University don raises red flags over students hiring services of companies, individuals to write dissertations

The President of Radford University College, Dr Paul Effah, has expressed concern about an emerging practice in tertiary institutions whereby students hire and pay individuals and organisations to do their dissertation and essays for them.

The trend, he said was a worrying phenomenon worldwide that needed to be stopped before it got out of hands.

"I wish to use this medium to draw attention to an emerging and worrying phenomenon in higher education globally. This is what has been referred to as 'essay Mills'.

"Recent studies have confirmed the phenomenon of students contracting companies to write their essays and dissertations. It is getting worse and becoming a major concern within the higher education sector worldwide," he said.

Dr Effah said this on Saturday at the sixth congregation and 10th matriculation of the Radford University College in Accra.

According to Graphic Online's Emmanuel Bonney who was at the ceremony, Dr Effah said Philip Newton at Swansea University in the UK had calculated that as many as one in seven students worldwide had paid for assignments and up to 31 million students have used essay mill services.

"In the UK alone it has been found out that hundreds of contract cheating companies are in operation and that about 17,000 students have been caught using their services," he pointed out.