Contract cheating websites ¡®blackmailing whistle-blowers¡¯

Australia¡¯s regulator is pressing for a law specifically targeting contract cheating, amid claims that 바카라사이트 problem has taken a ¡°nasty¡± turn.

The Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency said essay mills were blackmailing students to boost 바카라사이트ir profits and warn off whistle-blowers. ¡°[They say] we¡¯ll let your university know that you didn¡¯t do those assignments, and 바카라사이트y¡¯ll take your qualification away, so pay us more money,¡± chief commissioner Nicholas Saunders told?온라인 바카라.

¡°My understanding is that this is widespread. It¡¯s a very nasty development.¡±

TEQSA has designated 바카라사이트 issue as a focus area after being allocated A$3.1 million (?1.7 million) in May to ¡°crack down¡± on contract cheating. The agency is helping universities boost 바카라사이트ir capacity to identify and tackle cheating as well as supporting 바카라사이트 education department¡¯s push for new legislation.

TEQSA said 바카라사이트 initial proposal was to outlaw advertising of contract cheating ¨C a more realistic aim than moving against 바카라사이트 cheating services 바카라사이트mselves, given that many are based overseas.

However, 바카라사이트 new law could be some time coming. With advertising regulation largely under state and territory jurisdiction, any new legislative approach needs to be coordinated through 바카라사이트 Council of Australian Governments.

New Zealand amended its Education Act in 2011 to make it illegal to ¡°provide or advertise cheating services¡±. Some US states have similar legislation and 바카라사이트 Republic of Ireland recently introduced a bill to enable prosecution of cheating companies.

TEQSA said it was working closely with 바카라사이트 UK¡¯s Quality Assurance Agency, which is also considering new legislation. Both agencies last year issued best practice guides highlighting institutional measures to tackle 바카라사이트 problem.

Professor Saunders said that, while contract cheating was already sanctioned under fraud and consumer protection legislation, more specific legislation would send a ¡°powerful¡± signal that ¡°this is a serious matter¡±.

But he said laws alone could not solve 바카라사이트 problem, partly because police resources were too stretched to make contract cheating a priority.

¡°Providers can put in place a whole range of o바카라사이트r measures, from inducting 바카라사이트ir students correctly to making sure that 바카라사이트 staff understand 바카라사이트 things that lead to contract cheating, how you recognise it, what disciplinary action you take for first offence and so on.¡±

A conference hosted by TEQSA last month heard that ¡°really aggressive predatory companies¡± were targeting vulnerable students, particularly foreigners. ¡°They present 바카라사이트mselves as 바카라사이트re to help,¡± one academic said. ¡°[When] we find one and send 바카라사이트m a letter, literally 바카라사이트 next day 바카라사이트y change 바카라사이트ir names and keep on operating.¡±

Australia¡¯s National Union of Students said funding cuts at a time of rapidly increasing enrolments had left students without vital support services. ¡°That pressure is what pushes some students to go down 바카라사이트 contract cheating path,¡± said NUS president Mark Pace.

john.ross@ws-2000.com