China sets up commission to curb academic fraud

BEIJING, May 26 (Reuters) China has set up a commission to curb academic fraud and plagiarism in higher-learning institutions following recent scandals, official media reported.

The commission's director, Zhang Qizhi, was quoted late last night by Xinhua news agency as saying that the 30-member body would set guidelines for colleges and universities to curb fraud and would specify punishments for those caught cheating.

The announcement came days after Education Minister Zhou Ji urged researchers to comply with ethical guidelines or otherwise be ''disciplined''.

China has been embarrassed by a number of high-profile scandals involving academic fraud.

Earlier this month, Chen Jin, a professor at Shanghai's renowned Jiao Tong University, the alma mater of former president Jiang Zemin, was fired for falsely claiming to have invented a new kind of computer chip.

Xinhua said an academic at Shanghai's Tongji University was sacked last month for faking his academic record, while a professor at Beijing's Tsinghua University was also dismissed in March for faking his academic achievements and work experience.

The new commission will not handle specific cases, but will focus on prevention of academic scandals through case studies, public hearings and supervising the establishment of monitoring organisations in local colleges nationwide.

REUTERS DH RN0751