MYANMAR
The fallout from the Myanmar Union Civil Service Board’s (UCSB) use of two bogus universities to accredit its senior Public Servants continues, with an Upper House lawmaker calling on the Government to conduct an investigation into how this was allowed to happen.
U Myo Win said it was important to vet training programs carefully in light of the many false universities and diploma mills handing out fake degrees.
Earlier this year, the President’s Office announced that the Board had ended its partnerships with the two universities — Hawai’i-based Akamai University and an affiliated institution, Malaysia’s EDS Business School.
The UCSB, a Government Agency responsible for recruiting and training PS employees, worked with Akamai and EDS in providing several courses and a Master’s Degree program for high-ranking Government officials.
The Board has since vowed to work only with legitimate universities in the future, but further details, or any explanation of how the relationships with Akamai and EBS were formed, have yet to emerge.
Mr Win, who has a history of calling for Public Service reform, said in Parliament that the Agency chose to partner with the two institutions without proper checks.
“How many people in Myanmar hold certificates from those universities?” Mr Win asked.
“Will the Government recognise those certificates? What about the public money spent on them?”
He said lawmakers needed to enact legislation to prevent such cases from happening again.
Mr Win suggested adding language to a UCSB Law Amendment Bill requiring the Agency to announce in advance any plans to partner with foreign universities and institutions on training programs.
He also suggested that the Government approve all UCSB plans to hire foreign experts or consultants.
A UCSB spokesperson said no public money had been wasted in the Akamai and EBS tie-ups, but he refused to say how much was spent.
Naypyidaw, 11 March 2019
