Graduates from local schools will be receiving Blockchain based Digital certificates starting this year according to the local news outlet Channel News Asia.

The country’s educational minister Ong Ye Kung announced the news on Friday. The new initiative is a part of a national level project called OpenCerts, which is a jointly developed by SkillsFuture Singapore (SSG), Government Technology Agency (GovTech), the Ministry of Education (MOE) and Ngee Ann Polytechnic (NP).

OpenCerts is an open source platform for publishing educational credentials that are authentic and Cryptographically secured. The project uses the Ethereum Blockchain to secure the data with an aim to issue certificates reliably and reduce paperwork.

According to their website, they justify the use of Ethereum by saying:

“Ethereum is the blockchain network with the largest developer base, as well as having a large number of participants securing the network.”

According to the report, this is the first time that Blockchain technology is being utilized at a national level. Students graduating from various schools and colleges will be able to receive a digital certificate with a “unique cryptographic proof embedded for secure verification.”

Students are able to apply for jobs or for higher studies with the digital certificates as it is verified by their schools or employers using the OpenCerts platform.

Mr. Ong commented on the recent development:

“With OpenCerts, we are harnessing the power of blockchain in a practical way,” he said. “It allows for any education institute to issue OpenCerts, and for anyone to quickly check the validity of a digital certificate.” “This will in time make job application and hiring easier and smoother for both the applicant and the employer.”

He describes the initiative as a “good solution to a real-world problem.”

Patrice Choong, Director of NP’s Sandbox – Innovation and Entrepreneurship Office told Channel News Asia that the implementation also solves the productivity issue. He says that the NP issues over 10,000 physical certificates every year which have to be printed and stamped, by issuing Blockchain powered digital certificates they would be able to save time and money.

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