Staff Reporter
THE Ministry of Education’s Executive Director, Erastus Haitengela, has raised concerns over the rising number of forged national qualification documents being submitted by members of the public to various institutions, including government departments.
“The Directorate of National Examinations and Assessment has over a period of time detected a number of forgery cases during the verification and authentication of qualifications, as requested by various institutions across the public and private sectors. The verification process has revealed that several individuals have submitted forged Namibia Senior Secondary Certificates when applying for different positions in the job market and further study opportunities. Upon thorough review against the official national examinations database, discrepancies were found between the submitted documents and the original examination records,” Haitengela said.
He disclosed that these cases of forgery have been referred to the relevant law enforcement authorities for investigation and possible prosecution. He therefore cautioned individuals against such actions, emphasising that any attempt to forge, alter, or misrepresent qualifications will lead to immediate legal consequences, including arrest and prosecution.
“The Ministry condemns, in the strongest terms, any act of forgery or misrepresentation of academic qualifications. Such actions not only undermine the integrity of the education system but also constitute a serious criminal offence under Section 123 (1) (d) and (e) of the Education Act, 2020 (Act No.3 of 2020) and relevant provisions of the Public Service Staff Rules,” Haitengela warned.
The Executive Director urged all employers, in both the public and private sectors, to verify the authenticity of national school-leaving qualifications directly with the Directorate of National Examinations and Assessment (DNEA) before appointing individuals to positions of responsibility. He stressed that this is an essential step to safeguard the integrity of recruitment processes by ensuring that appointments are based on merit and genuine qualifications.
“The DNEA provides a qualification verification service, which is available to employers, institutions of higher learning, and other relevant stakeholders. All are strongly encouraged to utilise this service to confirm the legitimacy of any national examination certificate submitted for purposes of employment, admission, promotion, or any other official engagement, including in respect of individuals who are already employed,” Haitengela said.
To request verification of national qualifications, institutions may send copies of the qualifications to Examination.Data@moe.gov.na.
