18 February 2024
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia – The Federal Civil Service Commission is undertaking a rigorous verification process of educational qualifications for 51,000 government employees, raising concerns about potential discrepancies and fake degrees.
This initiative follows a review by the House of Representatives’ Standing Committee on Human Resource Development, Employment and Technology Affairs.
“Clearing educational records is a more extensive task than anticipated,” admitted Dr. Mekuria Haile, the Civil Service Commissioner. “We’re treating it with utmost seriousness.”
A joint committee chaired by the Prime Minister’s Office, involving the Civil Service Commission, Education and Training Ministry, and the Ministry of Education, is spearheading the verification process.
Currently, the focus is on employees holding degrees and above. Verification of lower-level qualifications will be tackled in future phases.
Dr. Haile emphasized a five-phase approach, prioritizing federal institutions, ministers, and respondent organizations in the first phase. This will be followed by higher education institutions, with a specific focus on government-run universities.
The committee is currently collecting and analyzing information on legislative, translational, and democratic institutions in the second phase nearing completion. The third phase will target regional governments.
This extensive verification process aims to ensure transparency and uphold the integrity of government employment. It remains to be seen how many discrepancies will be unearthed and what measures will be taken to address them.
