Thread: Fake Scholarships, Profiteering, and Criminal Acts in Student Exchange Programs

so it would appear that it is not just Thailand where this sort of thing can happen:

Fake Scholarships, Profiteering, and Criminal Acts in Student Exchange Programs in the US. Warning to the Prospective Exchange Students and Their Parents

On February 6 2007

To the Web Editor:
This is a second reposting, some party who might not wish this message to be read has put up a very very long posting and slowed down the downloading of this message. I hope that the Web Editor could check into the identity of this party and halt that disruptive tactic.

I have alraedy pointed out numberous cases of clear negligence, ignorance, incompetency, and irresponsibilities of people and firms involved in the so called "Student Exchange Scholarship" for the U.S. in other articles here in my blog. Today, I would like to make a summary in a way to warn off the students and parents as well as to suggest some points that need corrections.
News in recent years have pointed toward the increasing tendency of these:

1) Phony Scholarship, in which the family of the students still have to shoulder most or all of the expenses of studying in the foreign countries.

2) Once overseas, most of the students are sent to very small schools in very small towns that none of that country's residence would want to go to. The curricula are typically very backward and confined.

3) Host families are limited to a few familiar friends of the Student Management Group (SMG) area representatives. Not much choice for placement into those so called mutually compatible families. Some of these host families relying on the students' staying with them for their annual small compensation (paid out of the students' family's paid-in contribution and their annual tax reduction.

Many of these host familiies are extremely uneducated, unpeaceful, disordered, uncultured and unadaptable to hosting foreign students.
Already some ligitations are in the courts such as the U.S. against the organizers of such "human cargo" type of the exportaton of the socalled "exchange students.

They Key Issues in Question Are:
1) Responsibilities of SMG and the Internatinal Student Exchange organization that delegate the tasks of managing the exchange students affairs to the SMG, on damages caused by its area representative against the exchange student.

2) Responsibility of SMG's area representatives in overseeing the welfares of the exchange student along with its duties to response timelily and adequately to problematic situations.

3) Responsibility of SMG in placement of the exchange student in to inappropriate host families due to SMG's negligence of duties and violation of its own rules.

4) The obligations and rights of the host parents in serving as the student's guardian while in the U.S. and the limitation of their rights to violate the exchange student's personal right and human right.

5) Whether SMG or anyone under the U.S. Constitution has any authority to issue any rules in violation of the U.S. Constitution where supervision of the exchange students is concerned.

6) Back up plans that SMG should put in place to avoid future cases of damages to the students' studying plan in the U.S. due to SMG's mismanagement and/or misconducts including misrepresentattion by its area representatives.

7) Possible avenue of corrective action to right the wrongs before causing any needs for ligitations agains SMG, INTO, ISEC, and the likes

8) Whether the watering down of the student exchange programs and its management has gone far enough to warrant attention of the State Department or its agency directly overseeing exchange student programs

At the time of writing, the Department of State has already issue a federal regulation requiring criminal records check for all prospective host families. Perhaps, the GAO should step in and re-check the "non-profit" status realities of all these companies dealing with foreign exchange students.

As a citizen of a less develop country, Thailand, I have enjoyed the enlightened 7 years of my own study in the U.S. that has left me with life long friendships and better understanding of the American way of life. I am sure most Americans would agree with me that this treasured concept of "Student Exchange" should never be allowed to be turned to a business of "human cargoes." or extortion of foreign students by the unfit sponsors, and the unfit host families.

As, I conclude this writing, I can only pray that somehow, God would bless those at the Department of State, Department of Justice and the Capitol Hill with the senses to help them save this time-honored methods of goodwills for the US with people of the world.

here

Originally Posted by Dougal

There must be hundreds of these 'colleges' in London offering all sorts of degrees. They are basically a scam to assist immigrants get visas.

YEP The cheats are in London, they will do anything to get your money but on the other hand it will give the forigners a taste of their own medicine.

^^ All look like quality establishments to me. Sort of place the TEFLers could only dream of having been to.

Originally Posted by andyirish57

YEP The cheats are in London, they will do anything to get your money but on the other hand it will give the forigners a taste of their own medicine.

You are missing the point AI, the 'students' don't give a toss about the college they just want entry to the country so they can work as waiters, mini cab drivers or whatever.