The scandal involving fake university degrees in Paraguay, with over 250 confirmed frauds and suspicions surrounding 1,500 more, has exposed a structural crisis in higher education that has led to government intervention in universities and triggered investigations by Congress and the Public Prosecutor's Office.
Consejo Nacional de Educación Superior
Pytagua coverage mentioning Consejo Nacional de Educación Superior.
The removal of Zulma Díaz Penayo from the Education Ministry's universities directorate has widened into a broader debate over oversight, accreditation and transparency in Paraguay's higher education system.
The Ministry of Education and Sciences (MEC) intervened at the Instituto Técnico Superior de Gestão Privada San Expedito in Horqueta, in the department of Concepción, to investigate approximately 1,800 teaching degrees suspected of forgery during an audit with a 45-day deadline.
The Ministry of Education and Sciences (MEC) reported 145 fake teaching degrees to the Public Prosecutor's Office following an internal audit that identified around 1,500 diplomas of questionable authenticity, while experts suggest the scheme could be much larger and attribute the problem to credentialism and the lack of oversight by the National Council of Higher Education (Cones).
The Senate of Paraguay has set up a special commission to investigate an alleged scheme involving approximately 100,000 irregular university degrees issued between 2023 and 2025, of which roughly 60% correspond to programs lacking quality accreditation. The first institution under investigation is Universidad Sudamericana, the alma mater of former senator Hernán Rivas.
The Senate postponed the creation of Smartum University due to the absence of a binding opinion from the National Council of Higher Education (CONES), as required by law.
Aneaes reported that out of 53 Pharmacy and Chemistry degree programs authorized by CONES in Paraguay, only 4 currently hold accreditation (7.5%), and that of the 1,364 diplomas issued by the MEC between 2023 and May 2026, 76.3% correspond to programs that have not completed the accreditation process.
Paraguayan scientists sent a letter to President Santiago Peña and the National Congress warning about the proliferation of low-quality doctoral programs in Paraguay, highlighting issues such as conflicts of interest within the National Council of Higher Education (Cones), lack of academic rigor, and shortcomings in the evaluation and accreditation of these programs by the National Agency for the Evaluation and Accreditation of Higher Education (Aneaes).
Independent Senator Eduardo Nakayama has asked Senate President Basilio Núñez to investigate the authenticity of academic degrees held by staff receiving bonuses, amid suspicions of forgery linked to Sudamericana University.
The National Agency for Evaluation and Accreditation of Higher Education (Aneaes) requested the Ministry of Education and the National Council for Higher Education (Cones) to intervene in more than 100 law courses that have never undergone mandatory accreditation. The request, made on May 4, has been ignored so far, while the scandal involving former senator Hernán Rivas exposes weaknesses in the diploma registration system.