EUROPEAN UNIVERSITY DIPLOMAS NOT WORTH THE PAPER THEY ARE PRINTED ON - XAVIER NIEBERDING REMOVED FROM SCHOOL BY OFFICIAL ACT OF B
Complaint
Grover Loving
Country: United States
European University
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EUROPEAN UNIVERSITY DIPLOMAS NOT WORTH THE PAPER THEY ARE PRINTED ON - XAVIER NIEBERDING REMOVED FROM SCHOOL BY OFFICIAL ACT OF BELGIAN CONGRESS
Strangely absent from the homepage of the European University is the name of its original founder, the Belgian conman Xavier Nieberding. His leadership is a chapter this institution would very much like to forget. Xavier Nieberding founded the European University in 1973 as his personal get-rich-quick scheme. Give us your money and we will give a piece of paper that we shall call "a diploma" that has no academic value whatsoever and isn't even worth the paper it's written on. The people who fell for this con were mostly students from Third World countries like India and Indonesia who, when they heard the terms "European" and "University" mistakenly believed that they were investing their money in a prestigious academic institution. Instead, conman Nieberding had simply chosen a catchy phrase that's completely in the public domain. Students were put through a series of pseudo-lectures that had nothing to do with the real business world but instead provided the cover to give the appearance of study so that their gullible third world parents could be separated from the last of their savings. Ever the sly conartist Mr. Nieberding cleverly succeeded in talking several lower institutions at the other end of the planet who had never heard of him into exchanging credits and classes. Unknowingly, these institutions provided Nieberding with the much-needed superficial appearance of legitimacy. The con was so successful that the business was franchised out to others who opened up "campuses" of their own in different cities all across Europe. Nieberding collected from them as well. As time passed by, however, word got out and no credible academic institution wanted anything to do with him. Eventually, he was kicked out of various academic institutions such as the A.A.C.S.B. when the number of complains about the European University grew simply to big to ignore. Nieberding and his underlings continued to make false claims that they were still the member they had once been. And as long as the money kept coming in from gullible Third World students like India and Indonesia, his operation continued to make a profit very much at the cost of those who had been tricked into sending their children there. By 1997, the Belgian school authorities had received so many complaints that the Belgian Parliament stepped in and held hearings. Xavier Nieberding immediately fled to Switzerland where he is suspected of having secretly transported large sums of money to avoid paying his full share of taxes. The multitude of complaints and grievances brought before the Parliament was so serious that the Belgian authorities decided to make use of a little known Belgian law, and as an official act of Congress, took the school away from him. Xavier Nieberding was forced to resign and the European University was given a new management. And ever since then Xavier Nieberding has become the laughing stock of the Belgian educationary system. His dream of ruling over an empire of schools shattered by an official act of Congress, Xavier Nieberding's sphere of influence is now confined to the European University's former headquarters situated at Jacob Jordaenstraat 77, Antwerp, Belgium, where the single school he allowed to run is today known as the rather insignificant "International School of Management" and also as " The International Management Institute". No serious scholar of business would want to waste their time there. As soon as the new management of his other campuses still operating under the name "European University" discovered that the personnel of the various academic institutions they had once been kicked out of had changed, they simply reapplied and reinstated a new membership with a new personnel that knew nothing of this applicant's ugly and deceitful history. Because its practice of making false and misleading statements unfortunately continues to this day, prospective students contacting the European University are advised to verify any of the claims that they make directly. Contact the institutions that the European University claims to be "a member of" or "in touch with" in person any verify anything that they claim to be with directly with whomever they claim it to be with. Obtaining payments and fees on the basis of deliberately false and misleading statements is fraud and those who perpetrate it can be criminally prosecuted for it. Whatever (for lack of a better term) "diploma" they issue still has no value whatsoever. Neither academic, nor in the real business world, where this institution and anyone showing up with a phony pseudo-degree from them is simply considered a pathetic joke.
A few links with more info:
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VLAAMSE RAAD - Flemish Council
At this link, on page 1058, the Flemish Council (Vlaamse Raad) discusses the European University's "illegal competition"
by which they promise and sell authentic academic degrees
but merely deliver a piece of paper not worth the paper its written on
with no academic credit or recognition whatsoever.
http://jsp.vlaamsparlement.be/docs/bva/1992-1993/va-20-.pdf
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At this link, a Dutch book is being sold that alleges Nieberding has "mafia-like" connections
that allegedly even reach into the Vatican.
