In the media

The government in Bangladesh will investigate widespread irregularities and corruption in the education sector from 2008 to 2025 and may publish a white paper based on the findings. Inspections have already revealed major issues, with action taken against 330 college-level lecturers, including dismissals and salary suspensions for using fake certificates.

Ghana is preparing to recruit 1,200 new university lecturers and 7,000 teachers to address staffing shortages, but the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission now requires all applicants to have their qualifications verified to prevent the use of fake degrees. This follows growing concerns about fraudulent and unaccredited certificates, which threaten education quality and credibility. UTAG stresses the need for stronger enforcement and legal action against academic fraud.

A Moroccan court sentenced a university professor and four others for bribery and illegally selling master’s degree placements at Ibn Zohr University. The case highlighted the need for major reforms, including more transparency in admissions, stronger oversight, digital systems, and stricter anti-corruption measures to restore confidence in the education system.

In its fight against forged certificates and corruption, Kuwait ordered all public and private sector employees to verify their academic certificates via the Sahel e-government app. The Civil Service Commission highlighted penalties of imprisonment and fines for using forged certificates. The move falls within ongoing efforts to combat forged certificates in both the public and private sectors to ensure academic integrity, equality and justice.

The Nigerian National Universities Commission (NUC) has banned the awarding of honorary degrees to serving public officials. This decision was taken after an investigation found that honorary degrees are being used as a way to fraudulently gain the title ‘Dr’. The head of NUC warned that misuse of honorary titles undermines the integrity of universities and diminishes public trust in genuine academic qualifications. The report identified 32 Nigerian institutions operating as honorary degree mills.

The Australian Department of Home Affairs has published a new Student Visa Integrity Alert in response to multiple cases of applicants attempting to enrol in university programmes with fake passports, enrolment certificates or exam results. While higher education institutions are dependent on incoming international students, the Department warns that admitting students based on fraudulent documents can undermine trust in Australia’s academic programmes.

Education authorities in the Philippines have signed a Joint Memorandum Circular (JMC) to take action against “diploma mills”. The establishment of the JMC is a direct response to the Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM 2), which found an alarming level of unaccredited and substandard programs in higher education, especially in teacher education. The JMC addresses this until 2029 by establishing, among others, an Online National Registry (ONR) and a Quality Assurance Harmonization Committee to create transparency over accredited programs.

Hong Kong universities face a growing challenge of admissions fraud, with police receiving 126 reports of allegedly fraudulent academic qualifications in just the first seven months of 2025. Universities reported rejecting several hundred applications suspected of falsified credentials. Authorities are introducing AI-assisted verification, rigorous checks, and anti-fraud training to safeguard higher education integrity.

A new survey by Transparency International (TI) Initiative in Madagascar reveals widespread corruption in education. 40% of nearly 5,000 respondents reported being victims of corruption in schools, while 81% said they knew of such cases, including diploma buying, exam leaks, and sexual favors for grades. TI warns these practices undermine equal access to education and trust in the system.

The Democratic Republic of Congo has launched a blockchain-based platform to verify academic degrees, aiming to curb widespread diploma fraud. The move follows a 2023 audit that found nearly one in three diplomas submitted for verification was either fraudulent or unverifiable. Developed in partnership with TindaTech, the system enables universities to issue tamper-proof credentials, helping restore trust in education and promote transparency nationwide.