GEORGE TOWN: A 65-year-old who spent RM12,000 on a four-year degree course offered by Cambridge International University (CIU) is saddened by those who label people like him as “fake degree holders”, following calls to punish a deputy minister over his academic qualifications from the same institution.

M Pathma said he was aware that the degree from CIU, which has been labelled a “diploma mill”, was not recognised.

But Pathma, who in 2005 was working as a warehouse manager could not afford to pursue a full-time course.

As such, he went ahead to sign up for the course, which was at that time not offered by local universities.

“It is very upsetting that some people are calling it a fake-degree university, despite our years of hard work.

“I think people fail to see the difference between a bogus degree and an unrecognised degree,” he told FMT.

“A well-recognised degree is for individuals who wish to start their career on a high and be marketable. But for people who are self-employed and have their own business, recognition might not be essential,” Pathma said.

CIU came under media spotlight recently following an admission by Deputy Foreign Minister Marzuki Yahya that his degree was from CIU, and not from its namesake, the world-renowned University of Cambridge.

Pathma said the courses offered by CIU fulfilled the needs of those wishing to expand their knowledge which could be used to improve their job performance.

Pathma said all he wanted then was to improve his knowledge.

The course on logistics offered at CIU, said Pathma, also included a module on interpretation of documentary credits, something useful in international trade.

Pathma completed the degree course in 2009, and attended a graduation ceremony held at a hall in Universiti Malaya, where he received his scroll from PPP politician T Murugiah, then a senator who was a deputy minister in the Prime Minister’s Department.

Pathma said his first academic qualification was also an unrecognised one, a diploma in computer science from Institut Teknologi TMC, Sungai Petani, Kedah.

“Look at Bill Gates, a Harvard dropout who is one of the world’s richest men. Are you going to stop buying his products because he does not have a degree?” asked Pathma.

A portal providing information on higher education programmes in Europe, Mastersportal.com, labels CIU as a “diploma mill”, one of over 2,600 which according to US-based educational consultants World Education Services exist worldwide.