When it was pointed out to the Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore that one of its employees, Nisha Padmanabhan, had a Masters degree from a degree mill that has since shut down, the IDA’s response could scarcely have been predicted. It replied that the MBA qualification had little bearing on her hiring. Her salary and job scope were based on her Bachelor’s degree and prior work experience.
Surely, the MBA must have made Padmanabhan stand out from other applicants who only had a Bachelor’s degree. Perhaps the IDA did not want to look a gift horse in the mouth when it hired Padmanabhan in 2014 as it was getting an over-qualified employee without having to pay market value.
In its statement, IDA prides itself in using holistic criteria in employing its staff. Integrity, however, is conspicuous in its absence from its list. Although the IDA announced that it was satisfied that Padmanabhan’s Bachelor’s degree was from a reputable university, it carefully avoided mentioning which university that was. It appears her Bachelor of Engineering degree is from University of Mumbai, which does not appear in the rankings of the top 500 universities in the world. Any local graduate would have received their degree from a more reputable university, yet she was hired.
Curiously, however, it appears important enough for IDA to state that Padmanabhan is a Singaporean. Was IDA trying to allay the accusation that they hired a cheap foreigner over a local?
From Padmanabhan’s LinkedIn profile, it seems she may not have been a Singaporean for very long. Her primary and secondary education as well as tertiary education was in India. She seems to have started working in Singapore in 2005 around the time she bought her MBA degree from Southern Pacific University. Feeling fortunate to have secured employment in Singapore, she may have felt having an MBA would offer her security particularly if she was going to apply for permanent residency and citizenship.
The Workforce Development Agency and Immigrations & Checkpoints Authority, which would have been responsible for scrutinizing Padmanabhan’s qualifications while processing work permit, permanent residency, and citizenship applications, have remained very silent about Padmanabhan. When these agencies successfully prosecute offendors, they rarely fail to announce with some bravado the strict penalties for lying on applications. They will be well aware that Padmanabhan has committed an offence if she had declared her MBA qualifications when she made these applications.
More at https://www.domainofexperts.com/2015/05/singapore-education-news-updates.html
Surely, the MBA must have made Padmanabhan stand out from other applicants who only had a Bachelor’s degree. Perhaps the IDA did not want to look a gift horse in the mouth when it hired Padmanabhan in 2014 as it was getting an over-qualified employee without having to pay market value.
In its statement, IDA prides itself in using holistic criteria in employing its staff. Integrity, however, is conspicuous in its absence from its list. Although the IDA announced that it was satisfied that Padmanabhan’s Bachelor’s degree was from a reputable university, it carefully avoided mentioning which university that was. It appears her Bachelor of Engineering degree is from University of Mumbai, which does not appear in the rankings of the top 500 universities in the world. Any local graduate would have received their degree from a more reputable university, yet she was hired.
Curiously, however, it appears important enough for IDA to state that Padmanabhan is a Singaporean. Was IDA trying to allay the accusation that they hired a cheap foreigner over a local?
From Padmanabhan’s LinkedIn profile, it seems she may not have been a Singaporean for very long. Her primary and secondary education as well as tertiary education was in India. She seems to have started working in Singapore in 2005 around the time she bought her MBA degree from Southern Pacific University. Feeling fortunate to have secured employment in Singapore, she may have felt having an MBA would offer her security particularly if she was going to apply for permanent residency and citizenship.
The Workforce Development Agency and Immigrations & Checkpoints Authority, which would have been responsible for scrutinizing Padmanabhan’s qualifications while processing work permit, permanent residency, and citizenship applications, have remained very silent about Padmanabhan. When these agencies successfully prosecute offendors, they rarely fail to announce with some bravado the strict penalties for lying on applications. They will be well aware that Padmanabhan has committed an offence if she had declared her MBA qualifications when she made these applications.
More at https://www.domainofexperts.com/2015/05/singapore-education-news-updates.html
