Zhao Zijian is suspected of having 4 doctorates at the age of 29. Photo: The Paper.
Zhao Zijian, 29, has sparked heated public debate after the Inner Mongolia National Institute of Culture and Arts announced his appointment as a researcher and shared his incredible academic qualifications.
Zhao said he has doctorates in performing arts, psychology,education , and biblical studies. He specifically mentioned two institutions where he completed his doctorate: a “Catholic university” in South Korea and the Lyceum of the University of the Philippines, a private school.
The man also claims to have multiple master's degrees in communications, Buddhist studies and mindfulness studies from the University of Hong Kong, Baptist University, University of Zaragoza and the Miguel de Cervantes European University in Spain.
In addition to his degree, Zhao is a member of 22 different academic associations in fields as diverse as economics and medicine, has published 24 “high-level” academic papers, and has an impact factor of “28+” — an indicator of how often papers are cited in a given year.
Many people questioned Zhao's academic qualifications, saying it "goes against common sense," as most doctoral programs typically take at least four years to complete.
The suspicion led to Zhao's appointment being suspended and an investigation into his educational qualifications.
Zhao's case opens debate about degrees in China. Photo: Shutterstock.
On October 12, Yin Fujun, the head of the institute, told China Newsweek that no “obvious forgery” had been found. He confirmed that all four of Zhao’s master’s degrees had passed official verification from the China Service Center for Academic Exchange (CSCSE).
However, only one of Zhao's doctorates has been verified, while another is still in the process of being verified, and Yin mentioned that Zhao "has no plans to verify the remaining two doctorates".
Yin found Zhao to meet their requirements for the research position and expressed regret for the trouble he had caused.
Zhao has yet to address the ongoing controversy.
Online commenters have raised concerns about the legitimacy of his academic credentials. Some of his degrees were obtained online and the European University Miguel de Cervantes is not listed on the official verification list.
CSCSE has also designated the University of the Philippines Batangas Campus Lyceum, where Zhao's psychology department is based, as one of 13 lower-ranked overseas educational institutions that need to undergo rigorous verification since July this year.
Many of the 22 academic memberships that Zhao claims are public or student memberships, which can be obtained by paying membership fees.
“What's the point of having so many degrees if you don't make any real contributions to academic research?” one online commenter wrote.
China is stepping up efforts to crack down on academic "shortcuts" that some individuals have taken advantage of to advance their careers in research institutes.
In 2022, a university president in southern China's Hunan province was fired after the school spent more than 18 million yuan ( $2.5 million ) to send 23 educators to Adamson University in the Philippines to earn doctoral degrees in just 28 months.
Source: https://danviet.vn/chang-trai-29-tuoi-co-4-bang-tien-si-o-trung-quoc-2024102015251015.htm
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