Tunisia introduces a blockchain-based solution for authenticating qualifications and diplomas
Last week, Mohamed Ould Amar, the director-general of ALESCO, spoke at an event promoting the Verified Arab System for Diploma Authenticity Verification. This blockchain-based system, similar to those in Mauritius and other African countries, aims to enhance security and transparency in the verification of diplomas and certificates.
The Verified Arab System secures the information it receives and retrieves it upon request. However, it cannot validate the authenticity of the credentials before they are put on the blockchain. This is where the system in Tunisia differs.
Tunisia's blockchain-based system handles authenticity concerns before credentials are put on the blockchain. It relies on official issuance processes and trusted authorities for credential validation. The system only records diplomas that have already been issued and verified by official educational institutions or relevant government bodies. This means the blockchain itself serves as a tamper-proof ledger for diplomas that are presumed authentic at the time of recording.
In Mauritius's eVerify system, when a government-issued document is scanned, cryptographic proof of the document is scanned and uploaded on the blockchain. A QR code is printed on the document, linking it to a secure digital record. When scanned, the document is checked against the government's database, confirming it as authentic if it matches. Mauritius's eVerify system is built on Singapore's Ethereum-based Open Attestation technology.
Like Tunisia, Mauritius restricts the uploads to diplomas already certified by authorized educational or government institutions. This ensures that the initial authenticity depends on the integrity of the source issuing the diploma.
In summary, both Tunisia and Mauritius are leveraging blockchain technology to enhance transparency and security for diploma verification. They preserve the integrity of records once digitized on-chain, but they handle authenticity before blockchain entry by restricting uploads to diplomas already certified by authorized educational or government institutions. This approach addresses the challenge of forged diplomas before their entry into the blockchain, depending on the prior verification processes in place by the issuing bodies or ministries.
Africa's education sector can benefit significantly from technology-driven innovation, as demonstrated by the Verified Arab System, Mauritius's eVerify system, and Tunisia's blockchain-based system, all aiming to improve the security and transparency of diploma verification. These systems rely on crypto technology and Ethereum, with some relying on open-source solutions like Open Attestation. In Africa, finance could play a crucial role in funding the adoption of such technology in various educational-and-self-development institutions. As more countries embrace these systems, they can potentially help reduce cases of forged diplomas and empower individuals with genuine educational records.
