Police report adds fuel to admissions fiasco

The University of Hong Kong's announcement that it has reported to the police incidents involving the use of suspected fraudulent documents during admissions shows claims on Xiaohongshu - a social media platform widely used by mainland Chinese - that paid agencies have been involved in such frauds are credible.

Prior to the university's latest announcement last Friday, its prestigious Business School had warned it would seek assistance from law-enforcement authorities if irregularities were discovered in a review of the academic qualifications submitted by an undisclosed number of students, many of whom were believed to be from the mainland.

The report to police represented a new milestone in the ongoing investigation.

It is regrettable, though understandable, that HKU included few details of its own findings in the announcement apart from the confirmation of making a police report.

It is hoped that the revelation of the case, or cases, being taken a level higher to the law-enforcement authorities could generate some deterrent effect against future applicants who are planning to secure a place at HKU or other local universities via fraudulent means.

However, this alone is not enough to help HKU recover from the damage already done to the high worldwide reputation it enjoys.

The whole fiasco seems inconceivable. It is established practice for higher education institutions around the world to require course applicants to arrange for their past academic records to be sent in either sealed envelopes or secured electronic files directly from their past schools.

So it was almost beyond imagination to read a claim by a mainland student on Xiaohongshu that the Business School had been accepting transcripts submitted by mail.

Such a procedure was long ago abandoned by the higher education community because it is considered insecure.

The Hong Kong government has been working to transform the city into a learning hub for international students. This makes it all the more necessary for the city's No 1 university and other local higher education institutions to review their admission procedures for any loopholes that are open to exploitation.

Even if the city were not trying to turn itself into a learning hub, HKU and other local universities should also have sought to upgrade their admission processes for the good of their own reputation as well as the well-being of other students who have been honest throughout.

It is understood that other institutions are monitoring the HKU saga with a sense of urgency and that some have formed special committees to review their own admission procedures even though they are not reported to have come across similar fraud.

HKU's Business School said only a small number of students were involved despite accusations on Xiaohongshu that nearly 200 had been investigated by the university.

So, how small is a small number? How many students have been asked to quit as a result of the admissions probe by HKU?

The fact that HKU has reported the case, or cases, to the police could infer a situation that may be more serious than thought.