The Stink of Bogus Degrees

July 21^st.. Sitting in a car with  my colleague in tow, I am heading towards an institute at Sector 63, Noida, on an investigative story. I have been working on the story for a few days. Colleague Aeshwarya Tiwari  helps me when I visit institutes. He poses as my academically-challenged younger brother, a 49 percent holder, desirous of a degree. I am his concerned cousin sis. We had played our parts well in Gurgaon-based institute capturing all required information on dictaphone and mobile. This was our second fish to be hooked.

Here’s the story I was working on: There are institutes which provide illegal degrees. They provide misleading information to unassuming students and enroll them on high fees. However, these institutes are small guppies in large scheme of things. The real sharks are the universities whose degree these guppies hand over to students. But there’s an issue. Sharks don’t posses that kind of bandwidth to net maximum number of guppies or institutes that operate in the fringes of metro cities or in small- tier cities. Therefore they tie-up with sardines- the intermediaries- who do the job for them.These intermediaries go by agreeable titles such as-academic partner/ national coordinator/ outreach centers/ regional study center and so on. In reality the model is that of franchising. 

 The  racket  functions like this:  Let’s say Karnataka State Open University or  Gulbarga University or MS University, Tamil Nadu ties –up with  ( a sardine) YGen Consulting. YGen then in turn, ties up with guppies like  Academy of Business and Computer Sciences, Kalahandi, Orissa or IIBPS Institute of Business Studies, Indore or EMCONS Business Academy, Kolkata etc. Students enrolling in these colleges obtain degree of  KSOU or Gulbarga or MSU. So, sitting in Kalahandi or Kolkata, a student can get degree of Karnataka or TN . There is no problem. The faculty is not of the university but local. The university selling it's degree doesn't care, neither does the institute running it's shop. 

University Grants Commission, the regulator, bans degree deliverance in this form. It doesn't allow franchising.The entire practice is illegal. So, degrees that students obtain via this route are also illegal. No university can award degree outside its territorial jurisdiction, UGC says. Further, only a college which is affiliated to that University can confer the university’s degree. None of the existing guppies are affiliates of the universities. They can not, being outside the state. And none of these guppy-colleges are AICTE approved either.(which means you and I can open an institute, seek a university tie-up, through YGen like agent who advertises freely, admit students and mint money). The institutes are not interested in seeking AICTE approval either. Because if they do, they will have to fulfill certain quality standards, for which they are no way equipped.  

Well, we reached Noida in the afternoon. We are escorted to the director’s room. The institute  has recently shifted to this address and renovations are on . We don’ t see students. We get on with our act and the director replies us, dutifully trying to convince.( translated verbatim)

Q: ( AT) From which university I’ll get a degree? A: In Noida campus, we’ll give you a degree from two universities 1.PTU (is come under DEC) and 2. Bharathair University Q: Do you give regular degrees? A: Yes and classes are regular (9 to 5) for both universities, but PTU is come under DEC and we are the partner institute of Bharathair university. But you don’t worry nothing is mention in the certificate (degree is distance or regular) Q: What is the difference between  PTU and Bharathair? Which is better? A: Nothing , There is no difference , same faculty will teach you. We are providing same facilities to Bharathair and PTU. Nothing difference. If Bharathair going in a company then PTU also going for a same company there is nothing difference from my side. Only fees difference Bharathair is more PTU is Less. Q: How much is the fee for Bharathiar? A:3.95 lacs total cost Q:  It is for two years? A: Yes, 3.95 lakhs, In this 3.05 is tuition fee and 45,000 other cost like uniform, library, study material, placement, including all this in 45000 and total cost is 3.95 lacs. And in PTU its 2.95 lacs and you ’ll ask  why PTU is less? Q: Yes? A: Because how much is the university charged, we’ll charge according to the university. Q: So after registration fee you’ll give me a receipt? It is yours or of the university? A: That is mine Q: So we have nothing to pay to the university?  A: No you will pay nothing, we will pay the fees to the university. Q: (AT) Is 49% in graduation  ok? A: Ya ok Q: ( AT) If my parents asked to me that you ’ll study in Noida and you will get a degree from TamilNadu?  A: If you study in Bihar CBSE school then you get a certificate from Delhi because it is not a state board. Q: (AT) Now I understand.. you are the partner institute of Bharathiar so have no need to take the approval from DEC?  A:Exactly , Only distance course required DEC approval. And this is not distance program. Q: For PTU degree, does he have to go to Punjab? A: Why you will go to Punjab? ( To AT) From where you’ve completed your schooling and from which board? Q: (AT)UP Board A: So you  had been to Lucknow to get your certificate? ……. ( goes on … )

