Tough action needed against forgers
Aug 22, 2011
THE South Sudan authorities have complained that they are faced with challenge of fake college degrees, particularly from Uganda.
THE South Sudan authorities have complained that they are faced with challenge of fake college degrees, particularly from Uganda.
Daniel Anyuon, a senior recruitment official at the public ministry, recently stated that they had confiscated 20 forged documents from South Sudanese who presented fake college degrees, which they purported to have acquired from Uganda.
The official stated that 90% of the forged papers they have detected are from Uganda.
In order to deal with the problem, the South Sudan authorities have introduced a requirement for holders of foreign documents to get them certified.
Thus, Sudanese holding papers from Uganda are required to get them certified by Uganda’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
This unfortunate development has wider implications. Uganda Government and universities should help South Sudan authorities deal with this problem.
Forgery of papers is a rising problem in the country, but the Government has not given it the attention it deserves. Some high profile politicians, including some in Parliament, have been implicated in academic paper forgeries. None has been prosecuted.
Rampant forgery of academic papers has serious economic implications. It undermines the reputation of academic papers awarded by Ugandan universities and colleges. For instance, Ugandans could lose out on jobs opportunities in South Sudan.
Ugandan universities have been attracting increasing number of foreign students. The forgeries could discourage more foreign students from opting to study here. Forgery of papers, therefore, directly undermines the national economy.
Therefore, Government should tighten the law to impose tough sentences to both individuals found in possession of forged papers and those abetting the forgeries. They both pose danger to the national economy.
Furthermore, Uganda’s universities make it easy for interested parties to verify academic papers of their graduates. And anyone found with forged papers should face prosecution.
Daniel Anyuon, a senior recruitment official at the public ministry, recently stated that they had confiscated 20 forged documents from South Sudanese who presented fake college degrees, which they purported to have acquired from Uganda.
The official stated that 90% of the forged papers they have detected are from Uganda.
In order to deal with the problem, the South Sudan authorities have introduced a requirement for holders of foreign documents to get them certified.
Thus, Sudanese holding papers from Uganda are required to get them certified by Uganda’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
This unfortunate development has wider implications. Uganda Government and universities should help South Sudan authorities deal with this problem.
Forgery of papers is a rising problem in the country, but the Government has not given it the attention it deserves. Some high profile politicians, including some in Parliament, have been implicated in academic paper forgeries. None has been prosecuted.
Rampant forgery of academic papers has serious economic implications. It undermines the reputation of academic papers awarded by Ugandan universities and colleges. For instance, Ugandans could lose out on jobs opportunities in South Sudan.
Ugandan universities have been attracting increasing number of foreign students. The forgeries could discourage more foreign students from opting to study here. Forgery of papers, therefore, directly undermines the national economy.
Therefore, Government should tighten the law to impose tough sentences to both individuals found in possession of forged papers and those abetting the forgeries. They both pose danger to the national economy.
Furthermore, Uganda’s universities make it easy for interested parties to verify academic papers of their graduates. And anyone found with forged papers should face prosecution.