Nepali Students Cheated in UAE Higher Education
Nepali students who went to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in the name of higher education have been cheated. They realized this only after completing their studies and not receiving any certificates.
These students, who have now reached out to the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, initially traveled to the UAE on the advice of various education consultancies based in Nepal. They were told they would be studying at universities. However, after arriving there, they were enrolled in institutions that operated more like simple tuition centers.
In the UAE, it is possible to open such institutions in so-called “free zones” by renting an ordinary room or flat. The ministry has started an investigation, stating that some Nepali education consultancy operators may also have invested in such institutions. Minister for Education Mahabir Pun has stated that institutions resembling tuition centers have been opened in free zones with investment from Nepali consultancy operators.
The minister said that further study on this issue is ongoing. He stated, “Complaints have been received that some consultancies in Nepal have registered institutes in free zones in the UAE and are sending students every day from Nepal to study at various fake colleges. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has informed that such students are facing difficulties in the UAE. An in-depth investigation is underway into this matter. No one should get trapped in such activities.”
According to the ministry, some students who went to Dubai and later returned first lodged complaints at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and then at the Ministry of Education, stating that they had been cheated. After receiving a letter from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Minister Pun instructed the secretary to study the issue and move ahead with the process of taking action.
Ministry Secretary Chudamani Paudel stated that the matter is being studied by taking into account the letter received from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as well as the complaints from the students. According to him, after examining the educational institutions said to be operating in the UAE, preparations are being made to halt the issuance of No Objection Certificates (NOC) for students to go to such institutions.
Secretary Paudel also informed that if, after examining the documents, it is confirmed that students have been cheated, preparations are being made to correspond with the Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) of Nepal Police. The aim will be to conduct an investigation and move forward with action against the education consultancies that sent students from Nepal, as well as other institutions and individuals involved.
Shesharaj Bhattarai, President of the Educational Consultancy Association of Nepal (ECAN), said that they too have received information about students who went to the UAE for study being cheated, and that those involved in such activities should be punished. However, he also stated that there should be a serious investigation into how the ministry issued NOC for students to pursue higher education at ordinary institutions established in free zones in the UAE.
In recent times, the ministry has been very strict in issuing NOC to students going for foreign study. But ECAN President Bhattarai raised a counter question, saying, “On the basis of what documents did the ministry issue NOC to educational institutions established with the intention of cheating students?”
For studies in the UAE, Nepali students generally pay up to around seven lakh rupees to complete a single course. For students wishing to go to the UAE for study, the ministry has been issuing about three thousand NOCs annually.
