Not-So-Foreign^©
A Bulletin for International Education Professionals
Volume 7, Issue 24; June 18, 2008

The PDF version of this week's issue can be found here.

1)  THE PLAYING FIELD – Crackdown on fraud and fake varsities in Bangladesh
2)  ABROAD PERSPECTIVE - U.K. universities accused of awarding undeserved marks
3)  OVER THE COUNTER - Indian students in Australia face exploitation

1) THE PLAYING FIELD – Crackdown on fraud and fake varsities in Bangladesh

The government is on a drive to eliminate education fraud and curb the growth of fake varsities in Bangladesh. Vice-chancellors (VC) of three more public universities--Bangladesh Agriculture University (BAU), Mymensingh, Noakhali Science and Technology University (NSTU) and Patuakhali Science and Technology University (PSTU) -- were recently arrested on charges of corruption and administrative irregularities.

Last year, the University Grants Commission published a list of foreign universities and colleges operating in the country without official sanction (see our issue dated May 16, 2007). Country directors in Bangladesh of Newport University, USA and Oxford Trent University have also been arrested for operating in the country without approval.

The higher education sector has requested that an accreditation council be set up, removing irregularities and stopping fake accreditation in the country.

Source: “Police nabs another country director of fake varsity,”

2) ABROAD PERSPECTIVE - U.K. university opens in Australia

U.K. universities accused of awarding undeserved marks

A senior academic at an U.K university has accused British universities of awarding high marks to undeserving students in order to secure a good position in league table rankings. According to Professor Geoffrey Alderman, who used to be in charge of safeguarding standards at the University of London, “universities were particularly generous when they marked non-European Union students, who pay far more in fees.”

States Alderman, "Their fees are now a lucrative and essential source of much-needed revenue. I have heard it seriously argued that international students who plagiarise should be treated more leniently than British students because of 'differential cultural norms'. It is indeed rare, nowadays, for habitual plagiarists to be expelled from their universities."

Source: “Universities accused of awarding undeserved marks,”
The Guardian, June 17, 2008

3) OVER THE COUNTER - Indian students in Australia face exploitation

A recent study has revealed that almost 60 per cent of the international students who work part-time in the state of Victoria in Australia are paid below minimum wage rates. The study, co-authored by Monash University's Professor Chris Nyland is based on interviews with 200 international students enrolled in nine universities across the state. The study found as many as 58.1 per cent students surveyed were paid below A$15 ($ 14.18 U.S.) an hour, with 33.9 per cent receiving less than A$10 ($ 9.45 U.S.) an hour. The study also revealed, what has been long known, that many of these full-fee paying international students are often pressured to take jobs not wanted by local workers. According to the Australian Fair Pay Commission, the minimum wage level for an unskilled worker is A$ 13.47 ($ 12.7 U.S.) an hour.

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