The Bhutanese Leading the way.
Zero tolerance approach to it by authorities
The Royal Bhutan Police (RBP), has registered a case of forged IELTS result. The RBP reported that this incident was brought to their attention on July 29 by the Bhutan Qualification and Professionals Certification Authority (BQPCA).
A civil servant submitted a forged IELTS document. The forgery was done in the form of a letter from one of the trainers to justify the discrepancy in the IELTS score in favour of a higher score than what the person actually got. The issue was detected by an Australian University that cross checked the IELTS score.
Following the report, the police have apprehended an individual implicated in the forgery, and the investigation is currently ongoing.
Then a second complaint was handed over by Association of Bhutanese Education Consultancies (ABEC) to the police when a student came with forged 10 and 12 mark sheets and also a forged University degree from India.
Following the two above incidents the Higher Education Quality Council (HEQC) BQPCA, MoESD organized a half day sensitization program to all Education Consultancy and Placement Firms (ECPFs) registered in Bhutan on Document Forgery and Fraudulent Practices on 2nd August 2024 from 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM.
An official from the BQPCA emphasized the importance of consultancies adhering to regulations concerning document forgery and tampering stating, “Although instances of forged MCs (Marriage Certificate) and BCSEA (Bhutan Council for School Examination and Assessment) results have been rumored, this is the first formal complaint the BQPCA has received regarding such matters.”
The official urged consultancies to thoroughly verify documents before submitting them to universities, including checking the validity of IELTS reports through the appropriate verification links.
The BQPCA representative also warned that if similar cases arise in the future, both the proprietor and the counselor involved could face severe repercussions, including the revocation and suspension of their licenses.
“This action is necessary because engaging in such criminal activities indirectly aids individuals in fraudulent practices. Moreover, these matters will be reported to the RBP for further investigation.”
Another official from the Bhutan Qualification and Professionals Certification Authority (BQPCA) pointed out that incidents like these undermine the credibility of our nation.
Palden Tshering, Chairperson of the Association Bhutanese Education Consultancy, remarked, “The issue is that culturally, we don’t view such fraud as a criminal act. This cultural acceptance overlooks the legal implications. Therefore, it is crucial to inform all students that presenting fraudulent documents for studying abroad is unacceptable. Students should not approach any Education Consultancy and Placement Firms (ECPF) with such documents. We have conveyed to all counselors that forgery is a criminal offense. Furthermore, if a consultancy fails to report such incidents, it is considered complicit. A counselor who assists or remains silent about a student presenting false documents is also implicated in the crime.”
He further added, “Consultancies cannot guarantee with 100 percent certainty that all documents are genuine. However, documents like English Language Test scores—IELTS, TOEFL, and PTE—can be verified online. It is the counselor’s duty to thoroughly check documents that can be verified through online platforms.”
Palden Tshering said that this is a strong stance being taken by BQPCA, ABEC and the system as a whole against some students who are taking advantage of the system.
He said that if a student is presenting a Royal University of Bhutan degree there is no mechanism to check with BQPCA as there is no access to the system and it would be very difficult but this will have to be addressed.
He said such practices of fabricating marks are common across the border but the practice is now creeping into Bhutan. He said there is a lack of awareness on the issue and some students do not know what they are doing is completely wrong and violating the law.
He said this also shows ethical issues and how we are brought up.
Palden said ABEC and the system is taking a zero-tolerance approach to this.
At one level the problem is also to do with the quality of applicants with most students already having left and consultancies now scraping the bottom of the barrel to the extent of giving cash offers and other schemes.
The aim of the meeting is to call all the consultancies and counsellors so that nobody can claim ignorance now.
The counsellors from different consultancies shared that the session was fruitful for them as they haven’t had such interactions before.
Currently, there are 78 registered Education Consultancies and Placement Firms (ECPF) in Bhutan. The BQPCA organized saw participation from over 250 counsellors and case-handling officers representing 78 consultancies.
Earlier this year the owner of Amen Arts/Prints and Rubber Stamps was arrested and charged with various forgery acts.
He was basically forging a host of documents like document notarizations, marriage certificates, census documents, bank statements, land valuation, mark sheets, degrees, driving licenses, seals of private companies and more for students going abroad. He had the ability to forge around 99% of the documents required to go abroad.
The police could not access the data base for which students he did this and for a few they could identify, the students were already abroad.
