1. Kenya’s Academic Verification Process
By:
Dr. Steve T. waithaka
Deputy director examinations
Kenyatta university (DSVOL), Kenya

2. Universities and colleges
22 Public Universities
17 Chartered Private Universities
5 Private University Constituent Colleges
12 Private University Constituent Colleges
2 Registered Private Universities
Total = 58 Universities
Middle colleges = 184
Very competitive
Need for lecturers and student

3. Reasons for academic verification
High demand of lecturers and students that can compromise quality
Placement of the right academic staff, support staff- technicians, teaching assistants etc
Ensure admission of the right students at levels (post graduates are the highest culprits)
Right placement and admission results to quality teaching and minimum exam irregularities –both teachers and students

4. Our experience
Overwhelming number of certificates and testimonials from all over the globe
Lecturers and support staff apply for employment with foreign certificates that are resource intensive to verify
Students apply for admission with qualifications that need verification/ cumbersome to verify
Local universities counterfeit certificates
Balance: Demand of teaching staff and students and quality

5. Challenges on qualifications verification
Verification is a lengthy, costly, and labor intensive process.
Some organizations and institutions choose to respond to document verification request only if they have authorization from the certificate holder
Institutions are asking for a verification fee payment often to be made to a financial institution outside Kenya in local currencies (i.e. Indian rupees, Chinese Yuan etc).This slow down the document verication process, resulting in unnecessary delays.
The institution no longer exists!

6. Challenges on qualifications verification contd’…
Transcripts, presumably received directly from the issuing institution, fail to meet all the criteria of an official document.
Documents received provide information that is not consistent with other information already on record i.e disparities
Verifications issued by embassies, consulates, or public notaries - should not be accepted. This is because the process of certification or notarization by such entities is cannot be academically authenticated

7. What works well for us
When sending documents for verification, check the address to which you send your request against the address that appears in published sources and do not rely solely on the address that is provided on the document itself Letters asking for verification
Verification requests should be addressed to the title of the officer who issued and signed the document and not to a particular individual e.g Deputy Director, Support and Enhancement and not Mr. Navin Vasudev, registrar, chancellor etc.

8. What works well for us contd’…
To expedite the verification process, we send request by post then fax and whenever possible.
We only accept authorized officials within the issuing institutions only to verify documents from that same institution and not for others.
We accept verification replies by fax and provided that the name, address, or fax number of the sender can be traced back to the institution’s website or published sources, such as the international Handbook of universities, the commonwealth universities Yearbook.

9. What works well for us contd’…
We require individual applicants to make their own arrangements for document transmittal to reduce cost burdens in our instituion
We establish the authenticity by asking ourselves the following questions;
Was the document mailed directly from the appropriate office) in a sealed institutional envelope?
Is the format of the document consistent with others received from the same institution?
Is there an appropriate official signature and institutional seal?
Was the document mailed using an institutional postage meter (as opposed to a postage stamp)?
Is the document recently dated?
Is the document consistent with other documents on file, with the applicant’s academic background? Are their inconsistencies?

10. Way forward
Africa countries set up ministry-authorized offices that verify, ask and send academic documentation on behalf of academic institutions (as done in China, Pakistan, and Cuba ) for consistency, standardization, authenticity and to speed up the process.
The institutions and organizations in Africa assessing international academic credentials be familiar with varied global practices and take these into consideration when developing and applying their own policies and practices for global standard and consistency

11. Way forward
The seminar participants should take the forefront position in forming inter-institutions and inter-countries collaboration fror qualifications verification
African saying
A journey of thousand steps starts with one step.
SAQA seminar participants collaboration is that first step.
Let us all take the first step for the sake of a beloved continent Africa to ensure genuine qualifications in our institutions