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Pride, ambition may lead to academic fraud
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Dwi Hartanto (jabar.tribunnews.com/File)
I
n a country where people still perceive academic achievement to be a mark of esteem, ambitions to earn such acknowledgment may urge academics to cut corners, including by committing fraudulent acts, just like in the latest scandal involving Dwi Hartanto.
Dwi, an Indonesian academic at Delft University of Technology (TU Delft) in the Netherlands, came into the spotlight for his “achievement” of becoming an assistant professor at the university at a young age — reportedly 28.
Said to be a doctoral degree candidate in space technology and rocket development, he also reportedly won other competitions and projects, including one to design a satellite for a project funded by Dutch ministries.
Dwi was then rewarded with coverage by several Indonesian media outlets, including an interview with Metro TV’s now-defunct popular talk show Mata Najwa.
He was also reportedly invited to meet former president BJ Habibie, who also has a reputation as an aerospace engineer.
Dwi’s accomplishments, however, had been called into question recently, when Deden Rukmana, an Indonesian professor with Savannah State University in Georgia, United States, wrote an open letter claiming that Dwi’s achievement claims were fake.
