The Maldives Qualifications Authority (MQA) is developing a new portal to verify the authenticity of educational certificates, according to MQA CEO Mariyam Fizaana Rashyd.

The initiative comes amid rising concerns over cases of forged certificates. To address the issue, MQA has also introduced a new rule under which official bodies and registered educational institutions in the Maldives can no longer affix stamps of authenticity to their own documents. Going forward, only the MQA will provide authentication for certificates issued under its authority.

Speaking to State media, Fizaana said that documents issued by the MQA will be submitted directly to candidates without requiring attestation from any other party. She explained that the purpose of the rule is to reduce forgery, noting that forged certificates have already been detected among employees in the workforce.

“There are already people in jobs using forged certificates. That is noticeable now. This is the main reason we had to introduce the attestation rule, to minimise forgery. With a portal, this problem can be stopped altogether,” she said.

Fizaana confirmed that the MQA is working with the National Centre for Information Technology (NCIT) to establish the portal and that funding has already been secured. She added that the major functions of the system have been completed and development will continue in collaboration with the relevant Ministry as additional funds are made available.

According to the CEO, the portal will make it easier for employers to access and verify original certificates submitted by applicants. Higher education institutions will also be able to input data directly into the system, while the portal will provide an overview of the number of students who have completed higher education in the Maldives and their fields of study.

The MQA has taken several steps in recent years to strengthen the credibility of higher education qualifications. Last year, the authority revised its Guidelines for Programme Accreditation to further enhance quality assurance in the sector.