AUTHORITIES in Shenzhen will check the authentication of diplomas and degrees held by the city’s officials as a national crackdown on fake education documents begins in earnest.

　The screening would cover all officials at the level of vice-department chief and above at government agencies or State-owned enterprises.

　All diplomas of college level and above, as well as bachelor degrees and above, which holders claimed to have obtained through on-the-job programs since the 1980s are subject to screening before December.

　Authorities said those who held fake documents or obtained qualifications by dishonest means but failed to report them honestly would face administrative discipline and even criminal charges.Those who report honestly to authorities and give up the bogus diplomas and degrees automatically would face no disciplinary or legal action.

　Officials said the screening was required by the central Party authorities and the Central Government which are seeking to build a clean, honest Party and government.

　China is cracking down on the forging and dealing of bogus degrees and diplomas as the latest census revealed at least 500,000 people are using fake education documents.

　Those who produce, sell or even use fake diplomas and degrees could receive jail terms if they are convicted, a Xinhua News Agency report indicated.

　Xinhua said Yan Haitao, a jobless Beijing resident, was sentenced to six-months imprisonment for using a fake diploma. The person who sold him the fake diploma on the street was also jailed.

　Figures from this year’s population census show that the number of those who claimed to have an education equal to or higher than college level is 500,000 more than the official number registered in higher-learning colleges and universities in China.(SD News)