Students lured by Education Consultants

Education Consultants lure students

Every year thousands of students move to developed countries like Canada, USA and UK. They prefer these countries due to the world class infrastructure, new teaching methodologies, learned faculties and globally accepted degrees. The biggest attraction is the availability of highly paid jobs after acquiring a degree and also the avenues to pursue higher studies further.

A study reveals that Australia receives 10 times more Indian students than Canada does. To reach any of the countries students are seen to be banking upon some agent or the other. These agents get a high percentage on the annual fee of the universities to bring is students and fill up the vacancy.

According to a student advocate, Robert Palmer, “International students arrive in developed nation thinking that they will study in a world class college or university, but they land up arriving a college which has least of infrastructures.”

Mr. Palmer, said “students were turning up at his Overseas Student Support Network in Melbourne and they complain of being cheated by their agents.”

He also said that colleges and universities are also not doing enough to prevent this mess.

“The education Industry in most of these countries depends majorly on education agents. In Canada an agent may earn up to 10 to 40% on the processing fee and annual tuition fee for every student enrolled. In Australia an agent gets almost 25% commissions on first semester fees which is equivalent to $ 1200 to $1500 per student. “

The new colleges are observed to pay even 30% for each student enrolment. For a two year course the fee would be around $16,000 and the commission according to the higher rate would be $5,000 per student.

Mr. Palmer reports that he has handled 1000 legitimate cases out of which about 80% of them were misled by the education agents in their home country.

Experts also opine that parents are responsible for the students falling prey in the hands of agents. In the name of joining a foreign university they readily take out a huge amount of money and pressurize their wards to take admission.

Some students also take help of these agents with a hope that they will get “permanent resident status” only if they enter any of the universities or colleges in the foreign nation.

Students and their parents have to act carefully so that they do not fall prey in the hands of illegal education agents. Also the governments of both the home countries and foreign countries have to imply tough regulations.