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Kahon Chan

Hong Kong’s leader has pledged to work with mainland Chinese authorities to crack down on education consultants supplying forged documents to candidates seeking admission to local universities.
Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu said on Tuesday that authorities would severely combat such acts of furnishing false information as they would undermine his administration’s policy to strengthen Hong Kong’s position as a tertiary education hub.
“There are situations where intermediaries make unscrupulous attempts to make money,” Lee said before a weekly meeting of the government’s key decision-making Executive Council.
“If our law enforcement agencies know about these situations, they will definitely crack down and work with mainland agencies to tackle these illegal activities. But I believe that most of them are law-abiding.”
Lee unveiled plans to launch a “Study in Hong Kong” campaign when he delivered his annual policy address last week, with the brand seeking to promote the city as a global tertiary education hub.
He said Hong Kong was very attractive in terms of quality university education, especially in the Middle East and among other nations involved in the Belt and Road Initiative, China’s plan to grow global trade.
But Lee warned that law enforcement agencies would take action against those caught using or supplying fake credentials, adding that institutions were responsible for flagging suspicious cases.
“Universities must also strengthen their own systems in this regard and work harder when sifting through academic qualification applications. After all, there are so many of these applications,” he said.
“If any violations are involved, law enforcement agencies will be notified and appropriate legal measures will be taken.”

Universities recently uncovered cases of applicants submitting fake academic credentials for admission, with some even successfully enrolling.
The business school of the University of Hong Kong (HKU) revealed in July that about 30 master’s degree students had been caught using fake documents for their enrolment in an investigation.
The investigation was launched after the school found some students had secured places with the help of agencies that forged academic qualifications.
One student, Wu Linhui, 24, was sentenced to 17 weeks in prison last Thursday for providing a fake certificate from an Ivy League university in the United States and making false representations to immigration officers.
Cai Hongbin, the dean of HKU’s business school, earlier warned that the fake qualifications scandal would have a huge negative impact on the academic integrity of mainland students, pledging that his institution would step up checks in the future.
The school also hoped to summarise its experiences amid the investigation and publicise the methods of these “illegal agencies” so other local universities could plug any loopholes in their admission processes, he added.
Despite the high-profile conviction, a Post search for “promised acceptance” on mainland e-commerce platform Taobao still yielded results showing websites offering “special direct channels” guaranteeing offers from universities in Hong Kong and overseas.


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John Lee issues warning after earlier unveiling plans for ‘Study in Hong Kong’ campaign to promote city as global tertiary education hub


John Lee issues warning after earlier unveiling plans for ‘Study in Hong Kong’ campaign to promote city as global tertiary education hub.


John Lee

John Lee policy address 2024

Hong Kong to take hard line against suppliers of fake credentials for university applicants

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}John Lee issues warning after earlier unveiling plans for ‘Study in Hong Kong’ campaign to promote city as global tertiary education hub

John Lee issues warning after earlier unveiling plans for ‘Study in Hong Kong’ campaign to promote city as global tertiary education hub