An Act of Parliament to amend the Universities Act.
| PROPOSED PROVISION FOR AMENDMENT | PROPOSED AMENDMENT | OUR COMMENTS |
|---|---|---|
Amendment of section 20 of No. 42 of 2012 | The Universities Act is amended in section 20 by inserting the following new paragraph immediately after subsection (1) (e): “(f) shall provide a database that is digital and that allows a person to access and ascertain the authenticity of the academic papers acquired from such university subject to the Data Protection Act.” | The use of a digital database has the following benefits: a. prospective employers can easily verify the authenticity of a graduate’s academic credentials, reducing the likelihood of fraudulent claims; b. the traditional process of verifying academic credentials is time consuming and labor intensive. A digital database streamlines this process, saving time and effort for those verifying the credentials. Furthermore, a digital database provides real-time verification of the graduates’ academic credentials; c. global accessibility-Access to the digital database makes it easier for international employers to verify the graduates’ academic credentials from anywhere in the world; and d. a digital database reduces costs associated with manual verification processes, including mailing transcripts and certificates, printing costs and maintaining physical records. |