The government is preparing to take action against The British College after a study concluded that it defrauded dozens of Nepali students by enrolling them in an unauthorised programme while promising them international degrees.

Following written complaints and protests by students alleging that the college administration had deceived them, the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology formed a study team led by Parashuram Tiwari, an undersecretary in the higher education division. The report, submitted to education minister Mahabir Pun, confirms that the students’ allegations were well-founded.

“The college has been found to have cheated the students. Necessary actions will be taken after thoroughly studying the report,” Pun told the Post.

The college had enrolled students in the Bachelor's in Hospitality Business Management (BHM), promising a foundation-level course (semesters 1 and 2) in Nepal, a next-level course (semesters 3 and 4) in Dubai, and a final-level course in Australia and the United Kingdom (UK).

However, more than a year after enrolling, students got no concrete information about the university to which their course was affiliated. The students claim they were assured that, by the final year, they could choose either the University of the West of England or Leeds Beckett University, or any other renowned university the college could secure affiliation with. The college has been offering various programmes in affiliation with two UK-based universities.

The hospitality course at the centre of controversy, however, is not affiliated with any of those universities, and no permission has been granted by Nepali authorities to run the foundation-level course that the college is providing.

The controversy erupted after a group of students who had gone to Dubai for the second level of the BHM course returned two months later, finding that neither the academic environment nor the internship opportunities had been as promised.

The students were taken to The Woolwich Institute (TWI), established in Dubai Knowledge Park, a free zone set up by the United Arab Emirates government to attract foreign investment. The rules in the free zones differ and are more flexible than those on the mainland.

“It is clear that the students were enrolled with false promises. The TWI will likely be blacklisted,” Pun said. The ministry will take a decision this week, according to Pun.

TWI is affiliated to the UAE’s Knowledge and Human Development Authority but not the Commission of Academic Accreditation (CAA). Following several complaints of students being cheated, the Office of the Consul General in Dubai has asked the Nepal government to ensure students do not get No Objection Certificates (NOC) to institutions that lack CAA accreditation. Since last month, the education ministry has halted issuing NOCs for study at unaccredited institutions such as the TWI. Students enrolled by The British College for study at TWI cannot travel to Dubai.

After learning that their seniors were duped in Dubai and forced to return home, first- and second-semester students have also joined protests, demanding refunds and compensation, saying a year of their lives has been wasted.

“We will wait until Friday for the action from the ministry. If not, we will be forced to start the next phase of protest from next week,” said Priyanka Nepal, one of the students leading the protest.

On Sunday, the ministry facilitated interaction between the protesting students and college representatives. Rajen Kandel and Mahendra Kandel, the owners, however, did not attend the interaction.

During the interaction, female students had shared that they were not given internship opportunities as promised and were crammed into a small hostel with foreign male students. Guardians, meanwhile, said the college was run only “for money.”

The college charged around Rs750,000 for study in Dubai in addition to Rs250,000 for the one-year course in Nepal. This does not include processing and other travel expenses to the Gulf nation.

Speaking to the Post last week, Rajen Kandel, the college’s chief executive officer (CEO), stated that they never guaranteed internships or job placement. However, TWI’s website explicitly claims that it offers earning opportunities to all students. “We pride ourselves on being a vocational college, which means that, unlike other institutes, we give all of our students the opportunity to ‘Earn While They Learn’. So all students enrolled at TWI have access to career training and placement opportunities so that they can work alongside their studies,” reads the introductory section of the institute’s website. Kandel himself is the CEO of TWI.

Officials of The British College deny the students' allegations of cheating. “As a prestigious institution, we have conducted all of our activities legally. Yet, most of the students, who returned, have been refunded,” said Amardeep Mandal, head of marketing at The British College. “The college will act as per the ministry’s report. We haven’t heard anything so far.”