(Jamaica Gleaner) Education Minister Ronald Thwaites has described the sale of Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) passes as scandalous.
Thwaites, in reacting to the story broken in The Sunday Gleaner yesterday, said effort needs to be placed on being successful in the examinations rather than getting the results illegally.
“I wish we would put our energies towards passing the exam rather than faking the results,” the minister lamented while speaking with The Gleaner. “Every effort must be made by the Overseas Examination Commission to prevent any tampering with their security facilities as it demeans the entire process.”
The Sunday Gleaner reported that it had been able to obtain CXC passes available for sale on the streets of Kingston for up to $12,000 per subject, even if persons did not take the examination.
UWI connection
The documents provided by the scammers have name, date of birth, registration number and centre number.
The criminals behind the illegal operation, who also claimed they could provide fake degrees from the University of the West Indies (UWI), indicated that someone at the university assists in creating those fraudulent documents.
Thwaites said persons were only wasting their resources, as the bogus certificates would not take them very far in the system.
“I think they will be quickly found out. The inability of those pretending to have passes will become quite apparent as they progress through whatever job or further education they are seeking,” he said. “So it is a futile effort that they are wasting their money on.”
Last night, Carroll Edwards, director, marketing and communications at the UWI, said she doubted anyone could breach the stringent procedures in place to ensure the authenticity of UWI degree certificates.
“Regarding the claim in the article, I’m aware of only one case (discovered a few years ago and currently in the courts) of someone charged with selling fake degrees,” Edwards said.
“Nonetheless, given what is possible due to technological advances, employers are urged to verify certificates with the institution before accepting them as genuine.”
