The Tunisian government has launched a blockchain-based system to verify diplomas at its universities. This updated system helps officials identify and prevent the use of fake educational documents, which some have used to get jobs.
Tunisia started using the Unified Arab System for Diploma Authenticity Verification (UASDAV) on February 28. This system securely stores each diploma as a unique and tamper-proof record, making it impossible to forge or alter.
A 2023 investigation by the Tunisian Association for the Fight Against Corruption found that between 2011 and 2023, around 121,000 to 200,000 government employees used fake documents to get jobs. Experts say this big fraud has negatively affected the efficiency and credibility of Tunisia’s public sector.
To modernize education and enhance digital skills, the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research has launched a project to digitize diplomas. This effort follows a partnership with the Arab League Educational, Cultural, and Scientific Organization (ALECSO) and aims to protect diploma integrity.
Further, Tunisia is now among a few African countries using blockchain in education. Ethiopia uses it for student and teacher credentials, while Mauritius verifies government-issued documents with blockchain. In Nigeria, some universities are testing blockchain-based diplomas to ensure authenticity and simplify verification.
Beyond stopping fraud, Tunisia’s digital diploma project will also help graduates get their qualifications recognized worldwide, improving their job opportunities and increasing the global reputation of Tunisian universities.
