Feature



Tarek Mollah

If there is one other business in bangladesh after telecommunication that is thriving, i am sure all will agree that it's foreign educational counseling.

Globalization in the 21st century has broadened the horizons irrespective of sector, and the case is no different in the education market. After 9/ 11, the world has become smaller and more versatile. It has been a blessing in disguise for many developed and developing countries that are taking this opportunity to promote educational facilities to international students, mainly from asia. Migration has also become stricter; and aspiring students and professionals are opting to utilize student status, as the procedure is comparatively less cumbersome.

Taking this opportunity, hundreds of foreign education counseling firms have emerged in bangladesh. The way i see it, very few have served the purpose in providing dedicated, and genuine service. With the absence of guidelines and restrictions; some organizations of questionable standards have pooped up overnight, claiming to be educational consultants. I was fortunate enough to go through some documents with overseas sent by these consultants from bangladesh. Frankly, the content was not only below standard, they tarnished image of the nation and the community.

Institutions from developed countries are cashing in from this situation as well. Knowing how desperate some people are to leave bangladesh; colleges and institutes overseas have emerged to provide enrollment/admissions in exchange for hefty deposits. There are cases where students reached the institutes and then engaged in employment beyond their permissions. However, i am yet to come across any publicly available database of blacklisted foreign institutes. As foreign embassies and consulates are strict with documents, they should be equally concerned over these institutes in their own countries. As we have become a nation hardly aware of our rights or the importance of consumer awareness we are always the scapegoats. Students nowadays are much smarter. Thanks to our years of nepotism, cronyism and corruption, the level of mutual trust, ethics and morality has hit the rocks. A desire to migrate for a better future has become a dream, and a lot of non- students are utilizing this opportunity in exiting via student visa. Even the few consultants who maintain principles are facing obstacles in developing their business, since the truth just doesn't suit the bill of the so called students. Not having any regard for authentic documentation and strict laws; some students, in collaboration with certain unethical consultants, have started a spree of preparing false documents, certificates and declarations. This has gone far enough that even notarized documents have lost their legal value.

This sector requires strict monitoring and an ethical approach.

Effective measures:
(1) Good governance

(2) Monitoring student consultants (half yearly audits).

(3) Affiliation with government ministries.

(4) Workshops, forums and awareness programs for professional counseling and documentation skills.

(5) Coordination between student consultants and respective departments in foreign missions.

(6) Availability of database of blacklisted organizations in Bangladesh as well those overseas [with regular updates]

(7) Providing standard documents as specimen copy [admission letter, sponsorship document]

(8) Adequate information on respective country's culture, society, etc.

(9) Hotline in foreign consulates connecting respective departments to entertain applicants overseas.

(10) Guideline for private financial institutions to fix feasible expense in “opening and maintaining student file account”.

(10) Credibility of student consultancy firms.

(11) Standard format of advertisements by foreign educational consultants.

(12) Refund 50% of student visa fees if application is rejected.

(13) In case students and educational consultants present questionable documents; not only shall the fees be confiscated but also the student and consultant shall be taken to task.

(14) Bangladesh bank to make required reform in issuance of outward remittance for students transferring fees. Notably, before offer letter is issued, BB does not allow any fund to be transferred. My question is, in this case how is a student is going to make payments in foreign currency using official protocol? Many funds, though small in amount but large in quantity, are being channeled out without records. I believe that's part of what is called money laundering. I would like to highlight one important factor. Since Bangladesh bank does not allow transfer of funds for primary education, how is it possible that there are thousands of students studying in our neighboring countries? How are their expenses are paid? I am sure that the government is not paying for these thousands of Bangladeshi students. Laws & rules are only effective when they have credible governance. How can these students exit from immigration with student visa to neighboring countries without being checked about their funds by proper authority?

This is definitely negligence. No law can be implemented properly if code of conduct is not formulated for public knowledge. These are pros and cons in any sector, but foreign education consultancy is a sector that holds immense responsibility in directing young minds. Irresponsible approach could be disastrous not only for individual students but for the entire community.