MQA issues new rules on certificate attestation to curb fake documents
Cases of forged certificates have increased in recent months.
Top Stories
The Maldives Qualifications Authority (MQA) has introduced new rules governing the attestation of educational certificates, following growing concerns about the use of invalid documents.
Cases of forged certificates have increased in recent months. Police are investigating several incidents, including a recent case in which one individual allegedly submitted two invalid master’s degree certificates and a bachelor’s degree certificate.
The new regulation, gazetted on Wednesday, establishes rules and procedures for affixing the official conformity stamp on MQA-issued documents and sets up a system to verify the authenticity of such documents when submitted elsewhere.
According to the regulation, the documents eligible for attestation include:
-
Copies of validation certificates
-
Copies of assessment reports
-
Copies of the Recognition of Intended Programme document
-
Copies of documents issued after recognition of foreign qualifications
For a document copy to be recognised as original, it must bear the full name, signature, record card number and date of the MQA officer who stamped it, along with an “original copy” or “attestation” stamp.
The regulation also aligns with provisions under the Arts Act, under which the Bar Council has set rules for lawyers on the use of conformity stamps. Unless otherwise authorised by law, only lawyers may affix such stamps.
