Smart degree: Database to curb fake certificates

The menace of fake degree certificates and forgery of mark sheets could soon come to an end with the Union Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) finalising proposals for dematerialising such certificates.

The ministry is considering request for proposals (RFPs) from the country’s two depositories – National Securities Depository Limited (NSDL) and Central Depository Services Limited (CDSL) – for running the project with no cost to the government.

The move follows a process initiated by the Union HRD Minister Kapil Sibal for establishing a national database of academic qualifications (degree/certificates from school to graduate/postgraduate level including professional degrees), that would be created and maintained in an electronic format by a registered depository.

From SSC or HSC examinations all mark sheets and certificates will be dematerialised like equity shares and a data base will be maintained by the respective depositories.

Before initiating the move, MHRD had set up a task force under the supervision of Professor Sanjay Dhande, director, Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Kanpur. Based on the report by Dande, MHRD prepared a scheme that is being studied by the law ministry. MHRD has already invited tenders for the process.

This will be a user-based service and all educational institutes, including 466 universities, 35 institutes of national importance, CBSE and other school boards (42 and several thousands of schools affiliated to them) will have to connect to the depository and get the certificates dematerialised.

These institutions will bear the expenditure and depositories will get the fees from other users like employers who want to verify the applications from prospective employees.

It is, however, not known if the work will be given to both or any one of the depositories. The government is also considering linking the certificates with the unique ID numbers (Aadhar) under the UIDAI. While all certificates and marksheets have to be added to the database from the day of the launch of the project, those institutions having past records can also get these demated.

Depositories will have to be technologically prepared to create the database but make sure that only authorised users have access to certain functions. The depositories will also allow candidates to submit their certificates (issued earlier) for dematerialisation. For this, they will have to establish a network of facilitation centres where candidates can submit their request for demat requests past academic certificates with request for authentication.

The new arrangement would make the process of approaching educational institutions to obtain transcripts of certificates redundant.

The system would also eliminate fraudulent practices such as forged certificates and mark sheets by facilitating online verification. The Central Bureau of Investigation had also suggested creating a similar database because educational institutions were not cooperating with them for verifying certificates/mark sheets during investigations.