Paraguay academic title and accreditation investigation

An investigation by the Comptroller General of Paraguay, Camilo Benítez, revealed that 1,090 academic titles held by 1,082 public officials could not be verified by their listed universities. The probe, covering 35 state institutions, found a high concentration of cases within the Ministry of Education and Science (MEC). In response, the MEC annulled the licenses of 108 private-sector educators and launched administrative and internal investigations into staff suspected of using irregular titles for financial gain. The investigation also identified 146 medical professionals who graduated from unaccredited or uncertified institutions.

Following these findings, José Fernando Duarte, president of the National Agency for Evaluation and Accreditation of Higher Education (ANEAES), warned that more than 100,000 university degrees issued over the last three years from non-accredited programs may lack legal backing. This includes critical fields such as Law, Medicine, and Engineering. Duarte described the higher education governance system as “failed” and has called for legislative reforms to Law 4995, proposing that inspection and control functions be transferred to the Vice Ministry of Education while ANEAES absorbs evaluative roles currently held by the National Council of Higher Education (CONES).