Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia (Usim) is utilizing blockchain technology to guarantee the authenticity of its graduates’ degrees.
Done using an app called Tasdiq Al-Syahadah (TAS), the service would enable relevant parties – like potential employers – to verify that the graduate’s qualifications are legit.
In a press release, Usim vice-chancellor Prof Dr Mohamed Ridza Wahiddin said this project was undertaken to prevent fraud using fake degrees and to protect the reputation and integrity of the university’s academic certificates.
He added that another benefit of using blockchain was the lower development costs.
The TAS app was developed in-house, led by the office of the university’s chief information officer, and in collaboration with Usim’s System Development and Engineering Centre (SDEC) and the Malaysia Higher Education Institutions (IPTM) blockchain network.
In line with the Personal Data Protection Act 2010 (PDPA), users would only be able to check these digital scrolls if the graduates also consent to share their information with the TAS app, the vice-chancellor added.
Usim Strategic Communication Centre director Dr. Hammad Farhi Mohd Saudi said potential employers or interested parties will be able to download the app starting today.
Currently, it is only available on the Google Play Store, though a web version is planned for release before the end of the year.
Back in 2018, the Education Ministry launched a similar idea called the e-Scroll system to tackle the increasing proliferation of fake degrees.
The e-Scroll system included a University Degree Issuance and Verification System that used blockchain technology to authenticate degrees.
The ministry noted that the system was meant to eliminate the inefficiency tied to the older systems, which flooded universities with thousands of telephone calls and emails requesting verification.
