Academic credential fraud affecting delivery of govt services

Academic credential fraud has affected the delivery of government services and denied millions of Kenyans an opportunity to benefit from government services, the Commission of University Education (CUE) has revealed.

Speaking at the opening ceremony of 2^nd Education Innovation for Africa, CUE Chief Executive Officer, Prof. David Some, said that credential fraud has become a real threat to African Universities and national governments and if not contained, it will continue to affect reputation of credible institutions.

“Illegitimate degrees have become a tool of choice for employees seeking a short cut to a promotion or pay raise, and an increasingly competitive global job market, are intensifying the pressure,” said Prof. Some.

“Fraudulent credential is a criminal offence, but the challenge we face is that we don’t have a law that addresses this concern. I am still looking for countries to that criminalize this act. Therefore, I am urging all employers to scrutinize academic papers submitted by job applicants in order to end this vice,” he added.

Prof. Some, urged the delegate to emulate CUE by shaming these institutions, in order to help the education sector so as to take full advantage of technology.

The two- day conference themed Education Innovation for Africa was attended by Education Ministers and education policy makers from across the continent.

“The conference is deliberating upon new practices in the education business that would fast track efficacy in service delivery and build stronger collaboration in the education and training sectors.  I note with appreciation that this forum will bring together eminent persons from both the public and private sectors; including national and county government representatives, educators, investors, financiers, entrepreneurs and solution providers who have either contributed or shown interest in sharing emerging trends in policy and practice of education and training,” said Alim Ladha, CEO of  Instil Education based in South Africa.

Prof. Some reminded the delegates that providing Universal Primary Education for children is part of the newly adopted Sustainable Development Goals No. 4, which objective is to promote inclusive and equitable quality education and lifelong learning opportunities for all.

Education Innovation Africa is a forum focused on developing innovative partnership models to improve education delivery in Sub-Saharan Africa, with particular focus on East Africa.

It brings together Ministries, investors, innovators, educators and solution providers, the event promotes and facilitates private sector engagement in improving education outcomes in early years, K-12, higher and further education.

Recently, the World Economic Forum’s Global Competitiveness Report for 2014-15 ranked Kenya 1^st in Africa on the quality of education and 30^th globally – out of 144 countries.

“It is a testament to our high standards, reflecting our high expectations as a people, which we want to, do more still. It is not enough to be number One in Africa. We must be able to become even better educated, more competitive, more driven to have the ability to attract the world’s cutting edge industries and investments in our economy. It is also part of our Nationalist Covenant to eliminate ignorance. We cannot compromise or reverse the gains we have made so far. And this is why we have taken swift and stern action against those involved in the corrupting of our examination system,” added Dr. Julius Jwan, CEO Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development.