Ni kweli hii au ni usanii tu? Maana majina ya mawaziri na wabunge wenye vyeti vya bandia yalikabidhiwa kwa spika na yeye akadai kukabidhi majina hayo polisi lakini hadi hii leo hatujasikia chochote dhidi ya hao matapeli
Govt declares war on fake certificate holders
2008-07-17 11:04:04
By Guardian Reporter, Dodoma
The government will soon launch a massive crackdown on fake university awards. The extensive search, expected to cover undergraduate (bachelors), masters (MSs) and philosophy degrees (PhDs) forms apart of new efforts geared to do away with deception in the country`s education system and in employment.
Winding up 2008/09 budget estimates for his ministry in Parliament on Tuesday evening here, Education and Vocational Training minister, Prof Jumanne Maghembe, warned that there would be no let up on the matter.
The minister, who was elaborating a point on efforts being taken by the National Examinations Council (Necta) to curb the problem at secondary school level, said: ``We shall now extend the crackdown to cover fake undergraduate degrees, masters and even PhDs.``
He said the government had arrived at the decision on discovering rampant deceptions, as many people were forging certificates and higher awards, which they sold just like cheap candies on Dar es Salaam streets.
``You all know that in Dar es Salaam, certificates are now being printed and sold.
They are printed up to the standard such that they look like genuine awards,`` said Prof Maghembe.
He said there were many forms of deceptions, including people using other persons` certificates and others using awards of people with disability.
The minister displayed examples of fake certificates, including the one that a person picked from a blind individual.
Prof Maghembe used his winding up speech to respond to grave concerns over the poor quality of education and the ministry`s decision to introduce remedial teaching, under which Standard Four pupils and Form Two students who fail their exams will not repeat their classes.
Citing a few examples and statistics, he said the quality of education had improved year in, year out.
He said that the existence of problems, enrolments had gone up and pass-mark percentages in national examinations had been improving.
``In higher education, our graduates are performing better in foreign countries in Europe and America and they are being utilized as experts there,`` said Prof Maghembe.
He said the University of Dar es Salaam (UDSM) and Sokoine University of Agriculture (SUA) were ranked among best universities in Africa, that four scientific discoveries by SUA had achieved a patent of world class research and a Tanzanian scholar with the UDSM was among scientists in a panel which won last year`s prestigious Nobel Peace Prize alongside former U.S vice-president, Al Gore.
Regarding remedial teaching, the minister insisted that his ministry had not abolished Standard Four and Form Two national examinations, only that the system has now been changed for children failing to make it to undergo remedial teaching instead of repeating classes.
SOURCE: Guardian
Mustaffa Mkulo Waziri wa Fedha (MBA From Almeda University)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Almeda_University
Almeda University is an unaccredited American institution that offers various academic degrees through distance education, including a "Life Experience Degree". Almeda was founded in 1997.[1]
Legally, Almeda University is a corporation registered on the Caribbean island of Nevis. [3] Almeda claims accreditation by the Council for Distance Education Accreditation, Interfaith Education Ministries (IEM) and the Association for Online Academic Excellence (AOAEX); [4] none of these is recognized by the United States Department of Education or the Council for Higher Education Accreditation.[5] On its website, Almeda states that its claimed sources of accreditation are not recognized by the U.S. Department of Education, with the results that students cannot receive U.S. federal loans or assistance under the GI Bill and Almeda degrees may not be recognized by academia or employers.[4]
Connecticut: According to the Connecticut Department of Higher Education, Almeda was ordered to cease operating in Connecticut in October, 2001. After an investigation in 2002 indicated that Almeda was continuing to advertise its programs in Connecticut, the Department of Higher Education sent Almeda a second cease and desist letter and referred the issue to the Connecticut Attorney General for possible legal action.[6]
Florida: In 2003 the Florida Department of Education made an agreement with Almeda to cease operating in the state. Although Floridians can still get a degree from the online university, Almeda warns Floridians that its degrees may not be valid for public employment in Florida.[7]
Texas: Almeda is also on the Texas list of "Fraudulent or Substandard Institutions", making it illegal to use an Almeda degree in Texas in an advertisement; to get a job, promotion, raise, license, or to get admitted to an educational program or to gain many positions in government.[8]
Other states: Almeda's website also warns Almeda degrees may not be valid for public employment in Illinois, Oregon, New Jersey, North Dakota, Washington and Idaho.[3]
Commentaries
Almeda's academic standards have been criticized by a variety of education organizations. According to Bear's Guide to Earning Degrees by Distance Learning, Almeda College and University is a "nonwonderful" [9] web-only university that offers degrees based on an assessment of a candidate's "life experience". Bear notes that Almeda states that it is accredited by the Association for Online Academic Excellence, but that that association is itself unrecognized.[10][11]
In 2004 the CBS affiliate in Albany, New York, ran a report on Almeda that featured Peter Brancato, who had filled out an application for an associate degree on behalf of his dog, Wally. Part of the "life experience" listed on the application was "Plays with the kids every day ... teaches them to interact better with each other ... Teaches them responsibilities like feeding the dog." Almeda granted Wally an associate's degree in childhood development with a course list including European culture, college algebra, American history, and public speaking.[12] In reply, Almeda claims Brancato perjured himself by creating a false identity using a fabricated name and date of birth. They write, "He completed an application that included a background of the following: Eight-years tutoring pre-K children, curriculum design and development, teaching coping skills, and volunteer coaching."[13]
In 2005 Wired News included Almeda University in an article about educational accreditation and diploma mills.[14]
In 2006 a Naples, Florida, police officer was required to pay back a salary increase based on a degree from Almeda.[7] Two Naples police officers were also fired after investigation showed that they bought diplomas from Almeda University.[15] On October 28, 2006, both officers were given their jobs back with back pay but received 10-day suspensions and were required to take an ethics course before the end of the year.[16]
According to Better Business Bureau (BBB) records, the Boise, Idaho address listed for Almeda University is a UPS Store (private mail box). Almeda University offered to provide their physical location to the BBB provided the BBB would not make it public. While the Better Business Bureau provides reports on Almeda University, Almeda is not a paid member of the BBB, however, Almeda does have a satisfactory record of complaint resolution.[17]
According to the online shopping reliability tracking service, ePublicEye.com, since 2001 customers of Almeda have reported high levels of satisfaction in such categories as "Management Accessibility", "Customer Support", "On-time Delivery" and "Privacy Experience".[18]