Degree recognition rules tightened up amid forgery concerns

The Higher Education Council (HEC) in Rwanda has tightened up the process by which students who have earned degrees at foreign universities apply for degree equivalence, following what it says are recorded incidences of suspected fraud and forgery relating to degree certificates.

The move by the HEC follows accusations it made earlier this year against a former minister of state in Rwanda’s Ministry of Education, whom it accused of possessing forged masters and PhD degrees.

Dr Isaac Munyakazi had submitted his resignation letter to the prime minister early in 2020, citing personal reasons. Days later, he was accused of corruption and subsequently arrested. The high court in Kigali handed him with a suspended five-year sentence.

As a seasoned academic, he started teaching at the University of Kigali, but the HEC informed the university that it doubted his academic documents and asked him to verify the documents.

Munyakazi, in turn, said all the academic documents he obtained were authentic and he has provided letters from the Ugandan universities in question, confirming that he completed the qualifications in question – a PhD and a masters.

Inconsistencies and irregularities

In a communique, the council said it had observed several inconsistencies and irregularities in academic documents (degrees and academic transcripts) and travel documents (visas and residence permits) submitted for equivalence assessment by graduates from various awarding countries.

To deal with the issue, the HEC has now stated that, in addition to the existing requirements, those seeking equivalence certificates are required to provide a valid residence permit indicating how long they have stayed in the countries in which they claimed to have studied.

“The Higher Education Council would like to inform the general public that all applicants who declare that they do not have travel documents because they lived in different awarding countries, must provide a valid residence permit, or Permis de Résidence, instead of an Attestation de Résidence (proof of residence), that is offered after the completion of the studies,” the HEC said.

Those applicants who do not possess travel documents for various reasons will need to provide the replacement documents issued by a competent authority, according to the council.

It said it had detected cases of forgery and the use of illegal documents and warned that those found guilty of employing such means in their applications would be punished in terms of the law.

“The Higher Education Council also reminds the general public to be more careful while applying for equivalences of their qualifications obtained from abroad,” it added.

When contacted by University World News for more clarification on the alleged forgery and the number of cases recorded, Dr Rose Mukankomeje, the HEC director general, could not disclose the number of people who have been caught with forged documents.

However, speaking to the Rwanda Broadcasting Agency, the national broadcaster, recently, Mukankomeje said that the HEC has been vigilant in its checking of the degrees from the foreign awarding universities.

She said that, when applications are received, the HEC contacts the institutions that applicants claim to have attended and asks them to confirm whether the applicants are their former students. “Sometimes it takes longer than expected to get the feedback, thus delaying the process to issue equivalences,” she added.

Mukankomeje noted that, sometimes, the contacts shared by the former students do not exist or the universities they claim to have attended do not exist or do not offer the programmes students claim to have studied.

Lengthy process

Tougher measures to obtain equivalence will likely make an already lengthy process more difficult for applicants.

Charles, a student who asked not to be identified, completed his university studies at another university in a nearby region a year ago and has still to receive his degree equivalence from the HEC.

“It is good that the HEC wants to ensure it minimises forgery cases and issues equivalence for eligible applicants,” Charles, who graduated from the University of Lubumbashi, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, said. “But it has taken forever for applicants to get equivalences, despite being asked to submit a large number of documents. In my case, I have been waiting for equivalence for a year and [I get] no response. What I am told is to wait.”

Another applicant, who preferred not to be named, said the HEC needs to borrow a leaf from other public institutions that offer quality services.

“Apparently the HEC pretends to be more vigilant to deny or delay services to those who seek services from it. We deserve more, and the HEC should learn from other public institutions such as the directorate of migration, which offers excellent services,” he said.

In 2022, the HEC withdrew recognition of PhD degrees obtained from the United States-based Atlantic International University (AIU) because its programmes were allegedly not accredited.

The decision followed the arrest of Dr Egide Igabe by the Rwanda Investigation Bureau over the alleged forging of academic documents he reportedly obtained from AIU. Igabe was a lecturer who taught at the University of Tourism, Technology and Business Studies and the University of Kigali.

According to information from the Supreme Court in Rwanda, Igabe was found guilty of forging, modifying, and using forged academic documents which he claimed to have acquired from the Atlantic International University.

“The Supreme Court … sentenced him with fines worth one million Rwandan Francs [about US$744],” Aphrodis Nsabimana, director of communication, told University World News.

The sentence, which was handed to Igabe in April 2024, means that his PhD is not recognised in Rwanda as decided earlier by the HEC.

Back in 2022, the HEC announced its withdrawal of recognition for PhD degrees obtained from the AIU because the institution’s programmes were allegedly not accredited.

The withdrawal ignited controversy as the Atlantic International University said on X that it is a recognised university that issues authentic degrees and confirmed having trained and awarded the degree to Igabe.

Source: University World news