The unfortunate case of TASMAC in London

INSTANCES of foreign institutions closing shop leaving Indian students stranded are becoming all too common in India. Could this be a natural, unfortunate, consequence of the craze for foreign degrees in our country?

It is regrettable that TASMAC has had to close down the London campus of their business school last week. I have known about them ever since the late ‘90s when I was heading British Council’s education promotion wing in east India. This is definitely NOT another Tri-Valley. Rather, an example of how Indian institutions need to exercise caution when planning their overseas ventures.

Needless to say, the TASMAC decision has jeopardised prospects of over 600 Indian students in London. The Ministry of External Affairs is closely monitoring the situation. In a statement, a foreign ministry spokesperson said, "The decision to shut down the campus is believed to be related to the UK's efforts to tighten norms in respect of Tier 4 student visas."

The MEA said the Indian high commission in London has made contact with the TASMAC authorities. "Our high commission in London has established immediate contact with TASMAC, which has conveyed that it is working with the University of Wales to transfer the students to other educational institutions so that their studies are not disrupted." The Indian mission has set up an advisory for students on its website, but the ministry said no Indian student had contacted them for any assistance yet.

Earlier this year, the UK instituted several changes in student visa regime which are as follows: From April 2012, any institution wanting to sponsor students will need to be classed as a Highly Trusted sponsor, and should be accredited by a statutory education inspection body by the end of next year. The current system doesn't require this, and has allowed too many second and third rung colleges to become sponsors.

With the University of Wales in a spot over the “cash-for-certificates” scam, how much assistance they would be able to provide these stranded students remains to be seen.

New academic strategy for scam-tainted university

TROUBLED times ahead for UK’s higher education sector?

With University of Wales, the country’s second largest university (70,000 students studying its courses in 130 colleges around the world), mired in a “cash for certificates” scam, the spotlight is, once again, on academic integrity.

There is much outrage in UK’s academic fraternity over this incident. Vice-chancellors of five Welsh universities (Aberystwyth, Cardiff, Bangor, Glamorgan and Swansea) have called for the university to be wound up following a BBC Wales programme last week that showed a reporter posing as a student arranging to pay for bogus qualifications at a London college validated by the University of Wales. The reporter was seen paying £1,500 (US$2,300) in cash for a certificate. The programme followed an earlier probe into the university's links with dubious overseas colleges in Malaysia and Thailand.

The University of Wales has since announced a new academic strategy, which will see the institution only award degrees to students on courses designed and fully controlled by the University.

The transformed University will cease to be an accrediting body for other universities in Wales. It will instigate discussions with these universities to withdraw from awarding degrees to their students. The University will also bring to a close validated programmes offered at centres in the UK and overseas and introduce a new academic model.

Professor Medwin Hughes, Vice-Chancellor, University of Wales said, “In light of HE policy changes in Wales and the creation of a transformed University of Wales, we believe the time is right for us to adopt a new academic strategy and only award University of Wales degrees to students on courses designed and fully controlled by the University of Wales. We are therefore proposing to bring the current validation model to a close.”

"We have a duty of care to all students on existing programmes and will honour our current commitments to them. However, from next year, all Universities in Wales will either have to use their own degree awarding powers or make other arrangements for the courses they run both locally and on a transnational basis.

"And our own international collaboration will now be based solely on courses designed and fully controlled by the University of Wales, embedded in our Faculties and led by our own academic staff. We remain committed to a global role and believe it can serve Wales well.”