There are several universities in the fray. Punjab Technical University, for instance. It awards Mass Comm degrees to students of NRAI, located in Gautam Nagar, Delhi. It delivers it’s MBA ( Distance Learning Degree) through IIBS, Noida. Even in the case of Distance Learning, the practice is illegitimate. Every DL degree provider has to take approval of the Joint Committee of AICTE-UGC-DEC to deliver its DL programme. Not all programmes get DL nod. For instance, EIILM University of Sikkim has been given approval of running only three programmes by Distance Education Council, the regulator of Distance Learning. EIILM has regular approval till year 2010. But it offers more than 50 degrees in fashion, paramedical,engineering and M.Phil. 


Students are charged hefty fees. Ex.regular MBA from Punjab Technical University is Rs 60,000 but via this route it charges Rs 1.2 lakhs. Where does the rest of the money get sucked up? It is distributed between the three fishes’.A large number of unaccounted money changes hands.

Isn’t it time regulators curb this malpractice? UGC states the activity illegal , however, it doesn't make any real crackdowns. The business continues to thrive at the cost of nation. 

Here's an example of an advert released by an intermediary looking for colleges.Such adverts float freely without slightest regard to the UGC norms.

UGC notification
























I have covered the entire malice in Careers360. Here’s the link: http://www.careers360.com/news/9243-investigation-degrees-for-sale

A Master's and More

In Chile, a few weeks ago, frustrated by the current education system, students poured out on the streets demanding structural reforms in the sector. Three quarters of the universities in Chile are private. So, naturally education is expensive. Though the operators are barred from making profits but they resort to subterfuges and have set themselves as property companies that rent-out their premises to the universities.

Recently violent clashes broke out between youths and the police there. How many of us know about this development? Indian media, whose allegiance lies to one or the other business or political class, decided that the event is a no-news and hence no coverage was accorded (Swami Agnivesh at Big Boss was news). The same political and business classes, which have equity in media houses, have massive equity stakes in Indian private education too. Now, who would solicit a double whammy; a dip in colossal revenues and an ugly public debate as well?

Well, Chileans… Imagine their frustration. People descending on the streets to protest against unaffordable education and demanding free higher education. When street demonstrations occur, they are not random ruptures of frivolous bearings. They are reflection of years of cumulative anger where resentments are so overpowering that participants don’t mind putting lives at stake. What else can explain a readiness to surrender life than the conviction of the demand?

Back home, if all goes well, we will not see such ugly rifts, but what if we do? The sooner the State gets its acts together, the better it is. There is no regulation of private providers. Almost every one is functioning on their whims and fancies setting any fee structure they feel like.

State’s fees are affordable but it provides meager offerings. Where do I enroll for Master’s programme in Carbon Management or in International Education if I want to? Multi-disciplinary approach, diversity in State education system is zilch. Not only that, new-age programmes are light years away from being offered. For working professionals there is no flexibility for part-time offering or evening classes. How does one improve knowledge base; learn for the joy of learning or for better career-prospects? I will have to burn holes in my pocket to satiate my knowledge, turning overseas for my Master’s education, paying Rs 9-10 lakh for a distance learning programme!  What alternatives do I have? Indian private colleges? Hah? They only offer different flavours of MBA because that’s where the money is. Which private Indian college has Master’s in History or Zoology?

What choices do you have if you reside in an education –deficient country? Stepping on the streets in the only way out for long-pending structural reforms?

Chile, in the meantime, is making their protests continental, along with Colombia. The Chilean president has offered to increase the funding but it is said to be insufficient. It’s been six months of protest; let’s see what is in store for them.  But more importantly, at home, what is in store for us, besides the news that the leadership is attending ribbon –cuttings ceremonies at summits or heralding some expensive foreign university.