The database, which is being built by the ministry in collaboration with the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC), will include a list of PhD holders, the name of their university, their field of study, the subject of their thesis and their year of graduation.

Yap said the software being developed would incorporate a list of records from all public institutions of higher learning, and that searches could be conducted manually up to 2016.

“We all know those who said they finished their PhD within 10 months are fake PhD holders,” she said in the Dewan Rakyat today.

She also warned that the ministry and the police would take stern action against those who were found to be holding fake PhDs or falsely claiming to be PhD holders.

“Additionally, the public can also report to the police and MCMC if they come across websites which offer fake doctorates or those who hold fake doctorates,” she said.