http://www.antiqbook.com/books/bookinfo.phtml?nr=1216455672&Language=en
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More Info on the European University:
http://janice-laureyssens-visie.skynetblogs.b ... freya-vdbossche
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
You can use this Internet translation engine to translate from Dutch into English
Http://www.babelfish.altavista.com
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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EUROPEAN UNIVERSITY DIPLOMAS NOT WORTH THE PAPER THEY ARE PRINTED ON - XAVIER NIEBERDING REMOVED FROM SCHOOL BY OFFICIAL ACT OF BELGIAN CONGRESS
Strangely absent from the homepage of the European University is the name of its original founder, the Belgian conman Xavier Nieberding. His leadership is a chapter this institution would very much like to forget. Xavier Nieberding founded the European University in 1973 as his personal get-rich-quick scheme. Give us your money and we will give a piece of paper that we shall call "a diploma" that has no academic value whatsoever and isn't even worth the paper it's written on. The people who fell for this con were mostly students from Third World countries like India and Indonesia who, when they heard the terms "European" and "University" mistakenly believed that they were investing their money in a prestigious academic institution. Instead, conman Nieberding had simply chosen a catchy phrase that's completely in the public domain. Students were put through a series of pseudo-lectures that had nothing to do with the real business world but instead provided the cover to give the appearance of study so that their gullible third world parents could be separated from the last of their savings. Ever the sly conartist Mr. Nieberding cleverly succeeded in talking several lower institutions at the other end of the planet who had never heard of him into exchanging credits and classes. Unknowingly, these institutions provided Nieberding with the much-needed superficial appearance of legitimacy. The con was so successful that the business was franchised out to others who opened up "campuses" of their own in different cities all across Europe. Nieberding collected from them as well. As time passed by, however, word got out and no credible academic institution wanted anything to do with him. Eventually, he was kicked out of various academic institutions such as the A.A.C.S.B. when the number of complains about the European University grew simply to big to ignore. Nieberding and his underlings continued to make false claims that they were still the member they had once been. And as long as the money kept coming in from gullible Third World students like India and Indonesia, his operation continued to make a profit very much at the cost of those who had been tricked into sending their children there. By 1997, the Belgian school authorities had received so many complaints that the Belgian Parliament stepped in and held hearings. Xavier Nieberding immediately fled to Switzerland where he is suspected of having secretly transported large sums of money to avoid paying his full share of taxes. The multitude of complaints and grievances brought before the Parliament was so serious that the Belgian authorities decided to make use of a little known Belgian law, and as an official act of Congress, took the school away from him. Xavier Nieberding was forced to resign and the European University was given a new management. And ever since then Xavier Nieberding has become the laughing stock of the Belgian educationary system. His dream of ruling over an empire of schools shattered by an official act of Congress, Xavier Nieberding's sphere of influence is now confined to the European University's former headquarters situated at Jacob Jordaenstraat 77, Antwerp, Belgium, where the single school he allowed to run is today known as the rather insignificant "International School of Management" and also as " The International Management Institute". No serious scholar of business would want to waste their time there. As soon as the new management of his other campuses still operating under the name "European University" discovered that the personnel of the various academic institutions they had once been kicked out of had changed, they simply reapplied and reinstated a new membership with a new personnel that knew nothing of this applicant's ugly and deceitful history. Because its practice of making false and misleading statements unfortunately continues to this day, prospective students contacting the European University are advised to verify any of the claims that they make directly. Contact the institutions that the European University claims to be "a member of" or "in touch with" in person any verify anything that they claim to be with directly with whomever they claim it to be with. Obtaining payments and fees on the basis of deliberately false and misleading statements is fraud and those who perpetrate it can be criminally prosecuted for it. Whatever (for lack of a better term) "diploma" they issue still has no value whatsoever. Neither academic, nor in the real business world, where this institution and anyone showing up with a phony pseudo-degree from them is simply considered a pathetic joke.
A few links with more info:
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
VLAAMSE RAAD - Flemish Council
At this link, on page 1058, the Flemish Council (Vlaamse Raad) discusses the European University's "illegal competition"
by which they promise and sell authentic academic degrees
but merely deliver a piece of paper not worth the paper its written on
with no academic credit or recognition whatsoever.
http://jsp.vlaamsparlement.be/docs/bva/1992-1993/va-20-.pdf
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
At this link, a Dutch book is being sold that alleges Nieberding has "mafia-like" connections
that allegedly even reach into the Vatican.
http://www.antiqbook.com/books/bookinfo.phtml?nr=1216455672&Language=en
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
More Info on the European University:
http://janice-laureyssens-visie.skynetblogs.b ... freya-vdbossche
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
You can use this Internet translation engine to translate from Dutch into English
Http://www.babelfish.altavista.com
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Comments
Funnily enough, almost all the alumni I knew from there are in high ranking positions worldwide now, on average much better than from a Belgian State University. Teachers all were quite good from what I recall.
The main problem with Belgium was it was not ready for a paying private university a la Americaine. Thus a considerable amount of time was spent by the Establishment to discredit and bring the University down. Actually there won't be a country anymore soon there either.
It is not under different management though, the current Dean in Switzerland Craen is still there. He was Nieberding's number two, he though wasn't a particularly remarkable character, unlike Nieberding.
