Some universities are reportedly refusing to issue diplomas to graduates unless they provide a certificate from their employer to prove they have landed a job.

That is gross violation of the graduates' rights. There are no legal grounds for these institutions to make such a demand.

Behind this unjustifiable practice is the fact the graduate employment rate matters in terms of the reputation and economic benefits enjoyed by a university.

A higher rate means a good reputation, which will attract more students next year. Stable enrolment brings a university a fixed income from tuition and other fees.

A higher rate is a credit to the leaders of a university in its assessment by higher authorities. In addition, it can be used as leverage for the institution to bargain with higher authorities for more funds and a higher enrolment quota.

But however hard universities push their graduates for an employment certificate, the fact remains that the job market is sluggish and many students will remain jobless after their graduation. The only result of this shameful practice is that many are forced to employ whatever means possible to obtain a fake employment certificate in order to get their diplomas, with some even being forced to deal with counterfeiters.

The fact that these universities seldom bothered to verify these certificates with employers suggests that they merely care about the paperwork, they are not interested in whether or not the graduates have actually found a job.

The employment market for college graduates has been sluggish in recent years. All universities are well aware of that.

They should also know that their unreasonable demand may force many graduates who cannot find a job to get fake employment certificates, even from illegal dealers. What is unsettling is that they appear very much at ease with such dishonesty. That is unethical.

An institution of higher education is supposed to teach students knowledge and cultivate their values and personal integrity. For those students who have to obtain an employment certificate from an employer who has actually not employed them or even a fake one, how will they feel about the last lesson their alma mater has taught them?

For such colleges, a reputation established on an unreal employment rate will not last long and will eventually be their undoing.

The employment rates provided by universities play an important role in determining the central government's education policies. By providing such false information, these "professionals" are doing the education sector a great disservice.

A crackdown on this illegal and unethical practice cannot come a moment too soon.