Hong Kong will step up its measures to combat the use of fake academic credentials to gain admission to local universities, and will take joint action against such fraudulent practices with the Chinese mainland authorities, Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu said on Tuesday.

Following Lee’s remarks, representatives from the education sector stressed the importance of cracking down on the industrial chain responsible for producing the fraudulent documents and called for the authorities, universities and the community to work together to defend the reputation of the city’s higher education establishments.

The city’s spotlight first fell on fake qualifications being used to gain university admission in May this year, when the Business School at the University of Hong Kong reported to police that they had discovered that some of its students had used forged academic qualification documents when applying.

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The scandal snowballed, triggering a major investigation that has so far found dozens of students who gained admission dishonestly, with some of them being arrested. Last week, a mainland student at the University of Hong Kong was sentenced to 17 weeks’ imprisonment for the offense.

Speaking ahead of a weekly Executive Council meeting, Lee said that the special administrative region government has a zero tolerance approach to any offenses that undermine the city’s efforts to become an international higher education hub and its promotion of its “Study in Hong Kong” brand.

He said that in many cases, the documents are forged by education agencies for a profit, and he believes the vast majority of applicants are law-abiding.

He pledged that the authorities will continue to act against such fraudsters and is collaborating with the mainland authorities to shut down agencies that break the law.

Lee also urged local universities to improve their vetting of students’ qualifications, noting that some higher learning institutions have successfully detected fake documents through enhanced examinations.

Chu Kwok-keung, a lawmaker representing the education sector and vice-chairman of the Hong Kong Federation of Education Workers, said he supports the government's efforts to collaborate with the mainland in combating the crime of supplying fake academic credentials.

Chu said it is important to bust the entire cross-border criminal network rather than to place all of the blame on students. He said students are often at the bottom of the forgery-related criminal chain, or may even be victims of it, and encouraged them and their parents to report representatives from agencies who suggest providing false academic information or who offer to take exams on the student’s behalf.

Chu said he has noticed that some universities have ramped up their admissions screening process since the scandal emerged, and are requiring applicants who have studied overseas to provide third-party verification of their documents, to act as a deterrent.

The lawmaker also urged local universities to adopt stricter measures to safeguard their academic integrity and the city’s reputation in higher education.

In a written reply to China Daily, the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology said it has established guidelines for handling fraudulent admissions and a reporting system to notify relevant colleagues involved in the admissions process to enhance vigilance.

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HKUST also noted that appropriate action will be taken according to established procedures against any violations, and said that confirmed cases will be reported to law enforcement.

In a separate reply, the Hong Kong Polytechnic University said it has further strengthened its verification process for academic qualifications to ensure that students meet the entry requirements.

PolyU warned that if any irregularities in academic achievements are identified, it will take appropriate action according to established procedures, including rejecting the applicant or canceling enrolment.

Contact the writer at amberwu@chinadailyhk.com