Fake Degrees: Credentialism and Cones' Lack of Control Are Dooming Education

The scandal of fake degrees in Paraguay is overwhelming the National Council of Higher Education (Cones). Experts and the National Agency for the Evaluation and Accreditation of Higher Education (Aneaes) warn that social credentialism and the absence of a registry for university offerings are burying the education system.

The Ministry of Education and Sciences (MEC) filed a complaint with the Public Prosecutor's Office for 145 fake teaching degrees. This followed an internal audit requested by the Prosecutor's Office itself, prompted by suspicions surrounding 1,500 credentials of dubious authenticity. Education Minister Luis Ramírez had previously announced that 250 non-authentic diplomas in Education Sciences lacked traceability, with no record of the supposed graduates at the affected universities. University letterheads may have also been forged.

Ramírez stated that these 250 cases had already been presented to the judiciary. However, the complaint filed on Friday specifically identified 145 individuals. The MEC requested a formal investigation. The audit at the MEC was recommended by prosecutor Teresa Sosa Laconich, who investigated the matter after an initial complaint and currently has four professors indicted for fake educational degrees. These cases involve Institutes of Teacher Training (IFD), where individuals allegedly presented registration qualifying them to teach in public schools. Some are reportedly even directors of educational institutions.

Aneaes highlights a "regulatory black hole" created by the lack of a clean registry within the Cones. José Duarte Penayo, president of Aneaes and minister of Education and head of Cones, noted that reports indicating the registration of 100,000 titles in the last three years for non-accredited programs raise "very strong suspicions" about their legitimacy. Duarte, who previously served as academic director at Cones, believes more decisive actions are needed. He stated that Cones has the authority to intervene, close institutions, or implement improvement plans for those responsible for the reported incidents, citing Resolution 166/15.