Bogus Colleges in India

Several colleges cheat gullible students. Here’s one example.

Delhi-based Wigan and Leigh College, India or WLCI, a college providing undergraduate and graduate courses, used to claim (moderated its claim after a full-fledged story was published) that it was a partner of Wigan and Leigh College, UK.

Long after the partnership was over; WLCI did nothing to intimate students about the expired linkage. In fact, it let the perception remain afloat, which allowed them to attract students via the UK charm. Then it entered into a very ‘outlandish’ / fuzzy relationship with WLC, UK. This brought  UK’s WLC also under big question mark.  

In 1996, Wigan and Leigh College, UK (WLC, UK) while scouting franchise partners, set up a company called Wigan and Leigh College (India) joining hands with this Indian partner. The college was offering its franchise for £36,000.The aggressive hunt for Indian partners by WLC, UK had become a matter of concern even for the British Council of India. Well, it turned out soon that British Council’s concerns were not entirely misplaced.

No sooner that the tie-up happened between the two, WLC (India) claimed in its publicity brochure that it ran courses leading to an MBA awarded by Southampton Institute and accredited by Nottingham Trent University. But the truth was different; no such arrangement had taken place. The claim was an outcome of the assumption that such an arrangement will take place. Southampton Institute blasted WLC, UK over this inaccurate publicity brochure. WLCI, then Wigan and Leigh (India), had admitted its mistake. This episode took place in the very first year of tie-up i.e. in 1996. It wouldn’t be wrong to infer that the string of lies that WLCI embarked on a decade ago, still continues unchecked.

WLCI also flaunted it’s Edexcel qualification ( a UK degree awarding body), though the tie-up had ended in 2004. As regards using WLC as name/ acronym, the college says that it has taken permission from WLC, UK to use the acronym. Can WLC, UK allow its name to be used? I checked. It chose to remain quiet on that. The UK college didn’t deny, confirm or object on the name being used.

In 2006, a Pune-based student Karishma Kauga had taken admission in mass media course in WLCI, Pune. Dissatisfied with the quality of education, she filed a complaint against WLCI with the Pune District Consumer Dispute Redressal Forum in January 2008 and won the case.

WLCI claims on a certain (high)number of faculty members, number of branches but they are all bunch of lies.

Students should be beware of such colleges. In my next blog, I will give some tell-tale signs of such bogus institutions so that students can keep away from them.