Colombia’s Ministry of Education is deepening an investigation into the Fundación Universitaria San José, a private university accused of handing out professional degrees that may not have met legal requirements. The probe began last November after officials discovered that Juliana Guerrero, a figure connected to President Gustavo Petro’s administration, had received what appears to be a fraudulent diploma from the institution.
Since then, investigators say the case may not be an isolated incident. According to reports, at least 24 other people — many of them activists, contractors, or staff tied to various government agencies under Petro’s outgoing administration — may have obtained degrees from the same university without completing Saber Pro, Colombia’s mandatory standardized exit exam required for most bachelor’s degrees. That exam is roughly equivalent to a comprehensive senior thesis or licensing exam used in the US to certify that graduates meet minimum academic standards before entering the workforce.
The ministry’s administrative investigation is examining whether the university systematically skipped this legal requirement, effectively functioning, as some critics allege, like a “diploma mill” for people connected to public office. If irregularities are confirmed, the school could face sanctions, and the validity of dozens of professional titles could be called into question — a development with potential consequences for public employees and contractors whose credentials are now under scrutiny.
To read the full investigation and see how this story continues to unfold, check out the original report at El Tiempo.
Source: No solo Juliana Guerrero: ¿qué pasó con 24 activistas del gobierno Petro que habrían obtenido diplomas ilegales? (eltiempo.com). English version produced with AI assistance.
Image: Sean MacEntee, BY 2.0 (via Openverse).