Credentials just one measure of a person

Anecdotal evidence abounds from employers that just because someone has the right credentials it does not mean they are up to the job. It is a reminder that credentials alone are not conclusive evidence of the ability, application and aptitude that will determine success in a chosen career. Contemporary society, however, remains infatuated with credentials. They may not be infallible, but it is a bigger worry that the world is awash with fakes. As we report today, so-called degree and diploma mills are handing out unearned and unrecognised qualifications faster than the authorities can expose them and stem the flood.

The operators of these scams have capitalised on the opportunity created by Asia's rapid economic development. One authority says they are thriving in the region. Thanks to the demand for higher educational qualifications and globalisation, with more people applying for jobs in other countries, they know no boundaries.

Degree mills award qualifications without requiring students to meet required educational standards, often on the basis of 'life experience'. Despite the relative sophistication of Hong Kong's education market, they are to be found here alongside genuine institutions at university fairs and among education advertisements. Reports of Hong Kong people with fake qualifications from both western and regional countries are not uncommon. The mainland has long been home to a bogus certificate industry, centred in Shenzhen. The global problem is compounded by the online growth of agencies that provide sham accreditation for degrees offered by other bogus institutions.

A flood of fakes does nothing for the credibility of credentials. People are driven by the demand for them to invest in a substandard education and worthless qualifications. To employers, paper credentials are a necessary evil that relieves them of the difficulty of assessing candidates on an interview or test alone.

In a world that no longer offers on-the-job training, we strive for credentials and they are much valued. But in a global education market, how do we assess the credibility of the schools that issue them? The authorities everywhere must make more effective efforts to crack down on the unscrupulous trade in fake qualifications. A free market in education has something to offer, but bogus accreditation and fake degrees and diplomas that undermine the credibility of recognised qualifications are not among them. Perhaps officially accredited institutions could help by adopting a more market-friendly role in verifying credentials.

Bogus qualifications are a reminder that we should be wary of an obsession with credentials to the exclusion of all else, such as taking more trouble to assess people and the quality of what they can achieve. A recent reminder is the sad case of an American woman who faked credentials and rose to become dean of admissions of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She was eventually found out and had to resign. Her dishonesty was unacceptable. But her case underlines the question whether a good resume detracts attention from whether its owner is really the best candidate.