Blockchain and Federated Learning for Cross-Border Credential Verification: A Policy Framework for Central Asian Higher Education

Academic credential fraud undermines trust in Central Asian higher education systems, where manual verification processes take 2-4 weeks and cost approximately 45 to $0.12 per verification (99.7% reduction), maintaining strong privacy guarantees (9.1/10 privacy score) compared to centralized approaches (2.1/10). We propose a three-phase implementation roadmap aligned with existing regional frameworks (TuCAHEA, Lisbon Recognition Convention) and national quality assurance systems. This work contributes the first integration of blockchain and federated learning for educational credentials, offering a scalable solution for post-Soviet higher education systems seeking regional integration while preserving institutional autonomy and data sovereignty.