Need for more laws to curb fake certificates

The Ministry of Higher Education says more penal measures are required to deal with the rising number of cases relating to fake educational certificates in the country. According to the ministry, more legislations are the best way to deal with such cases.

“Such steps have always found results and the ministry favours expansion of the present laws so that the cases are dealt with by the ministry itself,” the ministry says on its Twitter handle. Currently, cases of fake certificates are referred to the Department of Public Prosecution, which decides the action to be taken against the accused.

It takes time for pronouncement of the verdict. According to the ministry, the transfer of such cases to the prosecution does not mean the problem is eliminated fully.

“More efforts are needed. The ministry is keeping a close watch on reports making rounds on social media,” it tweeted. The Equivalency of Qualifications and Recognition Department is the competent authority to deal with academic qualifications issued by other countries.

It has been working in accordance with the terms of reference assigned to it regarding the verification of certificates. After the introduction of the electronic system, a large number of certificates are being referred to the department by different recruitment agencies.

“This shows the process of verification is moving in the right direction,” say the tweets.

At the same time, an official at the department said both the government and private sectors should ensure certificates submitted by job-seekers are verified and attested by competent authorities before employing them.

“Those aspiring for a job in Oman, both in the public and private sectors, should get their qualifications equalised by the ministry. Similarly, students who wish to continue their studies abroad must get the ministry’s approval before pursuing their studies,” the official said.

The official said the attestation grants equal certification privileges to persons certified in the state and may be issued an equivalent certificate in this state upon terms and conditions determined by the department.

According to him, the procedure will ensure that job positions are filled by candidates with the requisite skills.

“For Omani students, this will protect them from falling victim to fake universities abroad, which offer tailormade weekend degrees,” the official said.

The ministry of higher education has, since 1975, detected 1,250 forgery cases including 108 cases of forging academic qualifications, 25 certificates issued by fake institutions and 1,117 cases of fake stamps, said Al Nasr bin Nasser al Ruqaishi, Assistant Director of Equivalency of Qualifications and Recognition Department at the ministry of higher education.

As per recent statistics, the department handled 36,548 applications for equivalency of certificates of which 12,605 certificates were approved.

7,265 applications for continuation of study were approved and 16,678 certificates verified, Al Ruqaishi adding that the general principle is that any academic certificate issued by a non-oman university should not be valid until it is authenticated by the Equivalency of Qualifications and Recognition Department of the ministry of higher education.

Those aspiring for a job in Oman, both in the public and private sectors, should get their qualifications equalised... students who wish to continue their studies abroad must get the ministry’s approval