Barisan Nasional Permatang Pauh candidate Arif Shah Omar Shah has stopped pursuing his PhD degree after questions were raised over his academic credentials.

“The PhD is not recognised, so I have quit. I am finding a paper that is recognised,” he told Malaysiakini when met at the sidelines of his election campaign on Tuesday.

arif shah blog and edison university technology and star website permatang pauh by election 210808 01 He was asked to respond to questions raised on the Internet, asking how he could pursue a doctorate degree when he possessed only a diploma and no other intermediating qualification.

An English daily had carried a profile of Arif Shah’s educational background, reporting that he was a diploma holder in civil engineering and currently pursuing a PhD at the ‘Edison University of Technology (off-campus programme).

The report sparked debate among bloggers who could not verify his academic credentials as they could not find his university name on the Internet.

The 52-year-old Seberang Jaya state assemblyperson clarified the university should be ‘Edision University of Technology’, a university registered in the British Virgin Islands offering distance learning courses.

Registered in British Virgin Islands

After checking the Internet and a local industry expert, Malaysiakini found the university has been accused of being a bogus diploma mill.

The local expert, who asked for anonymity, pointed out that the address of the university’s international distance learning centre is shared by hundreds of other companies.

It is believed the address belongs to a company secretary.

“It is a rare practice for a university to list its company secretary's address, what more it is registered in the British Virgin Islands,” said the expert.

arif shah blog and edison university technology and star website permatang pauh by election 210808 03 According to the expert, the islands, which are located in Carribean to the east of Puerto Rico, are known as a centre for the registration for more than half a million offshore companies.

Apart from that, the only accreditation given to the university came from the World Association of Universities and Colleges (WAUC), according to the university’s website.

WAUC is a global accreditation association founded to establish and promote global standards in higher education among colleges and universities worldwide.

However, the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board has listed WAUC as a ‘fraudulent or unrecognised accreditor’, claiming it could be working hand in hand with institutions offering fraudulent or substandard degrees.

An American students’ newspaper, the Daily Iowan also reported that WAUC had been sued by University of California in 1999 for breach of contract and fraud. The University of California claims to have been duped into becoming a WAUC member.

According to Arif, he did his diploma at the Federal Institute of Technology in Kuala Lumpur.

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