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Universities face new corruption report
Recruitment fraud, undeserved passing grades alleged in Four Corners story.
By Andrew Bracey
Australian universities have been forced to defend recruitment and academic standards relating to students following fresh allegations of widespread corruption.
The allegations, aired recently on the ABC program Four Corners, included accounts from academics of repeated instances in which they had been pressured – from within their universities – to grant pass marks to substandard international students.
In many cases, according to the program, international students had poor English proficiency and instances of student plagiarism reported by academic staff were overlooked.
A sessional lecturer interviewed for the report said students who had failed or had submitted plagiarised work were often given repeated opportunities to resubmit assignments, rather than being made to face disciplinary action.
Meanwhile, undercover video recordings included in the report appeared to show multiple cases of China-based agencies – which a number of major Australian universities use to recruit students – offering to assist with the creation of fraudulent documentation designed to secure admission to Australian universities.
The videos also appeared to show agents explaining ways prospective students with poor English proficiency could sidestep IELTS assessment via tests that would be easier to pass.
In a statement responding to the Four Corners program, Universities Australia said instances of cheating, lax academic standards and fraudulent international agents were perpetrated by a minority within the sector and that the ABC’ s report had presented“ a one-sided picture of international education in Australia”.
“ It is unfortunate that Four Corners failed to acknowledge Australia’ s global leadership as a provider of high-quality and highly regarded international education,” UA chief executive Belinda Robinson said.“ Of course any evidence of cheating, lax academic standards and malpractice by agents should be condemned and thoroughly investigated by the appropriate authorities.
“ Universities are determined to protect Australia’ s hard-earned reputation for the provision of high-quality education and are taking action through institutional, national and international initiatives to reduce any fraud or misconduct.”
Robinson said universities had been working continuously to reduce risks posed by the use of“ suspect agents” and that dealings were terminated with those found to be acting illegitimately. Rigorous plagiarism detection practices – including specialist software – and protocols were also standard at Australian universities, she added.
In the same extended Four Corners report, two former senior nursing academics expressed serious concerns about the standards of local and international nursing students graduating from the University of Western Sydney and the Australian Catholic University.
Dr Sharon Hillege had most recently worked at UWS, having left ACU seven years earlier after, she said, she had refused – under pressure from a senior department staff member – to reverse her decision to fail a number of students.
Four Corners reported that some of the students she had failed went on to gain professional registration just months later.
Another ACU staff member, in a letter to then-health minister Nicola Roxon, warned the English proficiency of many students accepted into university nursing courses was worryingly low.
Also, former UWS lecturer Barbara Beale – who retired last year – said she feared UWS’ s student assessment processes were flawed and potentially posed a risk to patient safety.
At one stage, Beale was acting department head of the UWS School of Nursing. She told Four Corners a paper she had given a mark of“ two or three” out of a possible 30 was later deemed passable by another marker. Beale’ s initial fail grade was upheld only after the assignment was repeatedly reviewed, she said.
She also said many nurse graduates being“ pushed through” the university system ended up in aged care, where they were responsible for the care of“ the most vulnerable [ and ] ill people”.
“ In the aged-care sector, there is not much supervision. Very quickly [ these graduates ] might themselves be the only registered nurse on duty and that is something that frightens me.”
UWS School of Nursing dean professor Rhonda Griffiths told CR the university“ takes the issue of graduate standards and integrity very seriously and has rigorous systems and processes in place to ensure these standards are upheld”.
“ Whenever there is any issue or incidence arising that suggests there may be a slipping of the standards, it is very quickly and vigilantly investigated,” Griffiths said.“ Nursing and midwifery programs are accredited by an external accrediting body and they are closely monitored by that body. Universities are particularly vigilant to make sure they uphold those standards. I think the issue here is [ being generalised ] across a large group of people when [ that’ s ] not the case with these programs in Australia – they are world-standard courses.” An ACU spokesperson told CR all its nursing students received thorough workforce preparation, including clinical placements, and that the issues Four Corners raised related to events that took place seven years ago. n
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