Cambodia’s national examination committee is set to crack down on applicants using fake high school certificates for health sector degree exams. 

The move comes in response to reported misconduct, with some individuals successfully using forged documents to pass exams at national health training institutions.

"The aim is to put a stop to the use of fake high school certificates and enhance the prestige, value and dignity of nurses starting from the 2023-24 academic year," the committee stated in a January 11 press release.

It emphasised its commitment to adhere to Article 629 of the Criminal Code, which outlines penalties for forging documents, with perpetrators facing jail terms of up to 10 years.

It said it would pursue legal action without exception, addressing not only counterfeit high school certificates but also other fraudulent documents used in exams.

If individuals have passed ones, received training and are now working in the health profession using fake documents, authorities will confiscate their certificates upon discovering any deception during the exam stage. 

The committee reports that 43 candidates in the health sector used forged high school certificates, leading to their ban from sitting exams in 2022.

This year, the committee will recruit 11,105 candidates for the first year of the Bachelor and Associate programmes in the health sector, marking a 260-candidate increase from the previous year.