The Zimbabwe Council for Higher Education (ZIMCHE) has warned against the use of fraudulent academic titles, threatening legal consequences.
This follows a proliferation of Professor and Doctor titles awarded by institutions which are not registered with the higher learning council. According to ZIMCHE, while some qualifications are awarded to unsuspecting individuals duped out of their money, others are willing accomplices.
In a statement, the ZIMCHE said some unregistered institutions had ignored a directive to shut down and were still issuing fake degrees.
"As the regulatory authority mandated under The ZIMCHE Act [Chapter 25:27], the ZIMCHE is committed to safeguarding the standards, quality, and credibility of Zimbabwe's Higher Education System. In this regard, unregistered institutions are unequivocally warned to cease operations immediately, withdraw all fraudulent qualifications, and desist from issuing or conferring any degrees, including purportedly earned and honorary PhDs," reads the statement.
"Recipients of fraudulent qualifications and false titles are strongly advised to stop using these credentials or risk legal consequences, including civil and criminal prosecution.
"To protect stakeholders, including students, employers, and the public, the ZIMCHE has initiated investigations into these unlawful activities. Appropriate legal measures will be taken against both unregistered institutions and individuals found complicit in academic fraud."
ZIMCHE urged the public to verify learning institutions before enrolling.
"Members of the public are urged to exercise vigilance by verifying the accreditation status of such Institutions with the ZIMCHE before enrolling in any programmes. Similarly, employers are encouraged to thoroughly authenticate qualifications presented by prospective employees with the ZIMCHE. Members of the public should always be on the lookout for unregistered institutions, that in some cases frequently change their locations to evade detection.
"Some of these institutions are not owned by Zimbabweans, while others claim affiliation with dubious 'international universities' that are not even registered and accredited in their countries of origin".
