(Zaman Al Wasl)- False Syrian diplomas' issue has come to surface once again after reports of the expulsion of dozens of Syrian and Arab students from Turkish universities. The students’ were expelled after the university found out that the diplomas they used to register for university were false according to activists.
The Turkish government departments and the Syrian Interim Government require the equivalency of university degrees for foreigners coming from war countries, including the Syrians, for the degrees to be recognized in Turkey.
This step aims to verify the authenticity of the diploma from the country of origin and to eliminate the phenomenon of forged certificates. The step also aims to authorize degree holders to enable them to work formally in their specializations in the Turkish labor market and to give them official recognition.
Dr Wissam al-Din Al-Alokla, a professor of political science at Mardin Artuklu University, said to Zaman al-Wasl that his university, in an effort to fight the counterfeiting of diplomas, gave a conditional acceptance to Syrian students based on their Syrian baccalaureate certificate.
Mardin Artuklu University granted the Syrian students must submit an equivalency document issued by the Turkish government before 2018 or they will be suspended, and their enrollment canceled, according to Al-Alokla. Adding that some students enrolled with an incomplete application as they were unable to present all their documents. Some students enrolled without the equivalency document issued by the Turkish Ministry and their original Syrian baccalaureate certificate. These students were warned around a month ago that they will be suspended with the end of the year if they do not procure these documents.
He said that if they did not complete the required conditions, their records with the university cancelled in full after their suspension.
After it came to light that some Syrian students’ Syrian baccalaureate certificates were forged, Turkish universities began applying strict standards to ensure the equivalence of these certificates with the Turkish high school certificate.
Al-Alokla explained that as part of the process, the certificates go through several phases. The applicant must apply to the Syrian Interim Government Ministry of Education in Gaziantep, where the Ministry confirms the authenticity of the certificate and ratify the document. The Ministry register the certificate, place the certificate in sealed and stamped envelope which they only give to the applicant in person. The applicant is then expected to present this certificate to the Turkish Ministry of National Education or the Directorate for Education in the province the applicant is registered in.
According to al-Alokla, the period required for the equivalency of the certificate varies from province to province and ranges from 3 days to 2 weeks or more.
At the end of the process, the student will have a certificate of secondary education equated by the Turkish Ministry of Education that is the equivalent of the Turkish high school certificate. The certificate can then be used to register at any university in Turkey.
Al-Alokla pointed out that Turkish universities are no longer accepting Syrian baccalaureate certificates unless they have undergone these procedures in full. He explained that some universities gave students conditional acceptances as their applications were considered based on their Syrian baccalaureate certificates alone. The conditional acceptances only becomes a full acceptance if the students bring the equated certificate after their certificates have undergone the abovementioned procedure. The strict procedure aims to prevent students with falsified certificates from entering Turkish universities.
As for the higher degrees, the Council of Higher Education (YOK) has opened the doors for higher education degree holders to equate their certificates by applying to the Council.
Al- Alokla confirmed that there is a special procedure for applicants coming from war-torn countries such as Syria, and the process accommodates for people who do not have all their documents. Applicants with a shortage of documents are required to pledge that they will provide the documents once the war is over or whenever the opportunity presents itself.
Regarding the cases of fraud for certain specializations such as medicine or engineering, al- Alokla said that no one should be allowed to practice these professions until the necessary bodies equate their degrees. “All professions that require or are associated with a prestigious scientific degree must be equated before the person can work in their field, but in recent years, the Turkish government tolerated Syrian medical degree holders working before their degrees were amended. These doctors were allowed to work after they received training in Migrant Health Education Centers. After which they are allowed to work in Refugee Health Clinics, but they do not have authorization to practice medicine outside these clinics neither in associations, private clinics or elsewhere,” said al-Alokla.
Al-Alokla denied that any Syrian students were dismissed from Mardin Artuklu University due to falsified documents. He expressed his belief that the rate of forgeries decreased significantly due to the procedure instituted.
Al-Alokla stressed that this phenomenon is widespread among organizations and associations that do not follow auditing mechanisms similar to those followed by universities. He added that universities as part of the state system are required to audit the authenticity of these documents and certificates.
The activist Basil Obaid indicated the widespread availability of many offices providing forged baccalaureate and university degrees in different cities across Turkey. According to Obaid, the forged documents are sold for sums ranging between 30-100 US Dollars. He explained that most of the forged certificates and degrees are printed using regular printers so the color of the seal varies from the original color.
Obaid added that most of the people running these offices have experience in counterfeiting and most of them used to work as document processors in Syria. According to Obaid, the forged certificates and degrees are used to steal a university seat or job from someone deserving. (Reporting by Faris Al-Rifai)
Zaman Al Wasl
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