In a disturbing development, Goa has found itself at the centre of yet another racket -- this time a fake marksheet network where five persons were arrested by the crime branch for producing and selling counterfeit academic certificates and marksheets at a price. The crime branch disclosed that the accused sold these at varying prices -- Rs 25-35 thousand for Classes 10 to 12 and Rs 55 thousand to Rs 1.35 lakh for undergraduate and graduate marksheets.
Fake educational certificates have been doing the rounds in the past, but organised rackets have been rare. In 2013, the crime branch unearthed a similar racket in Margao, where a person provided fake certificates from nine universities based out of Goa. In 2019 and 2023, policemen producing fake educational certificates to get jobs came to the fore leading to the dismissal of one. In one of these cases, a newly recruited Sub-Inspector had submitted a BCom certificate from Bundlekhand University, Jhansi, Uttar Pradesh which proved to be fake.
Selling counterfeit certificates from various universities is very common across India, with rackets mushrooming in various States. In a shocking revelation in July this year, a private university based in Churu, Rajasthan has been charged with issuing a staggering 43,409 fake degrees since its establishment in 2013. These counterfeit certificates were distributed across 19 states within India, including Rajasthan, as well as in the neighbouring country of Nepal. The Central Crime Branch has cracked a racket in Bengaluru selling counterfeit degree certificates from various universities. Investigations revealed fake educational certificates were sold for streams such as BTech, BPharm, and even LLB in colleges across the country.
There are thousands of fake universities and bogus institutes in such rackets because the money is big, and there is a buyer. Understandably, the ease of getting a qualification certificate without having to go through the ordeal of attending classes or enrolling, and more importantly choosing the marks and the grades, have given the fake certificate market a fillip. It explains the desperation and the flawed understanding of success because students attempt such shortcuts to cover failures and have no regard for skills or genuine education.
While such developments reflect a failure in the educational ecosystem, this burgeoning illegality brings to light the alarming ease with which such fraud can be perpetrated. The rackets expose fissures within our educational framework and call for stringent and seamless verification systems. With the world making rapid strides in technology, the educational system appears to be lagging. By now there should have been in place online authenticity checks, robust screening and verification systems so that such unethical practices are checkmated.
This is a serious issue, along the lines of the jobs-for-cash scam that is currently rocking Goa. The common thread in both scenarios is that unfit candidates are absorbed into the system through unfair means. And both involve paying money to achieve results with merit discarded. Not only do such practices provide manpower resources that are misfits, but in a way, make a mockery of an educational system that preaches integrity and hard work.
The state is faced with a severe ethical crisis and needs to fix these with strategic solutions. While jobs can be filtered through the Staff Selection Commission, the State government must install checks and balances to authenticate educational qualifications. We cannot allow fraudsters to take over the system and deny rightful candidates their due.
