Degree controversy - Credibility of Irish colleges is at stake

AS further prominent Irish holders of dodgy degrees are outed, the time has come for Education Minister Mary Hanafin to launch an in-depth probe into the realm of questionable qualifications which offer the purchasers academic kudos overnight.

Hot on the heels of the controversy surrounding reports that two senior figures in Ireland held such degrees, the Irish Examiner reveals today that two academics are now in the spotlight.

They are Mary F McAteer, a senior lecturer in the school of physiotherapy in the Faculty of Medicine at UCD and Cedric Chau, a lecturer at the Institute of Public Administration, the prestigious government-funded think-tank and academic proving ground for top civil servants.