North Korea cracks down on ghostwritten graduation theses at Pyongyang universities
North Korea’s Cabinet Ministry of Education has ordered major universities in Pyongyang to stamp out the ghostwriting of graduation theses, sparking anxiety among soon-to-graduate students and their faculty advisers, according to a source inside the country. The education ministry issued the directive in mid-August, telling each central university to “thoroughly eliminate” the practice of writing…
The North Korean government has recently instructed major universities in Pyongyang to halt the ghostwriting of graduation theses, according to a source within the country. This directive was released in mid-August, prompting worry among students set to graduate and their academic advisors, the source reported. The Ministry of Education gave each central university a month to carry out thorough inspections of how graduating students prepare their theses.
Inspectors are expected to verify whether students personally selected their thesis topics and actively participated in researching and writing their papers. For those who have already completed their theses, examiners will assess their comprehension of the material to confirm they can explain it in their own words. It is still uncertain whether the ministry will conduct the inspections directly, entrust them to the Pyongyang city education department, or require universities to cross-check each other's students.
Ghostwriting graduation theses is widely believed to be prevalent at North Korean universities, particularly in humanities departments where a thesis is often seen as a mere formality, the source explained. In some cases, students have enlisted the help of classmates or skilled underclassmen to complete their theses, the source reported.
Universities are now anxious about being caught up in the aftermath of this crackdown. As the inspections approach, institutions are reportedly conducting their own reviews of graduating students' thesis preparation processes. Some are mandating students to record how they procured materials and drafted their papers, while in certain departments, faculty advisors are conducting individual interviews with students to confirm the thesis topics and content.
Both students and faculty members are concerned about the implications of this policy, as those who received assistance or whose thesis preparation is lacking may face repercussions, the source noted.
Written by urgent.news from Daily NK's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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