Irish University To Increase Cambodian Foothold
By Erik Wasson and Prak Chan Thul
THE CAMBODIA DAILY
Dressed in a red academic cloak and large, floppy cap, CPP tycoon Senator Mong Reththy stood proudly beside his wife in the prestigious English university town of Cambridge.
The moment of honor was celebrated this month by his own Mong Reththy company, which took out a full page advertisement in local newspapers announcing that the senator had received a doctorate in business strategy from none other than the "Irish International University of Europe."
The construction and palm oil magnate is not the first Cambodian politician to receive an award from the institution that bills itself as an Irish university.
At an April 2004 ceremony in Phnom Penh, Irish International bestowed an honorary doctorate on Prime Minister Hun Sen himself.
Mong Reththy explained that he was not required to sit any courses or complete any assignments at Irish International University, and, he added, the doctorate is not honorary.
"They gave it to me through looking at [my] previous working leadership," he explained.
"I didn't spend anything, only for a flight on the plane," to the award ceremony in Cambridge, he said.
In April 2005, Irish International University formed a partnership with Cambodia's largest private higher education institution, Build Bright University, which officially made BBU in Phnom Penh the Irish International University's "Asian Campus."
Next year, BBU expects to start awarding up to 100 Irish International doctorates to Cambodian candidates.
BBU Vice Rector of Academics Dy Davuth said Irish International has no shortage of academic know how.
"We have a lack of human resources, so we bring in these experts from Irish International to help us," he said.
But students who fork out the $4,500 for an Irish International University doctorate will get just that.
Irish International University's degrees are not recognized in Ireland, where IIU claims it is based. Nor are the degrees recognized by the government of Britain, where the group also has offices.
Last year, the Irish ambassador to Malaysia asked Malaysia to close IIU, according to media reports. Emails last week to the Irish Embassy in Malaysia were answered by Lesley Hoh, who directs the Aedumus educational consulting agency, which is affiliated with the Irish embassy.
The Irish embassy "has been concerned for some time about the activities of the so-called Irish International University ("IIU") and other such enterprises," Hoh wrote.
"IIU is not recognized as a university in Ireland and its 'awards' have no academic standing there," she added. "IIU has a business address only in Ireland."
According to the Irish Examiner newspaper, in 2001 IIU was registered at a Jake Dublin address as a real estate business.
Irish International has told BBU that it is accredited to deliver university degrees in the UK, BBU Rector In Viracheat said.
But the UK Department for Education and Skills, which officially recognizes institutions that can award degrees, does not list IIU on its Web site.
"Only those organizations on the above lists are permitted to award UK degrees or offer provision that leads to a UK degree. If an organization is not contained on one of these lists then it is NOT offering a recognized UK degree," the department's Web site states.
"It is an offense in the UK for any organization to offer a degree qualification which could be taken to be that of a recognized UK institution.... Such organizations will be reported to the appropriate Local Trading Standards Department for investigation which could lead to prosecution," the Web site warns.
Chan Roth, director of the Education Ministry's department of scientific research, who is in charge of masters and doctorate programs in Cambodia, said that Dy Davuth had assured him of IIU’s ability to grant degrees.
"I will conduct the investigation," he added.
Dy Davuth said that awarding life experience degrees, like that received by Mong Reththy, is academically legitimate.
He also said that BBU received no funding or budget from Irish International, and that IIU management first approached BBU in 2004. BBU charges between $200 and $300 per year for its doctorate programs, but ups the fee to $4,500 total for a "twin" doctorate from BBU and Irish International, he added.
In an email Tuesday, Marie-Ann Kyne-Lilley, an official at the Judge Business School at the University of Cambridge, where IIU says one of its subsidiaries offers classes, said that Cambridge does not accredit any degrees or "qualifications of any kind" awarded by Irish International University.
Questions e-mailed to IIU Executive President H Sandhu were returned by an assistant who referred all questions to IIU's Web site.
