Indian students rely on police to check education agents

Indian students aspiring to study abroad say they are forced to approach police to check education agencies so that they don't get scammed. Click To Tweet

A recent story in Indian newspaper, The Hindu, describes how many Indian students now seek help from the police to check on education agents that they are considering working with. It is their only option in the face of the growing incidence of dishonest or illegal behaviour by education agents, and the lack of a “proper mechanism…to check the authenticity of private agencies offering overseas opportunities.”

Sneha Devassia, an anaesthetic technician who is considering higher studies abroad, said:

An easily accessible verification mechanism for aspirants is yet to be a reality. Most of them are forced to trust local agencies who are apparently good at canvasing clients with attractive offers. What I do now is check with the police the history of agencies that I come in contact with.

According to The Hindu article “students and parents are worried about the security of the money deposited with the agencies. Moreover, the experience of a few duped students has doubled the aspirants’ concerns.”

A nurse from Kozhikode who recently migrated to the United Kingdom, said:

There were incidents where some agencies cheated candidates after securing commission. There were also instances of agencies declining to offer the promised services after the departure of candidates for foreign countries.

Labour department officials told The Hindu a stronger licensing system and monitoring mechanism for agents is being developed in consultation with the Ministry of Law and Finance.

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