The smart card will have the marksheets and degree certificate of a graduate.
The state government plans to provide smart cards to university graduates to curb the menace of fake degree certificates. It will also introduce a bill to prevent the mushrooming of unauthorised universities in the state.
Also, in a step to restrict the ad-hoc mushrooming of unauthorised institutions, the government has drafted the prevention of unauthorised institutions bill.
Higher and technical education minister Rajesh Tope mooted the idea of smart cards in the legislative council on Thursday.
He announced the measure given 1,134 cases of fake degree certificates coming to light since February this year — in two months. This was said in response to MLC Bhagwan Salunkhe’s query if the government had any system to verify the degree certificates.
Tope said the government or the universities have no such facility, but if a demand is made by the graduates’ employers, the universities will do the needful.
But, for the future, he said a more foolproof plan was in motion.
“All universities in the state would be directed about smart cards which will keep a check on bogus certificates and degrees by the graduates,” Tope said.
Tope added: “The smart card will have the marksheets and degree certificate of a graduate. The employers will be able to verify the certificates submitted by their employees through an online facility which will be available with the university. They will have to pay for this service either by credit card or through a debit account.”
He, however, defended the universities in the fake degrees cases by saying, “The certificates are duplicated by the students and the universities have no role in this.”
Altogether 1,134 cases of fake degree certificates of seven universities came into light in February. “A special investigation team (SIT) formed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is investigating the cases following an order by the Bombay high court,” Tope said.
This malaise is despite the fact that Mumbai University currently has many security measures in place. “We have 14 security features incorporated in our degree certificates which cannot be duplicated and there are five to six security features in the marksheets. However, we have observed that duplication occurs not of the original but of the photocopy. It has been observed that around 99% of the photocopies (of degree certificates/marksheets) are usually tampered with,” said Vilas Shinde, controller of examinations, Mumbai University.
Shinde said that the university has already started working on digitisation of gazetted results. “Around one lakh documents have already being scanned and digitised. Now, as per the directives of the government, the university can also look at providing smart cards to students. Such policy matters are also in the interest of the university,” said Shinde.
The university had also introduced stringent procedures in November 2009 for students who want to apply for duplicate copies of their statements of marks, certificates of passing and degree certificates.
Accordingly, they are now required to produce an affidavit stating why they want duplicate copies. Students are also required to mention the first information report (FIR) registered for the loss of original document.
The new rule had been introduced by the university to check misuse of documents.
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