WHEN Parimal Patel and his friend Snehal left for France to do a course in International Management in 2005, little did they know that in a year’s time they would be back in Ahmedabad and without a degree. With such frauds in the educational sector becoming more and more common, the number of victims like Parimal is also fast increasing in the State.

“My counsellor and representative from ESC Dijon, the university I went to, promised me total value for money,” said an angry Parimal. “However, once I reached there, the scenario was completely different. Not only did the university lack infrastructure, it also did not teach us anything we were promised. Realising we had been duped, we decided to come back.” Parimal is now planning to go to Australia this year but rues the fact that he lost Rs 5 lakh in the earlier misadventure.

“Out of my seven batch-mates, five were Gujaratis from Ahmedabad, the other two were from China and Belgium,” he added. “While Snehal and I decided to come back, the other Gujaratis decided to stay back,” he said. He confides that there have several instances where Indian students have been forced to leave their university without completing their course.

Meanwhile, a reputed visa agent from the city, said such cases were rising in the city. “The cases are mainly from countries like France, Russia and some others as it becomes difficult for students to cross-check the ground situation,” he said. He further pointed out that with the craze for global exposure running very high, students often settle for non-accredited private colleges overseas. “Many such institutes are fraudulent, which the students only realize once they go there,” he added. According to a report in the UK daily, The Times, the problem has assumed global proportions with an over 400 per cent rise in the number of such dubious institutions across UK alone between 2000 and 2003. The report takes into cognizance the problems of bogus visas, false entry qualifications, dubious admission policies and fabricated institutional accreditation at the initial stage and bogus institutions and dishonest grading on the other.

A city-based counsellor said that as some high commissions grant instant visas on spot verification, more and more students with the help of some dubious agents were fabricating papers to get visas. “Police too refuse to register such cases saying that these are international issues,” he alleged.

However when contacted, DCP (Crime-Ahmedabad) Manoj Shashidharan strongly denied the allegation. “We have a very structured legal framework to deal with such malpractices,” said Shashidharan. “As and when such cases are reported, we have initiated legal action against such people,” he added.“As the target of the average Gujarati student is not education but to earn money, very few students come back to India even after they know they have been duped,” said another counsellor adding that many students stay back and start doing odd jobs to sustain themselves overseas.

“As there is no regulatory control over these counselling centres, often students tie up with such dubious institutes and open up counselling centres in India,” said the agent adding that many of their own students have now opened counselling institutes in the city. The counsellor further revealed that these institutes also earn a commission Rush for overseas degree putting students at sea from the universities for sending students, and that they often misguide students to ensure their earning. “Obviously these desktop universities pay a much higher level of commission to the agents than the accredited ones,” he said.

Currently based in US, Hirva Thakkar, a former employee of one such counselling centre in Ahmedabad, points out that while the US embassy insists on students having the right kind of information regarding the university a particular student is interested in, things are very different with universities in Australia and UK. “As there is no organised body of such counsellors in Ahmedabad, it is difficult to have a uniform counselling norm in the city,” said Faisal, owner of Universal Academy, a counselling centre. Faisal, however, added that a body called Authorized Australian Educational Representation in India (AAERI) is in place and the counsellors who send students to Australia need to be members of it, for their own credibility.

He further pointed out that some of the institutes preparing students for IELTS and TOEFL claim to have tie-ups with IDP and British Council and charge more than double the market rate promising to ensure higher scores in the tests. “I have been in this business for few years now, however, I am yet to know about such tie-ups with either IDP or British Council,” says Nidhi Gandhi, proprietor of Take Off Academy. She added that while both IDP and British Council periodically organise training workshops for language trainers, one does not require having an affiliation or tying up with them to open a language training institution.

Gandhi, however, observed that it is often the combined effect of craze for global exposure, low cost overseas education and peer pressure that push students to such frustrating situations. “It is their urge to reach abroad with minimal effort and minimum cost that leads them to any agent,” she said. “Often choosing a wrong agent leads to a major disappointment overseas,” she added.

Source : Expressindia.com

A PROMENADE along swanky Kankaria? The idea may soon transform into reality with the Ahmedabad Municipal corporation (AMC) standing committee nod. The long-pending proposal for development of Kankaria lakefront at a cost of Rs 28.58 crore was approved by the committee on Friday.

In a year’s time, a four km-long periphery— a part of the project —will come up along the lakeside, said an AMC release. The project may also plug the rising pollution levels owing to constant traffic which scar Naginawadi and the lake, the committee said justifying the project aimed at beautifying the lake and proper utilisation of other entertainment zones.

According to the release, the inner ring road which is 2.25 km long, has been divided to contain vehicular area and pedestrian movement. The inner ring road will have three entry points from: Pushp Kunj junction, Vyayamshala police chowky and Balvatika.

The four km-long outer ring road will incorporate four stretches: (1) The 2.50 km long road from Kankaria police chowky to Machchhipir slums via Kankaria yard and Dedki Garden, (2) The 0.75 km stretch from Machchhipur slums to Trupti restaurant via Pushp Kunj road and shops of Balwantrai Thakor Hall, (3) The 0.50 km stretch from Trupti Restaurant to Football Ground junction behind One-Tree Hill, and (4) The 0.25 km long stretch from Lohana Hall to Police Chowky via Vyayamshala. The four lane road from Pushp Kunj junction to Vyayamshala will have granite kerbs and pavings. Also coming up is a five-m-wide walking area on the lakeside with a 2.5-m-wide tree lane and a three-m-wide bicycle lane between the two.

A two-m-wide parking area parallel to this road has been planned, besides a 10.80 metre wide road, the other side of which will have footpath and parking space of two m width each— all made of granite. And the hallmarks: special low height poles with decorative fittings and benches as well as other street furniture, the release said. The pedestrian movement area planned from Vyayamshala to Pushp Kunj via Balvatika has more than half of the area made of pavings.

Source : Expressindia.com