The Central government under its National Academic Depository initiative has started digital archiving of educational certificates. The Mumbai University has deposited 9 lakhs degree certificates as informed by it under an RTI query to Activist Anil Galgali. By making available degrees from 2014 to 2018 online, it hopes to prevent the use of fraudulent educational certificates.
Galgali had asked in his query that Mumbai University provide details of a number of degrees that have been deposited with the National Academic Depository. Senior systems programmer has informed him that the process was started on February 22, 2018, and in the five year period from 2014 to 2018, a total of 8,99,060 Degrees from the faculties of Arts, Commerce, Science, Management, Technology, and Law have been uploaded on the Central Government’s National Academic Depository. Comparison of the five year period showed that in 2014, 1,93,398 degrees were uploaded whereas in 2018, 1,89,538 degrees were uploaded online. Faculty-wise Commerce Degrees were the largest standing at 3,98,650 followed by arts at 1,50,680. The number for Technology stood at 1,29,603 while that for Science was 1,11,625, Management was 76,851 and that for law stood at 31,652.
The RTI reply also included that no fees are charged for this service and degree and other educational certificates are made available online at the depository.
“This revolutionary initiative of government has resulted in a reduction in the use of fake educational certificates and that the lengthy process of verification after selection will also be consigned to history. On one side, the verification of degree will be now easy for students and on the other, they will have access to copies of their degree and educational certificates online,” Galgali expressed.
