Be wary of fake UK qualifications
Bogus institutions offering dubious degrees, claim
KOTA KINABALU:
Malaysians seeking UK qualifications, either offered in the UK or in Malaysia, should be wary of bogus institutions that claim to offer so-called ‘certified UK degrees’. There are irresponsible parties operating in Malaysia that use various means to entice students to enrol for programmes that claim to offer UK qualifications, according to a press release in conjunction with the tour of the Education UK exhibitions organized by British Council in four Malaysian cities. The first exhibition was held on March 18 where Penang became its first venue followed by Kuala Lumpur (March 22 and 23) and Kuching on March 26. Kota Kinabalu was its last venue and it was held at Le Meridien Hotel yesterday. The people could get up-to-date and accurate information about UK study at this exhibition, said Guy Perring, the British Council project manager, transnational education, when met at the Education UK exhibitions held at the Le Meridien Hotel from 1pm to 7pm. “This program provides Malaysians with accurate and reliable information about UK qualifications and more choices for those interested to further their studies,” Guy said. “They can also meet the representatives from the UK institutions which also enable them to get the information they need about studying in the UK,” he added. Guy said more than 800 people attended the expo. “The response from the public is very encouraging,” he said, adding that a total of 15 institutions from the UK participated in this exhibition. Among them were University of Hull, University of Portsmouth, University of Reading, Bellerbys College, BPP College of Professional Studies and Bosworth Independent College. These institutions providing several programmes such as for postgraduate student, undergraduate student and A-levels. Idora Imran, 22, and Alvina Damit, 22, both final year students of Universiti Malaysia Sabah said the expo had given them a lot of information. “It is good to be here at this expo as it gives us much information that we want,” said Idora who is pursuing a degree in Banking and Finance. “We can also learn about the cost of living in the UK,” said Alvina, who is pursuing a degree course in Hotel Management. “We have still not decided what programs we want to take. We are just look around and getting information as much as we can,” Idora said. Asked what courses interest them in a foreign university, they said they want to take management courses.
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