PLA rush for quick degrees MOHAN BUDAYEAR DHANGADHI, Jan 28 - Driven by the desire to get integrated into the Nepal Army (NA), combatants of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) here are busy buying "fake academic certificates". While many PLA commanders of the seventh division at Talbanda and Badaipur camps are reportedly frequenting neighbouring Indian cities to buy "fake certificates", some have enrolled in local schools and colleges.  For instance, Ananda and Sangharsha, the nom de guerres of two brigade commanders of the division, are enrolled as bachelor-level students in Khaptad Multiple Campus here. But they are rarely seen in the college, and even if they come, they just go out after a couple of classes. "They are not taking classes regularly," said Campus Chief Madan Raj Joshi. According to him, around 10 PLA combatants are enrolled in the campus. The neighbouring Janapriya Higher Secondary School at Badaipur has more than 35 PLA men in its higher secondary and secondary-level programmes. "Even those PLA men, who are not enrolled, come to us to enquire where and how they could get academic certificates," said Janga Bahadur Deuba, the school principal. A source said on condition of anonymity that commander-level PLA men had been visiting Nainitaal, Khari, Paliya and other colleges of Uttaranchal and Uttar Pradesh states of India to acquire fake academic certificates. "One can buy such certificates by paying Indian Rs. 3,000 to 10,000 each," the source claimed. Most of the PLA commanders, including section, platoon and division commanders, lack academic qualification to join the national army. Only those who have passed the higher secondary level can apply for the post of second lieutenant. Hardly 10 percent of PLA commanders here have passed that level. PLA's seventh division vice-commander Jeevan, for instance, who holds a post equivalent to NA's major general, is barely literate. While division commander Mahendra Bahadur Shahi, a former primary-level teacher, has passed the higher secondary level. "No woman commander here has passed School Leaving Certificate exams," said the source. Asked whether PLA combatants got admission at the bachelor level by producing fake certificates of the intermediate level, Campus Chief Joshi said they were yet to look into the matter. "A few of them have produced Indian certificates; we'll check that later," he said. A few weeks ago, Finance Minister Dr. Baburam Bhattarai  had said the PLA combatants' participation in the "people's war" should be taken as academic qualification for integration into the NA.