The Paraguayan Ministry of Education and Sciences (MEC) has identified 13 public servants involved in irregularities within the diploma system, with 130,000 suspicious actions and 283 employees under investigation, while the Senate expands its inquiry to include 20 educational institutions, including the Universidad Sudamericana.
Ministerio de Educación y Ciencias
Pytagua coverage mentioning Ministerio de Educación y Ciencias.
The Public Prosecutor's Office of Paraguay is investigating more than 300 fake degrees within the Ministry of Education and Sciences (MEC), where employees are holding well-paid positions using fraudulent diplomas.
The union of Ministry of Education and Sciences employees requested suspension of the move to the new headquarters in Puerto de Asunción due to a series of structural problems, including lack of water, leaks, cockroach infestation, and poor access conditions.
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.
The 2026 school winter break in Paraguay will remain scheduled from July 13 to 24, with no changes despite the World Cup, after the Ministry of Education and Sciences (MEC) concluded that the Paraguayan national team's night matches did not interfere with classes, and the tournament's key decisions will coincide exactly with the recess period.
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.
A Paraguayan teacher who paid nearly 150 times the original amount of a 1 million guaraní debt contracted in 2007 remains listed in Informconf because the court records proving the debt was settled have disappeared from the judiciary's archives, and the agency will not remove her name from the defaulters' registry without a final court clearance.
Spending on salaries in Paraguay's Central Administration grew 8.3% through May 2026 and now accounts for 53% of tax revenue, while tax collections rose just 1.2%, prompting the government to announce austerity measures.
Judge Dina Marchuk Santacruz, known as the "No Tears" judge, remained in office until age 75 after the Supreme Court of Justice unanimously approved in November 2025 the irremovability of her and 31 other magistrates who met the constitutional and legal requirements.
The Ministry of Education and Sciences (MEC) is relocating its units to a new headquarters in Tower 1 of the Government Offices complex at the Port of Asunción, bringing together approximately 1,500 employees and saving around 7 billion guaranis per year by vacating 15 rented properties.
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 Paraguayan Senate passed the bill creating the National Registry of Students with High Intellectual Capacity, which had already been approved by the Chamber of Deputies and was sent to the Executive Branch for enactment or veto.
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 approved with modifications the bill that restricts the use of portable electronic devices in early childhood, primary, and secondary education institutions, allowing their use only for educational purposes and according to each school's internal regulations, and sent the proposal to the Chamber of Deputies for review.
The Senate of Paraguay established a Special Investigation Commission on Monday, June 15, to investigate the issuance, sale, and use of allegedly fake or irregular university degrees, diplomas, and higher education certificates. This follows the scandal involving Universidad Sudamericana, which is believed to have issued around 2,500 irregular degrees over three to four years, a case that led to the resignation of former senator Hernán Rivas.
The Government of Paraguay, in partnership with Starlink, has launched 1,600 high-speed internet kits to connect rural schools, health centers, and remote communities, benefiting more than 50,000 students and teachers.
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.
No Paraguayan municipality scored 50 out of 100 in the first Educational Investment Ranking, which analyzed the allocation of funds for school infrastructure between 2020 and 2025. The overall average was just 14.2 points, and the organization reAcción Paraguay warns of disregard for priorities set by the Ministry of Education and Sciences (MEC) and communities.
The Ministry of Economy and Finance has started meetings with executive branch entities to gather data and define priorities for the 2027 General National Budget. The meetings, which continue throughout the week, also monitor the 2026 budget execution.
Colorado Party deputy Yamil Esgaib refuses to show his business administration degree, questioned because it was issued by the same university involved in the scandal of former senator Hernán Rivas. He says he has nothing to hide but will only present the document 'when he feels like it.'
The Cartist majority in Paraguay's Chamber of Deputies rejected yet another request for information on the allocation of teaching positions in the Ministry of Education and Sciences (MEC), amid accusations of political favoritism. Deputy Johanna Ortega called Minister Luis Fernando Ramírez 'useless, a puppet' and a defender of politicians.
An ANEAES report reveals that while only 19.5% of the 118 Psychology programs in Paraguay have current accreditation, 59.2% of diplomas issued between 2023 and 2026 come from certified courses. The study indicates that 40.8% of new professionals (1,683) graduated from unaccredited programs, with the multicampus model being the main source of unaccredited degrees.