Du Jinggang, director of the Sanya Education Bureau, was reported to have plagiarized his paper | The Epoch Times

Plagiarism Allegations Against Du Jinggang, Director of Sanya Education Bureau

On November 15, 2024, the topic of Du Jinggang, the director of the Sanya Municipal Education Bureau, gained attention after reports surfaced about suspected plagiarism in his graduate thesis. Relevant staff at Southwest University confirmed that they are investigating the matter.

A citizen named Lu Yi reported that Du Jinggang’s thesis had a duplication rate of over 40%. Lu Yi submitted a copy of the thesis, which Du Jinggang defended on May 21, 2006. According to the CNKI duplication check report, the thesis, consisting of more than 50,000 words, showed a total text duplication rate of 42.5%. The rate dropped to 39.4% when excluding cited documents.

Du Jinggang was born in Ledong, Hainan, in May 1980. He joined the Communist Party of China in June 2003. He holds a postgraduate degree and a doctorate in education. He currently serves as the party secretary and director of the Sanya Municipal Education Bureau.

Information from the Hainan History Network confirms that Du Jinggang obtained his doctorate from the School of Education at Southwest University. Lu Yi’s reporting materials were submitted to the Academic Committee at the university, which acknowledged receipt on October 23.

To clarify any potential confusion about names, Lu Yi contacted the Academic Committee Office and learned that there was only one Du Jinggang who graduated from his major that year at Southwest University. Lu Yi’s husband, a former vice principal at Southwest University Sanya Middle School, discovered issues with enrollment practices and reported them to the authorities. He faced termination from his job in October 2022.

Following this, Lu Yi and her husband discovered the plagiarism in Du Jinggang’s academic work and reported it to the Ministry of Education and the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection.

As of November 13, staff from Southwest University indicated they accepted the case and would complete their investigation within six months. Meanwhile, staff from the Sanya Municipal Commission for Discipline Inspection stated they had not received details about the situation yet. On November 14, they advised interested parties to use offline channels to check on the progress of the investigation.

This situation has sparked discussions and skepticism online, particularly regarding the unusually high duplication rates in papers at Southwest University.