VietNamNet Bridge – So-called black school services are increasing on the internet - attending class for others, sitting exams under others’ names and forging student cards and university degrees.

Black school services are increasing on the internet

There are many choices on education websites for students to make and the service fees are negotiable, while payment methods are simple. Service providers have committed to keeping student information secret.

In general, a student has to pay VND50,000-70,000 to hire someone to attend class. The prices vary, depending on what the service providers have to do in class.

The service fee is lower if they just need to be present to answer the roll call. The fee would be higher if they have to act as real students in class. The service providers charge VND20,000 more if they have to write down lesson information.

Bka is a well-known service provider in Hanoi. It includes students with good learning capability, ready to attend classes at any time the “customers” want.

The “network” is believed to cover most intermediate schools (2-year-training), junior colleges (3-year training) and universities (4-5 year training) in Hanoi.

The members of the group are very “professional” when making public their service fees. They charge VND50,000 for every lesson they are required to attend, if the schools are located in districts of Hoan Kiem, Hai Ba Trung and Hoang Mai, and the lesson is no longer than four hours.

Meanwhile, the service fee is higher, VND70,000, if they have to go to schools in other areas in Hanoi. The fee would be VND90,000 if customers want them to write down lesson texts.

Since the group advertises itself as providing high-quality services, it always demands payment in advance, either in cash or via bank account.

Students who want to have their theses written will have to contact other service providers.

Like those who provide the class-attending service, thesis writers also gather in groups which contact customers via internet. The groups are believed to cooperate well with each other, and negotiate the price to be sure that no one would “dump” in the market.

In general, a thesis is priced at VND2-5 million.

With hundreds of thousands of dong, one could get a forged student card, which allows anyone to enter school and attend classes. With several million dong, one would be able to get a university degree. And all kinds of students’ documents, including transcripts and learning records, can be forged with “high technologies”.

On bangdaihoc…, the service providers advertise that they can provide forged university degrees at VND4 million per product.

Thanh Mai