Bangladesh Minister’s wife runs fake private university

Dhaka, 25 May, 2006 (INS + Asiantribune.com):

Wife of State Minister for Education Ehsanul Haque Milon is running a fake university named ‘The International University’ at city’s Uttara model town, thus cheating hundreds of students in Bangladesh.

The matter came to the attention when a local newspaper published an exclusive report on it. According to the report, the education ministry has found that the authorities of The International University have been running the private institution for over five years with a fake approval of the ministry.

The ministry has received a copy of the fake approval letter that the university authorities have shown to the students as well as to different government organizations.

The fake approval letter, issued on May 7, 2000, and signed by one Syed Mainuddin, claiming himself to be an assistant secretary of the Education Ministry, said that the ministry had no objection to assist the authorities of the International University under the management of West Coast Educational Foundation, Uttara, in running the professional and technology-based educational institution.

The education ministry recently said that it had never issued such approval for any organization and that the institution had been functioning on the basis of fraudulent claims.

Signed by assistant secretary, Abdur Rashid, an Education Ministry circular issued on April 17, 2006 said: “The WCEF foundation has been running The International University in Uttara, Dhaka, with a fake approval of the ministry.”

The ministry has requested the University Grants Commission to conduct an investigation and submit a report to the ministry.

Sources in the UGC, which is the regulator of both private and public universities in the country, said that they would make a spot visit soon.

“The commission has noticed that the so-called university has been trying to woo students through advertisements in newspapers offering degrees in different subjects including masters degree in business administration, bachelors degrees in English and computer science and even PhD degree.”

Talking to INS the UGC Chairman, Professor M Asaduzzaman said: “An organized syndicate has been selling certificates from such fake universities and from some so-called outer campuses of a number of foreign universities and institutions.

He said stern actions would be taken against such institutions.”

It is further learnt that, The International University (TIU) is an affiliate institution of an US University. A Bangladeshi named Dr. Gazi Alam, who proclaims to be the ‘friend’ of Prime Minister’s son, Tareq Rahman approached the President of TIU-USA for the affiliation.

Later they managed to open a campus in Dhaka’s Uttara model town area, with State Minister for Education’s wife as the Vice Chancellor. Meanwhile, this fake university has cheated hundreds of local students by giving them fake certificates.