“The moment I looked at the certificate, I knew it was fake. The signature of the then registrar (evaluation) looked doubtful. I’ve been with the varsity for 30 years and know what the signatures of ex-registrars look like. Moreover, the certificate read ‘University of Bangalore’ at the top, though it’s Bangalore University,” says RK Somashekar, registrar (evaluation).- The Times of India (September) University pro-vice-chancellor N Veeramanikandan of Kerala University said, “I’ve just completed a month in my post. During this brief period, I have come across at least six or seven cases of fake certificates.”- The Times of India (October) Degrees and certificates are available on sale. Open advertisements are posted on mediums which claim to provide degree certificates and marksheets from any varsity in no time. Economic slowdown has hit the job market hard and it’s becoming even harder to land the dream jobs. The wide and easy availability of forged certificates indicates towards an underground yet well-oiled machinery which is effectively catering to the rising desperation among the unemployed for to cash in on the leeway. Are universities aware of the issue? Is anything being done about it? At present, it takes around two years to deliver the degree certificate. Even verification takes more than a month. We hope the digital degree will address these problems as well as solve security issues,” said Satish Kumar, OSD, exam branch, Delhi University, in connection with the handing out of digital certificates for the first time in 2014. If such measures become a common trend among varsities, will that suffice the companies’ need to cross-check education details? Will your company lay lesser stress on education verification in the wake of such measures?