HRD ministry plans digital certificates, degrees by 2017

Union human resource development minister Prakash Javadekar said on Friday that the government was working to ensure that degrees and certificates can be given to students in digital format from the 2017 academic session onwards.

“There is a need to take a pledge, and that pledge is by 2017, all degrees and board certificates, everything, will go in digital format,” Mr Javadekar said at the national conference for awareness on the National Academic Depository.

The minister said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who launched the “Digital India” campaign, wants to make the whole apparatus digital.

He said that, apart from giving away certificates in digital format, students will also get an opportunity to upload their other certificates and awards.

“Every student will also get an opportunity to put other awards which he has won earlier on it after proper authentication. So his profile is available in one click,” Mr Javadekar said.

It is understood that the human resource development ministry has fast-tracked work on setting up a virtual database under which all academic records will be available in digital format, to curb the menace of fake educational degrees and marksheets.

It is believed that the creation of a digital database will benefit recruiters who want to get the credentials of applicants and will also eliminate the need to physically approach the university.