That Web site claims that Irish International can award degrees based on a proposed European Union European Qualifications Framework. According to the EU Web site, the framework has not yet been adopted by the EU.
In 2004, after awarding an honorary doctorate to Hun Sen, Sandhu told reporters that IIU "is a private education institution based on the concept of an open university in the European University, and we are not in a position to comment on any other matters."
SRP lawmaker Son Chhay said Monday that there are deep problems in Cambodia's regulation of private universities.
"Higher Education is a disaster in this country," he said.
The government needs to establish a body to carefully monitor the curriculum and training that these private universities are offering."
The moment of honor was celebrated this month by his own Mong Reththy company, which took out a full page advertisement in local newspapers announcing that the senator had received a doctorate in business strategy from none other than the "Irish International University of Europe."
The construction and palm oil magnate is not the first Cambodian politician to receive an award from the institution that bills itself as an Irish university.
At an April 2004 ceremony in Phnom Penh, Irish International bestowed an honorary doctorate on Prime Minister Hun Sen himself.
Mong Reththy explained that he was not required to sit any courses or complete any assignments at Irish International University, and, he added, the doctorate is not honorary.
"They gave it to me through looking at [my] previous working leadership," he explained.
"I didn't spend anything, only for a flight on the plane," to the award ceremony in Cambridge, he said.
In April 2005, Irish International University formed a partnership with Cambodia's largest private higher education institution, Build Bright University, which officially made BBU in Phnom Penh the Irish International University's "Asian Campus."
Next year, BBU expects to start awarding up to 100 Irish International doctorates to Cambodian candidates.
BBU Vice Rector of Academics Dy Davuth said Irish International has no shortage of academic know how.
"We have a lack of human resources, so we bring in these experts from Irish International to help us," he said.
But students who fork out the $4,500 for an Irish International University doctorate will get just that.
Irish International University's degrees are not recognized in Ireland, where IIU claims it is based. Nor are the degrees recognized by the government of Britain, where the group also has offices.
Last year, the Irish ambassador to Malaysia asked Malaysia to close IIU, according to media reports. Emails last week to the Irish Embassy in Malaysia were answered by Lesley Hoh, who directs the Aedumus educational consulting agency, which is affiliated with the Irish embassy.
The Irish embassy "has been concerned for some time about the activities of the so-called Irish International University ("IIU") and other such enterprises," Hoh wrote.
"IIU is not recognized as a university in Ireland and its 'awards' have no academic standing there," she added. "IIU has a business address only in Ireland."
According to the Irish Examiner newspaper, in 2001 IIU was registered at a Jake Dublin address as a real estate business.
Irish International has told BBU that it is accredited to deliver university degrees in the UK, BBU Rector In Viracheat said.
But the UK Department for Education and Skills, which officially recognizes institutions that can award degrees, does not list IIU on its Web site.
"Only those organizations on the above lists are permitted to award UK degrees or offer provision that leads to a UK degree. If an organization is not contained on one of these lists then it is NOT offering a recognized UK degree," the department's Web site states.
"It is an offense in the UK for any organization to offer a degree qualification which could be taken to be that of a recognized UK institution.... Such organizations will be reported to the appropriate Local Trading Standards Department for investigation which could lead to prosecution," the Web site warns.
Chan Roth, director of the Education Ministry's department of scientific research, who is in charge of masters and doctorate programs in Cambodia, said that Dy Davuth had assured him of IIU’s ability to grant degrees.
"I will conduct the investigation," he added.
Dy Davuth said that awarding life experience degrees, like that received by Mong Reththy, is academically legitimate.
He also said that BBU received no funding or budget from Irish International, and that IIU management first approached BBU in 2004. BBU charges between $200 and $300 per year for its doctorate programs, but ups the fee to $4,500 total for a "twin" doctorate from BBU and Irish International, he added.
