Ministry cracks down on illegal foreign universities

The ministry of education has fined six foreign ‘universities’ or their branches for offering education in the Czech Republic without obtaining the required permission. In two cases, criminal complaints have also been lodged over an apparent scam targeting prospective students from Southeast Asia, writes Brian Kenety for Czech Radio.

More than 80 students from India, Bangladesh and Nepal have filed individual or joint complaints against two foreign institutions of higher learning advertising courses in the Czech Republic. The institutions in question call themselves ‘universities’ but would at most be considered ‘colleges’ under Czech law.

Currently, 16 foreign colleges or universities, or their Czech branches, have been audited by the ministry of education and have completed all the necessary paperwork to offer courses. In total, more than 42,000 foreigners are studying in the country, with their numbers having risen some 10% annually in recent years.
Full report on Czech Radio site