Academic standards eroded by market forces?

The inquiry into the Newcastle plagiarism scandal has highlighted a rarely discussed aspect of the plagiarism problem -- the tension between maintaining academic standards in the face of increased competition for recruiting students. According to a recent report in Sydney Morning Herald http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/09/08/1094530693563.html> A Malaysian education executive wrote to University of Newcastle officials after foreign students were failed for plagiarism, asking them to review the cases "more generously", an inquiry has been told. The email, produced at the Independent Commission Against Corruption yesterday, said the university could struggle for enrolments if a lot of fee-paying students were failing.