it." False propaganda such as "enrolled in classes" and "enrolled in graduation", check the list of authorized learning centers through the school's official website, and prevent illegal impostor websites.
"Consumers whose legitimate rights and interests are damaged due to false advertisements by educational institutions can request compensation from the institutions." Hao Xudong said, in addition to bearing civil liability, if the circumstances are serious, educational institutions may be criminally prosecuted for the crime of false advertising.
In the national examination stipulated by law, such as the self-study examination in higher education, the illegal operation of the substitute examination is suspected of the crime of substitute examination.
Shi Lanna
Shi Lanna