Plagiarism

Saturday, March 01, 2008

Penalties for plagiarism

It was good to hear that Punjab University finally took action against plagiarists. But merely sending them into early retirement was not enough. Some kind of financial penalty along with appropriate measures to ensure that the guilty ones do not get employment in other colleges and universities would have been more suitable. There is nothing that can prevent the retired plagiarists from taking up teaching positions in other private institutions. This is problematic, because these teachers could start teaching in one of many private colleges that are sprouting in houses around the city. Also, it is important to take heavier action so that others are deterred from resorting to plagiarism in the future.

SHAKIR LAKHANI
Karachi
"Daily Times", March 1, 2008