Duped by agents for medical seats

NST: PUTRAJAYA: Forty Malaysian students were cheated of RM40 million by unscrupulous agents, who promised them a place to study medicine at the Kasturba Medical College in India.
Higher Education Minister Datuk Mustapa Mohamed said parents and students went all the way to India before realising that they had been duped of their hard- earned money.
"They have made a police report on the matter. We consider this a serious problem and we are looking at publishing the names of those who have done this, so that others will not fall prey to their antics," he said after meeting 42 out of the 63 agents responsible for getting Malaysian students seats in medical colleges abroad.
He said Kasturba Medical College was recognised by the government and its intake was done directly and not by an agent.
"There are no agents involved when it comes to recruiting students for the Kasturba Medical College in India. I am sad to say that their money is burnt."
Mustapa said parents must always check on several matters before enrolling their children in medical colleges abroad, like whether the college was recognised and whether it had been issued with the No Objection Certificate (NOC) from his ministry.
Malaysian Medical Association (committee on medical education) chairman Datuk Dr N. Athimulam, who was also present, said parents and students could check on the names of the 334 medical colleges recognised by the government through the Malaysian Qualification Agency's website.
He added that parents and students could also learn the proper way to enrol for medical studies through a book published by the MMA.
"The book is available in stores for RM15, but secondary school students can get a copy from the library for free.
"As for the cheating, we view this matter seriously. We urge parents to check with the colleges or universities before enrolling their children abroad. Don't believe everything the agents say."
Dr Athimulam also said that parents should not "persuade" agents if their children were not eligible for medical seats in international colleges.
"We have received complaints from several agents saying that many parents say they don't mind paying extra if the agents obtained medical seats for their children in colleges abroad, despite their cumulative grade point average being less than 3.0."
He said there were 12,000 medical students in countries like India, Ukraine, Russia and Indonesia, while 8,000 were studying medicine locally.