A diploma is an important document that shows that a person has gone through the learning process at a certain level of education. Therefore, storing the document properly and safely is critical. But there’s no need to panic; if it is lost or damaged due to a disaster, your diploma can be replaced with a certificate of replacement.

According to Minister of Research, Technology and Higher Education Regulation No. 59 of 2018 Article 1, a certificate of replacement is a document that is valued the same as a diploma, an academic transcript, a Diploma Companion Certificate, a Professional Certificate, or a Certificate of Competence.

As for the manufacturing of a replacement, regulations naturally need to be in place to avoid fraud. Based on article 16 of the said regulation, the loss or damage to the original document must be proven by a legitimate written statement from the police, including the number and date of the statement. This means that if the document is lost, damaged, or destroyed, the owner must report it to the police first before submitting an application for a certificate of replacement to the certificate issuer.

In addition, a certificate of replacement must also have the same contents as the diploma, namely, the name of the certificate holder, diploma number, name of the university and logo, student ID number, and others as referred to in Article 5 paragraph (2).

But like a diploma, a certificate of replacement can also be forged. One case happened to a legislator from West Sulawesi. He was arrested for falsifying a certificate of replacement.

In responding to cases of forgery, companies need to verify the authenticity of a candidate’s certificate. Universities, as issuers of diplomas and replacement certificates, can help smoothen the process of verifying certificates by using the Education Verification platform service.

In the Education Verification platform, the verifier’s name is recorded in the system, which maintains accountability in the verification process. Verification is carried out in a two-step process: verification by the academic staff and confirmation by a supervisor, which promotes a check-and-balance process. All results can be accounted for and are guaranteed to be accurate.

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