News: BBC uncover fake university
- Posted:
- 8 January 2008
This story is taken from the BBC website :
BBC London's undercover investigation exposes bogus university
BBC London has exposed an international education scam targeting foreign students in London.
The multi-million pound con has gone on virtually unchecked for seven years. It exploits lax Government policy and uses the UK's most prestigious universities as a front to sell unrecognised and worthless degrees.
Every year 40,000 foreign students come to London to study for a British degree. While many attend famous institutions with worldwide reputations, others are tempted into cheaper backstreet colleges by conmen where they end up paying thousands in fees. But the degrees they get are as dodgy as the professors who hand them out.
BBC London's investigation began with student Sounak Halder who was granted a visa to study for a UK degree at an East London College. In 2006 after seeing an advert for a UK recognised masters degree, Sounak from Kolkata took out a £5,000 loan to come to London to study. He made sure that the college was listed on a British Government website.
He says: "I was happy at that point of time. After that I'd gone to the British council to check for the check, they also said yes, just check the DFES site. If the college's name is there it means it's fine ... go for that."
The college Sounak had chosen was linked to the Irish International University (IIU). It would be the one to award him the Masters degree. But concerns had already been raised in London over the IIU and others. In fact BBC London discovered that the IIU was already listed on a secret government blacklist of suspect universities back in 2005.
See full story here