In an email Tuesday, Marie-Ann Kyne-Lilley, an official at the Judge Business School at the University of Cambridge, where IIU says one of its subsidiaries offers classes, said that Cambridge does not accredit any degrees or "qualifications of any kind" awarded by Irish International University.
Questions e-mailed to IIU Executive President H Sandhu were returned by an assistant who referred all questions to IIU's Web site.
That Web site claims that Irish International can award degrees based on a proposed European Union European Qualifications Framework. According to the EU Web site, the framework has not yet been adopted by the EU.
In 2004, after awarding an honorary doctorate to Hun Sen, Sandhu told reporters that IIU "is a private education institution based on the concept of an open university in the European University, and we are not in a position to comment on any other matters."
SRP lawmaker Son Chhay said Monday that there are deep problems in Cambodia's regulation of private universities.
"Higher Education is a disaster in this country," he said.
The government needs to establish a body to carefully monitor the curriculum and training that these private universities are offering."
12 comments:
What the hell is that university?
People study to get even a masters or BA.
Lousy!!!!!!!!!
Obviously, these Phd recipients are not familiar with Irish jokes.
SiS
See! how come the Ministry of Education wants the quality of Higher Education? how come Cambodia is rich of intellectuals? A dog Kvak and its comrades still can get Ph.D. without taking any courses or complete any assignment and even didn’t finish High School.
So, no more talking about the quality of Higher Education unless Cambodia does not belong to A Kvak anymore.
Go to hell A dog Kvak and its comrades
IIU sucks. KI-media should investigate whether BBU is really cooperated with Columbia University. the world class NY-based Columbia U is not likely to cooperate with university such as BBU.
I don't see no point to laugh or cry. The issue how the Senator gets rich is the matter of his skillfull artistic and good vision of doing business in challenging and complication of Cambodia's given environment.
Bill Gate, a college drop out but turned to be world's most richest man and great philanthropist.
On rare occasions, learning and knowledge not always neccesary have to take place in school.
Low leadership goes for low quality. Do they know any better?
to 9:32pm.
Its slap in the face to those who worked hard for their B.S M.S.Ph.d etc... earning it gives you the rigth to have an intellecutal debate with scholars.
These people (CPP) are gangs, who became wealthy from Mafia tactic. Anybody can be a business owner, all it takes is greed. But to hold a degree, that takes determination and the hunger for knowledge.
Yes bill Gates did drop out of school, but he was smart enough in the first place to get into Harvard or Yale (not sure which one). And now he's started his foundation to help the world.
What did Mong Rethy and Hun Sen do to help Cambodia beside filling up their bank accounts?
and if you thinks they still deserve a degree, give a Ph.d in Physic to the CPP spokeman for his theory on gravity... Kites and airplane.
WHAT MONRITHY DID IS A SUCCESS? YES HE IS RICH BECAUSE HE A KEEPER OF HUN SEN WEALTH!
Yo!!
Higher Degree legitimate murders and make them look intelligent, even thought the degree ain't worth a fart!
These days, you can buy a degree online from dubious universities that sound foreign and exotic. As for Cambodian universities, it is not uncommon that they hand over their sub-standard MBA or PhD award on a golden plate to powerful CPP officials, such as Hun Sen and Sok An. Other unknown foreign universities or organisations have done the same things as a favour to their CPP associates who wanted to give their bosses an international standing.
As long as these CPP officials and associated businessmen do not have a degree bestowed upon them by Oxford or Cambridge or Harvard University, I don't give a mokey's toss how many MBAs or PhDs or Prizes they have collected. Because it seems these dubvious awards or prizes have not made them a better person today than they were yesterday. It is becoming more like an academic prostitution in Cambodia. It does not bode well for those who earned their degrees, even at BA or BSc level, through sheer hard work from internationally-recognised universities.
Phd= Philosophy of higher and deeper! ahahahhahhah!
If you truely have Phd most attractive women will love you to death!
You could likely turn this information into an ebook with little effort, Good job on this great information.
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