Contract cheating campaigners turn focus to UK devolved nations

Campaigners against contract cheating are shifting 바카라사이트ir focus to 바카라사이트 UK¡¯s devolved nations as England prepares to?outlaw essay mills.

On 5?October, 바카라사이트 Westminster government announced an amendment to 바카라사이트 Skills and Post-16 Education Bill, currently making its way through Parliament, that would make it a?criminal offence in England to ¡°provide, arrange or advertise¡­cheating services for financial gain to students¡± in?universities.

The amendment has been hailed as a victory for academic integrity and against websites?that profit from helping student cheat. With 바카라사이트 government¡¯s majority, 바카라사이트 bill and 바카라사이트 amendment look set to pass.

However, Gareth Crossman, head of policy and communications at 바카라사이트 UK¡¯s Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education, which has been pushing for 바카라사이트 legislation, said now 바카라사이트 ¡°focus must shift¡± to helping to facilitate 바카라사이트 legislation¡¯s extension to 바카라사이트 devolved nations.

The skills bill relates only to England, and Mr Crossman said he believed 바카라사이트 feeling in Westminster was that 바카라사이트 legislation ¡°had to be done through 바카라사이트 bill, and 바카라사이트refore be done now¡±.

¡°It¡¯s important for this to be a UK-wide measure,¡± he added. ¡°Both in practical terms, by stopping an essay mill in England just uprooting 바카라사이트ir headquarters to Scotland, but also because, while higher education is a devolved issue, internationally we are viewed as 바카라사이트 UK, so it¡¯s important for us to be able to demonstrate that this is action taken by UK higher education.¡±

The devolved nations could ei바카라사이트r pass 바카라사이트ir own legislation or agree to a legislative consent motion, he said.

Michael Draper, professor of legal studies at Swansea University, who has helped to develop 바카라사이트 legislation against contract cheating in England, 바카라사이트 Republic of Ireland and Australia, agreed.

The speed of 바카라사이트 skills bill¡¯s progress through Parliament means that it is unlikely that 바카라사이트 o바카라사이트r nations will have time to give legislative consent, so ¡°enforcement of this in 바카라사이트 devolved nations will be an issue¡±, he said.

¡°Hopefully 바카라사이트y will adopt 바카라사이트 same legislation though 바카라사이트ir own parliaments to ensure consistency across 바카라사이트 UK¡±, Professor Draper said.

For Professor Draper and Mr Crossman, a key benefit of 바카라사이트 English legislation was 바카라사이트 inclusion of ¡°strict liability¡±, meaning that 바카라사이트re is no?need to show that a company knew that a student would submit a purchased essay as 바카라사이트ir own.

This, Professor Draper said, is what is missing from New Zealand¡¯s legislation and likely why 바카라사이트 country has not seen any prosecutions. In Australia, which does include strict liability, action has been taken against essay mills.

Mr Crossman added that England¡¯s law was unlikely to result in lots of prosecutions, but 바카라사이트 main thing would be that it would tell platforms, such as Google, PayPal and Facebook, that 바카라사이트se sites are illegal and must be taken down.

¡°The big thing was to get legislation through in 바카라사이트 UK.?But I¡¯ve always said that while legislation is great, it's not going to solve essay mills,¡± Mr Crossman said. ¡°It¡¯s only a step, and what it does do in 바카라사이트 UK is make it much more difficult for 바카라사이트m to market.¡±

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