The Ministry of Higher Education in cooperation with relevant investigative agencies and the public prosecution is continuing its fight against fake degrees with new evidence of illegal certifications emerging every day.
It is estimated that thousands of employees currently working in ministries and other government organizations, as well as in the private sector obtained fake degrees and other illegal certificates by paying money that totals multi-million dinars to unscrupulous agents and shady educational institutions.
Following the widespread evaluation of certificates in various public sector organizations, many people were found to have obtained jobs and promotions on the basis of false degrees, including masters and doctoral degrees. The discovery and discrediting of these workers has resulted in a huge financial loss to many of them in addition to suffering the ignominy of being branded cheats.
The authorities have so far discovered and canceled fake certificates worth around KD4.4 million that citizens had obtained from various countries. Citizens were found to have obtained fake degrees from India, Philippines, Greece, and Slovakia among other places. A total of 190 citizens obtained fake certificates from India, with 189 of them obtaining an illegal degree certificate by paying KD4,000 each and one receiving a masters degree for payment of KD7,000.
The authorities have also discovered a total of 562 fake certificates obtained by citizens from the Philippines, 214 from Greece and 57 from Slovakia. Among those obtaining degrees from the Philippines were six doctorate degree holders who are said to have bought their certificates for KD12,000 each, 24 masters degree holders who paid KD6,800 per certificate, and 532 people who gave KD3,000 each to receive a bachelor’s degree.
The number of people receiving a fake certificate from Greece included 36 who received a doctorate degree by paying KD15,000 per certificate; 38 who obtained a master’s degree for KD6,800 apiece, and 140 people who became graduates by buying a Bachelor’s Degree for KD5,000 each.
The 57 fake certificates from Slovakia were specialized technical degrees, including in industrial and civil engineering degrees, which came at a relatively cheap price to the holders at KD5,000 each.
An official source confirmed that the investigations were continuing and more fake degrees would be discovered and holders of these certificates would be referred to the public prosecution so that suitable action could be initiated against them. The fight against the scourge of false certificates would continue until the last fake graduate, post-graduate and doctor was found and prosecuted said the source.
