Bhubaneswar, Sept. 8: The Regional Institute of Education is taking strict measures to check use of forged certificates to gain admission into it.

After three cases of using forged certificates came to the notice of the RIE authorities, the premier institute has decided to screen all certificates submitted by students from the 2009 batch.

The institute has also sought permission of the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) to hand over the matter to the CBI or state vigilance wing for investigation.

The RIE authorities found that at least three students, including two girls, had forged their marksheets to seek admission. The fraud was exposed after a spurned lover of one of these students wrote to the RIE regarding this.

Initially, a case of a girl allegedly tampering with her marksheet to take admission in the two-year BEd course at the institute in 2009 came to notice. This triggered a series of investigations leading to the discovery of two more similar cases.

While certificates of two students were withheld, one, who had secured admission using fake certificate, had already passed out from the institute.

Interestingly, all the three cases of fake certificates were reported from the North Orissa University, indicating the presence of an organised racket there.

“Marksheets that we suspected to be forged were sent to the respective universities to check their authenticity. The North Orissa University confirmed that those three students’ certificates were fake,” said U.K. Nanda, acting principal of the RIE.

“We have decided to screen all certificates of students from the batch of 2009. Certificates will be sent to all universities, including those situated outside the state, to check if they are real,” Nanda said.

This is the second time that the institute has hit upon cases of using fake certificates for admission. Last year, a student from Bihar had been detected to produce forged certificates for admission.

“It is very difficult for us to find out if the certificate a student produces is forged or real. With advancement of technology, even university logos are being copied to perfection. The only way to verify certificates’ authenticity is to get it confirmed from the respective university authorities. But, it is a time consuming process,” said the principal.

The problem multiplies when the certificates are of outstation candidates as the RIE staff have limited knowledge on universities in states such as Bihar and Jharkhand, he said.

“Using fake certificates to gain admission is a serious crime. But, we have our limits. Only a proper professional investigating agency can find out how long has the process of submitting fake certificates been continuing,” he said.

The RIE authorities are waiting for a nod from the NCERT following which a formal FIR will be lodged against the erring students.