Angela ignored my question . She proceeded to narrate a story of her colleague who had studied in a foreign university thirty years ago . The lady graduated with a first class honors degree in philosophy , politics and economics . Angela went on : “ It would be foolhardy to expect my workmate to produce the items listed above . Anyone interested in the authenticity of her degree should simply write to her university . There , the university ’ s response will be final ; no to and fro revocations .”
Elsewhere , a battalion of workers at a government agency which oversees universities was unleashed to authenticate one academic document . Another agency responsible for criminal investigations allegedly “ threatened ” to bring affected candidates to book . A law enforcement body was rumored as whetting its appetite to nab suspected candidates . To crown it all , a busy judiciary packed aside serious cases to administer justice to concerned candidates under certificates of urgency . Phew !
Tough Questions
Whenever doubts are cast over the authenticity of certificates from institutions of higher learning , the public ’ s court of opinion points fingers at values thrown out of the window . For instance , people on the street will ask : “ Does transparency and integrity prevail at suspected institutions during the decision-making process of awarding academic papers ?”
Angela quickly posed other questions : “ Are the assessment and certification systems in the institutions broken ? How can institutions worth their scholastic salt be alleged to issue academic certificates to persons who were neither admitted nor studied to meet the graduation requirements ?”
As we pondered over the questions , Daudi wondered : “ Can the alleged academic institution be a decoy in a case where its copy of certificate was printed in some dingy office at River Road ? Yet , the institution did not authorize the printing .” Educated questions require immediate answers from unsolicited fishing expeditions .
Taming the Vice
For ways out of tackling the vice of faking certificates , I told my friends : “ This is a golden opportunity for responsible government agencies to review existing processes and systems of certification in educational and training institutions . It would also be important to re-examine existing governance structures at the institutions . Where such structures are weak do not be surprised to encounter the rot of backdoor certificates .”
David , who lectures at a local university , cited anonymous cases of administration staff members who were sacked due to impropriety on students ’ qualifying marks . He agreed that some administrative systems left a lot to be desired and required total overhauls .
I suggested : “ Institutions of higher learning should establish and maintain Certificate Authentication Bureaus which the public can access on payment of a reasonable fee . Since nowadays people post their profiles on platforms like LinkedIn , one ’ s certificates are no longer a private matter .”
The National Employment Authority should create an accessible national database with graduates ’ certificates . Angela added : “ Locally , professional bodies maintain databases that confirm whether or not their members possess valid Practicing Certificates . Concerned authorities should borrow a leaf from the professional entities .”
Samson Osero is an Independent Human Resource Development Consultant and Author of the book ‘ Transition Into Retirement ’. You can commune with him on this or related matters via email at : Samsonosero @ gmail . com .
2022 INTAKE ONGOING