The Malaysian Ministry of Education launches e-Scroll, an application built on the NEM blockchain to tackle degree fraud. To verify certificates, QR-codes which can be accessed from any part of the world are printed on the certificates.

The Malaysian Ministry of Education wants to address the issue of degree fraud through the use of blockchain technology. This is to help regain the integrity of universities in Malaysia. In November 2018, the ministry revealed e-Scroll, an issuance and verification system for degrees on the NEM blockchain. This idea was examined early last year by the Council of ICT Deans of Malaysian universities.

The e-Scroll system is believed to be able to tackle the increasing cases of fake degrees in Malaysia. Some of these degrees can be obtained online from so called ‘diploma mills’. The fake degrees do not only put genuine students at a disadvantage but also pose serious threats to the society, as persons with questionable expertise may be able to gain employment in critical sectors such as healthcare.

Improving Efficiency in Degree Verification

At present, Malaysian universities receive thousands of requests from all over the world asking for the verification of degree certificates. The NEM-based e-Scroll system will make this process more efficient and reliable.

According to Malaysia’s ministry of education, NEM blockchain was chosen because it possesses special features to enhance authentication and manage traceability. Verification via a QR code on the certificate can be verified from anywhere in the world.

Blockchain Consortium

Simultaneously, the Malaysian Ministry of Education has launched a blockchain technology consortium. The membership of this consortium will comprise mostly from universities in the country. The main aim of the consortium is to assist in training academics and students on blockchain technology. The consortium will also help to develop potential blockchain applications thereby becoming a source of revenue for the member institutions.

The  founding member universities of the consortium are:

• The International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM),
• Universiti Utara Malaysia (UUM),
• University of Technology, Malaysia (UTM),
• Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS),
• Universiti Malaysia Terengganu (UMT) and
• Universiti Teknologi MARA (UITM).

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