I don't really know what to say about this, other than that it is interesting:
Midland universities are being targeted by fraudsters who falsify application forms to get foreign students on to courses in return for cash.At least seven overseas students have already been expelled so far this term in the region after their applications were found to claim they had qualifications they did not possess.
Nationally 1,000 students have been caught during 2004 using false addresses, names and faked qualifications to get into prestigious British universities – twice the normal rate, according to the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service.
Yesterday, it was reported that an agent for Chinese students had claimed to have fixed places for hundreds of unqualified students over the past three years at universities including Birmingham.
Candidates were reported to be paying thousands of pounds to agents operating in China and Pakistan to cheat their way to a highly-prized UK university education.
Well, maybe there's this to say. How well would these cheats have done if they had been allowed to continue with their studies? How well do they do, if not caught? They sound rather highly motivated to me. Or would they have just tried (do they just try?) to make further educational progress with yet more payments?
The end of the article does supply an answer:
Warwick University described people who tried to falsify qualifications to get in "idiots".
I guess they meant "as" idiots there.
"There is a demand for British higher education around the world. It is one of the things we do well. In a sense it is the jewel in our crown," said Peter Dunn, head of communications."We occasionally get idiots who try to forge qualifications but 99 per cent of the time they are easy to spot."
But what if these fraudsters are only easy to spot if they are, you know, easy to spot? Is Warwick University behaving like those dumbos who say, with perfect confidence: "I can always spot a hairpiece."
It is hardly surprising that they've never yet spotted a fraudulent student that they couldn't spot.
Category: Examinations and qualifications • Globalisation
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It's a big problem with the IELTS exam in mainland China- people turn up to do tests for other people. They also come in with live mobile phones, to record the script. But there is zero cheating in Hong Kong. I don't know why this big difference, but it is so.
The mechanics of the scam aren't spelt out in the article.
However, the obvious "scam" to conduct would be to pass yourself off as a British resident, along with fake A-level grades. This would exploit the difference between the real cost of a British university education, and the nominal cost paid by British resident students.
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Nationally 1,000 students have been caught during 2004 using false addresses, names and faked qualifications to get into prestigious British universities - twice the normal rate, according to the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service.
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I'd guess this is another story where the reporter completely misses the problem that is caused when a government distorts a market.
I work as Marketing Co-ordinator for a big private provider of education to overseas students and look after Asia. It is true that a substantial portion of the students numbers for all providers everywhere in the world is provided by Education Agents. Everyone has become highly dependant on Education Agents for student enrolments. My main concern is how do you monitor and continually check the integrity of the screening process used by agents. A lot of agents make thier living on the consultancy fee that they charge students - not so much the commission they are paid by the providers. Every student who walks through the door of the Agent's office is charged a fee. The more walk in traffic the better for them. This being the case where is the motivation to select only bona fide students who meet all the financial and educational pre requisites.
I guess the answer is to be very very selective when it comes to appointing agents. All references should be taken up and a feed beck from the embassies/high commissions is a great help. This feed back I must say is not always forthcoming and have often to be extracted with great effort.
I must say I am amazed at the numbers quoted above who have gotten into Britsih universities with false documents.
I do not have an anti-spamboatTuring Code.
Mandhir RANDHAWA
