Human Resource Development Unit - Department of Education, Saint Lucia

Processing of scholarships begin with the offer from the respective Governments, funding agencies and institutions, preparation of a press release, dissemination of this offer to various agencies and the public through various media, collection of applications, preparation of spreadsheets which capture all information on applications, short listing of the candidates, preparation of Cabinet submiss

ions, notification to the agency and candidate(s) upon receipt of a Cabinet Conclusion, ensuring bonds are completed and personal files updated for successful applicants and orientation sessions where necessary. The Department of Human Resource Development (HRD) of the Ministry of Education, Human Resource Development & Labour commenced the new process of verifying academic and professional certificates on November 11, 2013. Initially, the process of certification was under the portfolio of the Educational Evaluation and Assessment Unit of this ministry. This department ensured that the copies of certificates presented by individuals for certifying were true copies of the original certificate, and were stamped “Certified Correct”. As such, it became necessary to implement a more detailed approach to avoid the occurrence or filtration of fraudulent certificates in circulation, hence the introduction of the verification process. The verification process entails a thorough and in-depth examination of academic and professional certificates presented to the HRD department. Such examination ensures that the awarding body/institution of the certificates is a registered or accredited institution. In cases where certificates are awarded to individuals from examinations sat on island, for example, Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC), General Certificate of Education (Cambridge Examination), EDEXEL, etc. results are verified from master sheets presented by the awarding bodies. Validity of accreditation is checked to ensure that the institution issuing the certificate is listed as an accredited institution and the signatories on the certificates correspond with their tenure in office and are not fraudulent. This process takes a minimum of three (3) and a maximum of five (5) working days, and entails the following:
• originals and copies of certificates are lodged with the HRD Department (individuals are allowed a maximum of five (5) copies per certificate);
• all certificates presented to the department are recorded. The recording entails, contact information (date submitted, full name of applicant, applicant signature upon submission of certificate(s), applicant telephone number, signature of officer receiving certificates, certificate(s) submitted and number of copies;
• these certificates are passed on to the designated officer(s) for processing;
• the officer(s) checks and validates the accreditation of the issuing or awarding agency/body and where required, the grades which appear on certificates. This would entail determining whether the institution is internationally accredited, or registered with the Ministry of Education, Human Resource Development and Labour, and the authenticity of the certificates submitted. If the issuing institution is not accredited the certificate holder is informed upon collection of certificate(s);
• in the case of an academic certificate which exceeds or connotes nine (9) credits or ninety (90) contact hours, or Caribbean Vocational Qualification (CVQ) certificate “ verified “is stamped on the copies and signed by the designated officer. Whereas, with the professional certificates, short courses and affiliate certificates, a “certified” is stamped and signed;
• for the duration of time the certificates are lodged with department, they are stored in a safety (fireproof and waterproof) cabinet;
• upon collection of certificates by applicants, presentation of ID is required, however where third party collection is concerned, authorization and ID are required; and
• applicant signs for receiving verified documents. Advancements in technology have made it easy for the creation of falsified certificates. Consequently verification of educational credentials becomes very difficult and time-consuming. The HRD Department carries out this function for the entire island. The data which follows gives an idea of the number of certificates which are actually processed by the Department during specific periods:
January to March 2014 – 2,212 Certificates presented for verification
In 2015: October 1301, November 1153, December 814- A total of 3,268 certificates presented for verification.

2. Accreditation: The HRD Department also gained the added responsibility of accreditation. In the absence of a National Accreditation Council, the public, when they are interested in pursuing a course of study, will contact the HRD Department to verify that the institution-university/college –which they are planning to attend or pursue a course/programme of study is accredited. The offices will then use the tools available to do the necessary investigations and relay their findings to that individual. Some information can be given immediately and others require more in-depth examinations.

3. Registration of new institutions: The HRD Department, along with the TVET Unit is responsible for the registration of new institutions and the re-registration of existing private educational institutions on the island. This involves examination of the documents submitted, site visits and finally awarding a permit or a provisional permit. Therefore these institutions need to be constantly monitored by HRD & TVET. The HRD Department also ensures that the Medical Schools on the island are duly registered by providing updates to the Medical Monitoring Committee.

4. Career counseling:
The HRD Department is constantly being called upon to provide career counseling to Secondary and tertiary level institutions on the island. This necessitates officers of the department making presentations to these institutions on specified dates. During the annual College Fair, the officers are required to man desks providing this service to the public.

5. Preparation of CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME)Verification Letters: From 2013, the HRD Department has been the only Department preparing CSME Verification letters to nationals and non-nationals who are desirous of applying for their CSME Certificates from the Ministry of External Affairs. Each academic/professional certificate is first verified by the Department, then a further in-depth examination is carried out to determine at which level on the CARICOM Qualifications Framework, each certificate would be placed. Some are straight forward and others require making contact with the institution at which the studies were undertaken to determine the level at which that particular qualification will be placed. Once the level is determined, a memo is then prepared for submission to the Ministry of External Affairs.