Rise in forged certificates spur re-verification

Forged certificates are increasingly being used in the Maldives, with individuals securing positions in important fields through fraudulent qualifications.

Mariyam Fizana Rasheed, CEO of the Maldives Qualifications Authority (MQA), highlighted the urgent need to verify all qualifications, revealing that the MQA had received a forged certificate last week and plans to report the case to the police.

Police on Sunday confirmed a surge in fake educational certificates submitted for job applications and higher education opportunities. This trend, they warn, threatens the credibility of the nation's education system, grants unfair advantages to perpetrators, and directly impacts the quality of public services and academic standards.

Fizana attributes the proliferation of such fraudulent certificates to incorrect regulations established by the Civil Service Commission (CSC) in collaboration with the authority after the MQA ceased endorsing course certificates in 2017. The MQA stopped the practice last year and is currently reviewing its 2017 program audit.

Any fake certificates discovered will be revoked, and a police case will be filed, Fizana said.

"This year too, certificates were revoked and submitted to the police," Fizana stated, emphasizing the need to re-verify the certificates of all currently employed individuals. 

Two weeks prior, the MQA issued warnings to three centers for issuing certificates without conducting program audits.

In response to the growing issue, police urged employers and educational institutions to remain vigilant, adhere to the qualification framework, and meticulously ensure the authenticity of all certificates.

This statement follows the Bar Council's discovery of a fraudulent lawyer's license involving the forgery of former Supreme Court Justice Abdullah Areef's signature.