PUTRAJAYA: The academician accused of plagiarism in his doctorate thesis should not be punished as guilty until the university which had given him the accreditation makes an official announcement.
Second Education Minister Datuk Seri Idris Jusoh said he had been told that Universiti Malaysia Kelantan (UMK) where the professor was serving had contacted the University of Vienna where he studied.
“We do not decide on this matter (plagiarism), but it will be decided by the Senate of the university concerned. The public cannot punish him.
“Are we more knowledgeable than the prestigious university which has produced many Nobel Laureates by saying this (that the professor had plagiarised),” he told reporters after launching the first phase of the five Big Data Competency Centres here yesterday.
Idris said it was the university’s right to award the honorary doctorate degree (PhD) to those people who had conducted a thesis.
A portal had earlier reported that a UMK lecturer had plagiarised in his doctorate thesis writing. It is understood that a decision on the investigations into the professor will be known next week.
Meanwhile, Idris said the Education Ministry was studying if vernacular schools should be terminated.
“There are accusations that the vernacular school is a source of disunity. We have to study the matter first,” he said. — Bernama