It isn't possible to obtain a degree after one year of study, Miroslav Mečár, the Rector of Alexander Dubček Trenčín University told the TASR newswire in reaction to information in the media concerning Daniela Banóciová, the daughter of the dean of the School of Social and Economic Sciences, who was awarded a degree in 2007 after just a few months of study.
Mečár stated that he doesn't know how long Banóci's daughter studied at the university and that he will ask the Education Ministry to look into the matter. He said the current system makes it possible to compress two years of study into one, and even more in the case of study abroad. But he said it definitely is not possible to complete a five-year study programme in a single year.
If it emerges that the university was granting degrees too easily it may lose its accreditation and the right do bestow university degrees, Education Minister Ján Mikolaj told journalists on October 26, adding that he will order a thorough investigation at the university. Trenčín University has been in trouble for similar practices in the past, with part-time students obtaining degrees after just two years. TASR
Compiled by Zuzana Vilikovská from press reports
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