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Deputy Minister for National Education Fasli Jalal said on Wednesday that the ministry supported any sanctions universities might impose on lecturers caught plagiarizing, after a professor at a Bandung university was exposed as guilty of plagiarism.

“Plagiarism is indeed a very inappropriate thing in the academic world,” he said.

Fasli said institutions of higher education have strict regulations against plagiarism of any kind, adding that once someone’s work is found to be partially or fully plagiarized, the campus should immediately annul any recognition awarded to that work.

“For example, if it is proved that a doctoral dissertation is a work of plagiarism, his or her degree should be annulled at once,” he said.

The sanctions for plagiarism, he said, are clearly outlined in higher education standard operating procedures.

“The thing that we must be able to do is find and then prove whether something is plagiarized or not,” he said.

Fasli said he appreciated Parahyangan University’s promise to take firm action after a highly esteemed professor, Anak Agung Banyu Perwita, was caught plagiarizing.

Agung has already resigned from the university, but he could still be dismissed and have his title of professor revoked.

Fasli said Agung’s case should be taken as a warning to others, “including those who in past years have been working in gray areas where they often quote something but don’t mention the source. They should be more careful.”

“I hope this case works as a kind of shock therapy,” he added.

The deputy minister said he hoped all universities would work to detect plagiarism, adding that campuses should also encourage those who know about plagiarism to report it.

Fasli also said that plagiarism was not only an issue among professors in higher education, but also lower levels, including the undergraduate level.

Separately, Arief Rachman, an education expert and a professor at the State University of Jakarta, said plagiarism should be exposed and recorded.

“Plagiarism in universities and other academic institutions should be tracked so we know the individuals and the institutions where plagiarism is prevalent,” Arief said.

“A person should lose her or his title if they plagiarize someone else’s work. Without firm action, trafficking in forged materials will continue to occur.”

He said the government should install a good monitoring system to reveal these cases.

When he was asked about what was wrong in academic world, he said: “This country has broken rules on every front and we need to get back on the right path. There is no compromise for those not upholding honesty in academic world. Zero tolerance.”

Gumilar Rusliwa Somatri, a rector from the University of Indonesia, said honesty is the foundation of academic life.

“Honesty is the most basic value in the academic world and plagiarism is not in line with this world,” Gumilar said.