Higher education – Fake diplomas abound

The EGS faculty encourages a request for diploma authentication to detect diploma falsifications in time.

The Faculty of Economics, Management and Sociology of the University of Antananarivo is sounding the alarm on cases of false diplomas detected. “We detected a case of fake diploma but it was not an isolated case. The publication on our page was a way of drawing attention to the presence of a systematic authentication check to be carried out”, indicates Professor Ramaromanana Fanomezantsoa Andriamahefazafy, Dean of the Faculty of Economics, Management and Sociology at the level of the University of Antananarivo. On this report, the diploma verified with the faculty is of the master’s degree and where the indications as well as the mentions and the signatures do not agree with the real information. The false diploma however presented logos of the University of Antananarivo and that of the EGS faculty. Two categories of cases can be detected. “The first is the one we saw recently. All the information is erroneous although the person in question had applied for a job with a UN agency. Before the implementation of the tamper-proof code process, it might be that people were tempted to make a fake diploma. Currently, we have the tamper-proof code as part of the secure diploma. The diploma only comes out following security procedures, ”says the manager. A report to the competent authorities has already been made, according to the Dean of the faculty. “We have forwarded the case to the University of Antananarivo so that it can take the necessary measures. This is, among other things, the dissemination of information to other universities, ”adds the manager.

Control

In addition, the EGS faculty has encouraged organizations and ministries to systematically send it a request for authentication from its services during the recruitment and/or control phase. In addition, the Ministry of Labour, Employment, Public Service (FOP) and Social Laws insisted on more control of diplomas. The hunt for false diplomas continues “We have a detection at the FOP. Apart from the detection procedures, we also ask for the list of those admitted to the establishments with the original and the certified photocopy”, indicates Mahadiny Gérard Bernardin, Director General of the Public Service. This is not the first time that cases of falsification of diplomas have been listed. In some cases, falsification is used either to enter the civil service or for reclassification. Penalties might range from two to ten years imprisonment up to life imprisonment for the usurpers.