Academic degrees from Egyptian universities are for sale. Dozens of offices engaged in selling fake degrees operate in the immediate vicinity of Cairo University without any hitch or hindrance from the authorities, said a recent media report. These fake degree shops freely advertise their ware to the public through social media platforms, again without any objections from the university or concerned educational authorities.
And the buyers, you guessed right, Kuwaitis and other wealthy Gulf country nationals who can afford the cost. A Master’s degree or a PhD is said to cost around KD1,500. Moreover, operators of the degree shops even guarantee the veracity of certificates they issue by claiming to work in close cooperation with the staff at several Egyptian colleges.
Although an official at the Egyptian Ministry of Higher Education rubbished these claims of cooperation, there is no doubt about fake Egyptian degrees making their way all over the Gulf and other places. Kuwait has been especially blighted with these degrees and the Higher Education authorities in the country are in the process of verifying and authenticating degrees issued from foreign universities.
Given the holiday season and stiff competition for the sale of fake degrees, it would not be surprising if a Facebook post soon appears advertising special discounts and two-for-one promotions for fake degrees.