Daily Times

The problem comes to a head. A group of 10 Pakistani students garnered courage and sent letters to Theresa May, British Home Secretary, at her 2 Marsham Street office (SW1P 4DF) in London with a request to launch a secret pilot study into the behaviour (and deeds) of the 15 top ranking universities of the United Kingdom (UK). The letters were sent about two months ago but the British Home Office has not yet responded to these letters, despite the fact that it is a known practice of the British Home Office to respond to any such letter within one to one and a half months.

In 2010/11, Ms May launched a secret pilot study and targeted Pakistani students to find out the percentage of prospective immigrant workers coming to the UK in the guise of students. The result of the pilot study divided Pakistani students into two halves: genuine and bogus. In April 2012, the UK government took measures to let only genuine students seek visas and enter the UK. Interestingly, the letters mentioned above were sent by the same genuine students who visited the UK for only study and research purposes.

The pilot study pointed out the existence of bogus students amongst the Pakistani students. Certainly, there must be black sheep among Pakistani students taking advantage of the laid down visa system of the UK. Similarly, there may be black sheep in the UK’s higher education sector that take advantage of the education system and rob Pakistani students of their time and money. Hitherto, Ms May has watched the interests of her country even at the cost of maligning Pakistani students throughout the world. However, Ms May has failed to notice the fact that British professors working in the departments of the UK’s top ranking universities are also involved in malpractices that ruin the time and money of Pakistani students. These professors are no less than PhDs. Under the banner of top ranking universities, they offer courses of compromised academic and research quality. When caught red-handed, they hide behind the system (and the law) while the university hushes up the matter.

The running of bogus courses (or their components) means that compromised education is delivered and compromised research is conducted by various departments while the degree is issued by the university masking the compromised aspects. The Higher Education Commission of Pakistan must take notice of this practice. The British press, which splashes headlines all over the newspapers on any act surrounding the word ‘Pakistani’, observes complete silence when its attention is drawn towards this practice. One of the reasons for its silence is that the British press knows that the UK’s universities are one of the major sources of earning. Reporters (without mentioning their names and respective UK’s dailies) when contacted were found uttering these words. The group of 10 Pakistani students has now asked Ms May to launch a secret pilot study to find out black sheep existing in the UK’s higher education sector. Secondly, they have requested her to reveal the results of the study to the British media, as she did before, to let the British public identify the hidden face of the UK’s higher education sector too.

Back in Pakistan, it is not that Adam Thomson, British High Commissioner to Pakistan, does not know the matter, it is that Thomson has no cogent reply to give. Thomson has coined a one-liner for any such matter: contact the British Council. On the other hand, on its website, the British Council has declared itself a charity organisation working under the auspices of the Queen. Secondly, the British Council has also declared its being devoid of any power whatsoever. In this regard, Thomson fails to clarify how a charity organisation is empowered with the task of looking into matters related to the higher education sector of the UK. Secondly, Thomson fails to clarify how the British High Commission in Islamabad is working solely as a visa fee collector and not a representative of the UK.

Thomson must provide answers to those from whom (i.e. Pakistani students) he manages to send at least two million pounds every year to the UK’s economy. Secondly, Thomson should also be answerable because only the student visa fee gathered per year (about 200,000 pounds) is enough to run the British High Commission independent of any financial help from the UK’s national exchequer. The point is simple: those universities of the UK who are caught red-handed fleecing Pakistani students should refund the fee (both tuition and living) in full including the travel expenditures so incurred. Secondly, the UK High Commission should also return the student visa fee collected, besides some additional amount as reparation.

Postscript: Who is this ‘EJ’ (male or female) sending emails to this writer from the visa enquiry and correspondence office (visaenquiries.islamabad@fco.gov.uk) of the UK’s High Commission in Pakistan? What is the rationale for using initial letters of one’s name when sending an email to this writer? Why is there a need to hide one’s name and designation? This writer never sent any letter or email addressed to any visa officer or visa enquiry office of the UK’s High Commission, Islamabad. If someone from the UK’s High Commission intends to send an email to this writer, he/she should write down his/her full name in the end of the message, besides his/her designation. First, the UK’s High Commission should have its own version on the matter and secondly, it can write a rebuttal to this writer’s column or write a letter to the editor in this daily, if required.

The writer is a freelance columnist and can be reached at qaisarrashid@yahoo.com