Tough measures and penalties to check fake certificate cases in Oman

Muscat: The Ministry of Higher Education is working on mandatory procedures and penalties to crack down on fake certificates, according to a top official at the Ministry of Higher Education.
Dr. Abdullah bin Mohammed Al Sarmi, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Higher Education, said, “The Ministry has guaranteed that the Education Law articles will regulate and improve the process of dealing with certificates issued by educational institutions outside the Sultanate and we are waiting for the approval of these articles after the issuance of the Education Law.”
“Developing the current law to include mandatory procedures and penalties is the best way to achieve success in dealing with fake certificates and this is what the ministry seeks to do. The ministry refers those with fake certificates to the public prosecution, and there are verdicts issued against such forgers,” he said.
“The Ministry emphasises the need for qualification equivalency before employment or promotion. The Ministry obligates a person or institution to attest certificates via the Qualification Equivalency and Recognition Department,” he added.
“I assure everyone that no fake certificates come from the ministry. We call on institutions to ensure sufficient time to review the certificates, giving sufficient time to the Ministry to verify such certificates in order to ensure the rights of all,” he explained.
“Referring the cases of fake certificates to the Public Prosecution does not ensure the complete elimination of the fake certificates phenomenon, but it means more efforts are needed and this is what is done by the department of qualification equivalency. Indicators and statistics show the increasing number of applications that come from recruitment agencies after the development of electronic systems means that the process is moving in the right direction,” the ministry said.
Moreover, the ministry added that it was closely following up reports about equivalent certificates to certificates issued by the Institute of Arab Research and Studies.
“The Ministry confirms that it has stopped the recognition of the institute since the academic year 2012/2013, in coordination with other GCC states that do not recognise it and also the violations of the institute, which are being monitored by the ministry,” it pointed out.
Dr. Muwafiq bin Fawaz Al Ruweili, a former Shura Council Member in Saudi Arabia, had first exposed higher education employees with fake documents.
Forging certificates is illegal and can lead to dire legal consequences, as the forged certificates themselves can harm individuals, institutions, and the country in general.