The higher education model is strongly criticized

Rosa Maria Torres in debate about academic titles

Due to recent cases of plagiarized thesis and fake title, the higher education model currently promoted by the Ecuadorian Government in which the “punishment and control,” prevail but in that contrast allows the lack of basic academic rules on behalf of several senior officials, were made during a forum organized by the Association of Teachers of the National Polytechnic (EPN).

The main theme of the meeting was the academic fraud, because of accusations made by the alleged plagiarism committed by the former Minister of Strategic Sectors, Jorge Glas, in his thesis for an engineering degree at the Polytechnic School.

In this case are also the cases of brothers Fernando and Vinicio Alvarado, secretaries of Communication and Public Administration who earned a PhD in Communication at the University of Loja after submitting a thesis shared by their parents, it should be emphasized that such academic entity only grants academic masters degrees. It was also discussed the scandal of the title of Pedro Delgado, former president of the Central Bank of Ecuador, who faked his title of economist to access a master at INCAE, Costa Rica.

Members in charge of that meeting were Rosa Maria Torres, former Education Minister; Ivan Carvajal, professor, writer and winner of Juan Montalvo Award; and Milton Luna, coordinator of the Social Contract for Education. Torres said the Internet has been an important factor that has increased the worldwide academic fraud. She also indicated that if the Internet use is public, this does not mean that a person is able to appropriate it, I must quote its sources. Torres emphasized that she reviewed the work of Glas, and said that it is indeed “a thesis with a high level of plagiarism.”

For Carvajal, the shared thesis of the brothers Alvarado is “a monumental blunder,” explaining that a PhD thesis should be and individual product of extensive research.

Meanwhile Milton Luna criticized the education model that is being building by the system, because they are leaving hundreds of youths outside the classroom.