A man in Malaysia spent 5 years doing a degree at a Johor college, before finding out that his certificate is not recognised in both Singapore and Malaysia.
The man, Mr Teng, shared his story at a press conference in Johor on 10 March, wanting to raise awareness and stop others from falling into the same trap that he did.
Sin Chew Daily reported that Teng was introduced to the college by a friend in 2010, and because he came from poverty, he was enticed by the programme’s flexibility which allowed him to work while studying.
He spent RM17,000 and 5 years on the degree that he thought was an accredited bachelor’s degree.
However, the truth came to light when he got hired by a bank as a financial analyst, but had the offer rescinded because the bank found out that the degree was not recognised.
He then confronted the college but they didn’t give him a reasonable response and instead, threatened to sue him for defamation.
It has been 8 years since he graduated from the “university” and he said that he has tried to seek help from the Malaysian police, the Ministry of Higher Education and the consumer tribunal, but it all came to nothing.
He had no other academic qualifications to fall back on and as such, had to rely on his secondary school certificate since.
He ended up having to take up various jobs in Singapore, including working as a call centre operator and a security guard.
However, things are looking up for Teng as he is not on track to finish his “legit” studies next year, he had been taking remote classes for a business administration course from a university in the UK.
He has also quit his job in Singapore and returned to Johor.
Image source: adapted from Sin Chew Daily