Audit of the NTA on the authenticity of qualifications

The Administrative Departments of the services and institutions of the Greek public sector are obliged to inform the National Transparency Authority for the authenticity check of the qualifications of the employees of their service or institution.

In this context, the electronic platform/application (https://rns.aead.gr/titloi/login.asp) is in operation on the Authority's website, in which the Administrative Departments of the services and bodies of the Greek public sector are obliged to enter the information on the relevant authenticity checks of the qualifications of their employees and to inform the National Transparency Authority in writing.

Based on the above obligation of the services, a document was sent to the NTA by the Directorate of Education, according to which the competent Public Prosecutor's Office was informed of a non-genuine diploma of a teacher employed in a school in the area of its responsibility.

On the basis of the aforementioned document, the NTA carried out an ex officio inspection of a school unit of an education directorate in Athens, with regard to the authenticity of the teacher's qualifications.

During the audit, it was found that the teacher, in the context of a call for applications for the posts of school principals, submitted, among other documents, a postgraduate degree, which turned out to be unauthentic and the competent Directorate of Education, in addition to informing the competent Public Prosecutor, proceeded to disciplinary action against the teacher for the disciplinary offence of maintaining in his/her file a non-genuine degree, thus completing the actions required by the provisions.

The teacher, in the context of the notice of competition, submitted the statutory declaration provided for in Law No. 1599/86, in which he or she declared the authenticity of the above-mentioned postgraduate qualification.

The above false declaration constitutes an offence punishable by imprisonment of at least three (3) months, and at the same time constitutes a disciplinary offence of conduct unbecoming or inappropriate or unworthy of an official, whether in or out of office.

It should be noted that the teacher eventually held the position of Head of School, without the said title being graded, since it had been proven to be forged.

Following the above audit, the NTA forwarded the Report to the competent Public Prosecutor for criminal assessment and appropriate disciplinary responsibilities were sought for the teacher.

The NTA continues similar audits, throughout the Greek public sector throughout the country.