|
Reportedly, forged certificates are now available and the same is causing a great deal of inconvenience among employers and others who must base their decisions on such fake certificates but not knowing the truth about them and accepting them as genuine ones. A newspaper report was noted recently that the bogus certificates were on sale and there was no shortage of their buyers. The makers of the fraudulent certificates charge Taka 2,000 to Taka 4,000 for a SSC/HSC certificate and Taka 5,000 or more for an O/A level certificate.
It should be obvious why this most objectionable crime must be immediately put to an end to. Employers in the country are getting deceived and employing possibly incompetent and uneducated persons without the proper academic qualification based on these certificates. The same also constitutes gross injustice for the truly meritorious ones with genuine certificates who deserve to get the jobs. Besides, the country's reputation is also at stake.
According to the above report, the Controller of Examinations of Dhaka University received about 200 letters in relation to fake certificates from 16 universities in Canada, United Kingdom, the United States, New Zealand and Australia through their diplomatic missions. Many foreign universities are found hesitant to accept easily certificates of students of Bangladeshi origin as they know about the certificate forgeries. Thus, many talented students from Bangladesh with their flawless academic credentials are getting harassed as they apply for admission to foreign academic institutions.
Apart from forging certificates, some local private universities are, reportedly, selling their certificates. They have opened distance learning units in different parts of the country where students need not learn anything but are actually given certificates in return for underhand payment of money.
The saga of the forged certificates and selling of certificates cannot but shock anybody with some integrity and morals. The same is not only an unacceptable crime, it is also leading the students and young ones of the country towards utter degradation and debauchery.
The rackets involved in this must be detected and rooted out for good by not only conventional policing but through RAB taking an interest in the matter. It is no less dangerous than terrorism -- though in a different way -- which creates the compulsion to stamp it out immediately. Besides, the academic boards and universities must be totally computerized and they should preserve digital data of the records and transcripts of the students to stop such forgery. The certificates also need to be made with special security features so that these cannot be forged, so easily.
Abul Hashem
East Tejkunipra, Dhaka
|