Principal drawn into Dubai school teacher's fake degree saga

Officials in the UAE discovered the forgery when the certificate was sent to them for attestation

A school teacher in Dubai has been accused of getting a fake degree from the UK. The National

A school teacher in Dubai has been accused of getting a fake degree from the UK.

Judges at the Dubai Criminal Court heard the Morocco woman, 36, got a fake IT degree from University of Hertfordshire.

She took the certificate to UAE’s Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research in December 2019 for attestation when officials discovered the forgery and reported it to the police.

The woman denied the charges in court.

She said the degree was awarded to her after she completed an online degree from the UK university.

The school’s principal connected her with a representative of the university to help her get the certificate, the woman said.

The principal, a 44-year-old Pakistani national, also faces forgery charges.

“After my boss told me about the university, I asked friends in the UK about it and made sure it existed before getting in touch with their representative,” said the woman.

“I went through the registration process and took two assessments based on material provided by the university after which I received the degree.”

A verdict is due to be passed on December 29.