The Nepali Embassy in Abu Dhabi has started collecting details of Nepali students who are facing problems while visiting educational institutions in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for higher education.

The victimized students have filed complaints with the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Education, and the police alleging that they were cheated by an educational institution operating against standards in the UAE.

After receiving complaints and grievances, the Nepali Embassy published a notice last Thursday asking the students in trouble to provide details within 15 days. ‘The Department of Consular Services of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has prepared the portal as requested to create a portal to collect details of students who are in trouble due to incorrect information and information from educational counseling centers in the United Arab Emirates or who have returned to Nepal without completing their courses, who have not been employed in the UAE as promised, who have not been able to conduct classes, and who have been cheated by universities, colleges, and vocational training centers in Nepal,’ the notice said.

Bishwajit Kumar Yadav of Mahottari and others have filed complaints alleging that they were cheated by an educational institution in the UAE. He said that the collection of details has been started as per the demand of the victimized students. ‘The police did not take a complaint against the cheating, saying that it was a matter for the Ministry of Education to look into.’ How many students are in trouble . It is not clear . We had asked them to start collecting details to take action,’ Yadav said .

The Consulate General in Dubai has also stated that the victimized student has come in contact . Consul Kunjan Sah has written a letter to the Foreign Ministry stating that Nepal’s educational consultancy center (consultancy) has been found to be sending Nepali students to universities, colleges and vocational training centers in free zones in the UAE .

He mentioned in the letter that some of those educational institutions are operating without standards, are said to have affiliation with foreign universities but are not, do not even have their own buildings for colleges and training centers, have taken online classes after conducting classes in a building rented for a few months, and have not received service facilities as promised .

24 victimized students have filed a complaint with the name of the consultancy and the educational institution in the UAE . The complaint claims that the educational institutions are issuing NOCs even though they are not accredited by the UAE Ministry of Education and the Commission for Accreditation of Academy.

It has been alleged that they have been exploiting them financially by claiming affiliation with rejected or unaccredited foreign universities and promising them misleading visas and employment. In some cases, the complaint mentions that they are being used for illegal work and the Emirates ID of the students is being withheld. The complaint mentions the names of about 20 consultancies and 20 colleges that do not meet all the criteria.

Students have complained that institutions including ‘British University International, Center Academy for Management Studies, Paris American International Academy’ have taken financial benefits by misleading them by saying that they will award master’s degrees even though they have only obtained training permits. ‘Such educational institutions are subject to less supervision by the UAE government and may be closed at any time,’ the embassy said in a letter to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. ‘This type of fraud seems to have started with Nepali educational consultants. It is understood that tuition fees are also paid with their involvement and collusion.’

The complaint filed by the victim student with the Prime Minister’s Office and the Ministry of Education has demanded a high-level investigation into the incident of cheating Nepali students in the UAE and action. The complaint filed by the victim student states that institutions recognized as training centers and coaching centers in the UAE are misleading students by naming them universities, colleges and academies.

The victim student Yadav said that those educational institutions are misleading students by claiming to have obtained affiliation from universities in countries including the US, UK. ‘The NOC branch of the Ministry of Education allows them to study in those educational institutions. The Curriculum Development Center of Tribhuvan University has already given equivalence to one person,' he said, 'Nepali students are falling into the trap of fraud based on misleading information from consultancies and colleges.' It is estimated that the number of students falling into this trap could be around one thousand.

The affected students have demanded that the details of those in trouble be collected, the data of students who received NOC in the last 5 years be analyzed, and action and compensation be provided if the students are found to have been cheated. On November 7, the embassy also held a 'virtual' interaction with Nepali students in the UAE.

In which the embassy had sent information to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs that 10 to 12 educational institutions operating in the UAE's free zones had cheated Nepali students in education. After the embassy's letter, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs drew the attention of the Ministry of Education.

After the complaints and complaints of students, the Ministry of Education has tightened the issuance of foreign study permits (NOCs) in the UAE. Minister for Education, Science and Technology Mahabir Pun has stated that arrangements have been made to provide NOC only to listed educational institutions.

He has appealed to students to proceed with the admission process only in universities and colleges listed by the Ministry of Education. Education Ministry officials say that they have been facing problems when students are sent to illegal educational institutions in the UAE through unregistered educational consultancies. Although 720 consultancies are registered with the Ministry of Education, it is estimated that many more are operating without registration.