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.
Patrick Kemper
Pytagua coverage mentioning Patrick Kemper.
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 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.
Senator Esperanza Martínez threatens to leave the Senate special commission investigating the "degree mafia" if there is no genuine investigation free from political interference, after the Cartismo movement appointed Patrick Kemper to chair the body.
The Ministry of Economy and Finance has called drug suppliers to a meeting this Wednesday, while the Senate postpones a vote on a bill that expands the credit assignment mechanism. The state's debt to the health sector exceeds US$1 billion.
The Paraguayan Senate's Committee on Science, Technology, Innovation and the Future approved the unification of proposals from the Executive and the Chamber of Deputies to tighten the ban on cell phones and electronic devices in public, private, and subsidized schools throughout the school day, with exceptions for emergencies, authorized pedagogical activities, and students with disabilities. The text now moves to the floor for consideration.