Categories: Africa

The higher education qualification commission in Cameroon has exposed more than 300 instances of fraudulent diplomas for qualifications issued abroad.  Nearly 30% of the credentials presented to the commission for equivalency determination turned out to be fraudulent, and the vast majority (291 of 308) were faked Chad Baccalaureats.   As a result of the growing problem of fraudulent credentials being used in all sectors of Cameroonian society, the prime minister has recommended that job applicants for both the public and private sector be required to provide official documents for diplomas obtained abroad.

http://www.universityworldnews.com/article.php?story=20100820152726819

Last week, the Ministry of Higher Education closed 106 private tertiary colleges due to illegal operations.  Most of the students enrolled at these institutions nationwide were enrolled in mid-year exams.  Many of the lecturers at the colleges are reputed to be untrained teachers and even those who left school without degrees while the staff are secondary-school leavers.

Unfortunately, none of the articles reporting on this topic included a complete list of the institutions that were closed, and the MOHE website does not appear to be maintained regularly.  As a result, the list of registered colleges on the MOHE website – http://www.mhet.ac.zw/colleges/registered_colleges.htm – includes all of the colleges that have been registered

According to the article, “The closed institutions include famous ones like ZDECO, Denmak Training Services, Bulawayo Hospitality College, New Vision, NRZ Training Centre in Bulawayo, Herentals, ZAOGA Dressmaking College, Christian Family Bible Institute in Manicaland province and Apex Training Centre, Institute of Education, Rodwel Foundation and City Centre Study.”

For more information, check out the original article: http://www.newsday.co.zw/article/2010-07-13-govt-closes-106-colleges

The government of Mozambique recently approved the National Academic Credits Accumulation and Transfer System.   This will allow students in higher education institutions in Mozambique greater flexibility in attending different institutions, changing majors, or completing programs at a faster pace.

More information can be found online at  http://allafrica.com/stories/201006300948.html

Some interesting news has come out of Nigeria recently.  The head of the Civil Service of Nigeria has publicly stated that the Nigerian Higher National Diploma (HND) is most decidedly not equivalent to a Bachelor degree.  He also said that the Federal Ministry of Education was working on some kind of program that would allow HND holders to study an additional year and earn another certificate that would equate their studies to that of a Bachelor degree in Nigeria.

This will be especially interesting to those of you who work at US colleges or universities because it may affect your own placement recommendations with respect to the HND.

For more information, check out the full article at http://allafrica.com/stories/201006230609.html

The private institution Lugazi University may lose its provision license if they don’t resolve some specific problems identified by the Uganda National Council of Higher Education within the next six months. The university is no longer allowed to recruit new students unless they take care of their financial obligations (including paying their lecturers), hire adequate and qualified staff, and provide better instruction to their current students. The six month deadline before closure gives school administrators time to take corrective action while also offering a buffer for students to make alternative plans if needed.

http://www.monitor.co.ug/News/Education/-/688336/922714/-/11hhsj6/-/

Rwanda’s Ministry of Education (MOE) has delayed the start date of classes until February 1, 2010, while it continues to train its 40,000+ teachers in English.  The MOE plans for all academic lessons to be conducted in English beginning in 2010, and the last batch of teachers will finish up their training at the end of January.  As a result, the first term of the 2010 academic year will be 2 months instead of the usual 3.  Nearly 4,000 new classrooms have also been constructed to accommodate hundreds of thousands of new students expected to begin lower secondary school this year, now that the first three years of lower secondary education are taken at the primary schools.  This is all part of Rwanda’s new Nine Year Basic Education (NYBE) plan, aimed at decreasing student dropouts.

http://allafrica.com/stories/200912240050.html

The National University of Science and Technology (NUST) has apparently misplaced an unknown number of its university certificates.  As a result, many students are unable to continue their studies or apply for permanent jobs because they don’t hold the degree certificate from the degree they completed. The university says that delays with printing and financial issues are temporary and will be resolved soon.  No date is given for the expected resolution, and no numbers are available to indicate how many students have been affected.

http://www.zimeye.org/?p=10782