But the kids who chose o go to the Eu have been doing well in general. Probably because they were already comfortable "being different". In the last 30 something years after graduation I have seen many of my classmates, including myself, move on to taking advanced degrees in prestigious institutions around the world (the aascb accreditation works and has been recognized throughout, unless this has changed recently), then on to succesful carreers and families. Many hold CEO jobs and /or own their own companies... just like in any other really good business schools around the world. Addditonally, most of them speak four to six languages, have lived and worked in numerous nations and many are raising mixed nationality families. In hindsight, Relavance and Adequacy to todays world's needs are two adjectives I would add to describe the EU´s educational system and program. Something very diffciult to provide even with (maybe easier without) the Belgian parliament's rubberstamp.
By the way, I am not Belgian and today I don't live in Belgium, but the opportuniy of spending a few years there made me leran to love the country and its people. Great memories!
Post by: "MMcDonald"
Date: 27.09.2014, 13:21
Hello George, do NOT waste your time and money with these schools such as the European University, University of Montreux MSB, Montreux School of Business, all of these institutions are not at all real universities but institutions that make money by attracting innocent international students that are not aware of the dishonesty behind these schools. That is why in 2015, a new law in Switzerland will be put in place and these school will close down as they don’t abide with rules and regulations of the Swiss Educational system. The founders of these schools are not Swiss but foreigners that don’t even have a University Degree, you can check this fact in the websites of these Schools. But also be aware that all the information in their websites are a pack of lies! If you would like to do a masters or a bachelors do it in a public university, private universities in Europe are all there only for making money and they don’t have Official Recognition for their Degrees, so your time and money will be wasted.
http://www.englishforum.ch/education/211179-e ... good-mba-3.html
http:// www. englishforum.ch/education/211179-european-university-geneva-good-mba-3.html
anabele
Registered User
Join Date
Jan 2013
Posts
1
Hello dear all,
i studied in European University Barcelona for my bachelor and European university Geneva for my masters... Biggest mistake of my life... I wanted to continue my studies in London, only two universities were ready to enroll me, and ATTENTION they wanted me to study for two years for the same degree i obtained in EU and than continue with other degrees. Ive also received a confirmation that European Uni is not recognized in England.
Furthermore i wanted to try something else and decided to apply to Webster... Guess what, a private american university denied my enrollment. They said i can only start over as freshman, because European University degree is not recognized by american instituitions.
I adressed this question to administration of European University Geneva, after a while they just started ignoring my letters.
Plus i dont know if this issue was adressed in this forum (havent had the chance to read all). European university Barcelona had several law cases and probems... and there used to be a European University Lisbon, which just closed.... (i wonder why)
So, i highly recommend, to check for a different Uni.
Peace
http://www.degreeinfo.com/accreditation-discu ... credited-5.html
http:// www. degreeinfo.com/accreditation-discussions-ra-detc-state-approval-unaccredited-schools/24724-european-university-accredited-5.html
Quote:
likotrixa
QUESTION:
"However all i want is feedback from someone who has attended a private University that i described or another, or from someone who knows someone who has attended. This is the only legit way to know what is really going on."
REPLY:
No, it is not the only legit way to know what is going on: It is a well known and documented fact that especially the term MBA is not protected in Switzerland, which is rather unusual. A lot of people have abused this gap and set up private schools selling you some worthless degree. This is so common that a German minister had an open warning to prospective German students that carrying a non-accepted masters "title" by Swiss private schools is a crime in the EU.
Simply put:
- if nobody has ever heard of your school
- if the website is full of Swiss flags and mountain pictures
- if the school advertises "Swiss quality" instead of measurable accreditations
you are most likely going to waste your time and money. Seriously, a good school has deadlines. Yes, it is June and you are too feckin late for this years intake.
It really is common sense and if you honestly really believe that getting a private MBA title you are not allowed to carry in the EU and that does not ad any worth to your CV but rather discredits you... go ahead.
http://www.englishforum.ch/education/211179-e ... good-mba-3.html
http:// www. englishforum.ch/education/211179-european-university-geneva-good-mba-3.html
Grover Loving twists the story. His statements are clearly part of a twisted agenda. This school did a huge amount of good for a lot of people, despite the basic dishonesty of Nieberding and Craen.
Here is what I found...:
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http://www.maltatoday.com.mt/2009/09/06/evarist.html
How academic fraud came to Malta - the EIE case
Two years ago, 24 Maltese men and women were very happy to be the first Maltese graduates from the European University. Sixteen of them flew to Barcelona for their graduation. Most of them had paid around €6,000 for their MBA. Eight of them completed the Diploma in Management programme. These 24 Maltese men and women had applied for their courses through the European Institute for Education (EIE), which operated the Malta Centre of the European University.
Those who run the European University were very satisfied with the work EIE was doing for them in Malta, so much so that the President of EIE, Mr Antonello Cappitta, was awarded the ‘King Fellow Award for Educational Services’ by ‘Dr’ Dirk Craen, President of the European University, for successfully establishing the Malta Centre of the European University. During the week of Easter in April 2006, the EIE were delighted to welcome Craen to Malta and organised meetings with top Maltese personalities, amongst them Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi and Education Minister Louis Galea.
The EIE reported that: “During these meetings, Dr Craen highlighted the University’s vision for the future growth in Malta and outlined ways in which the Maltese authorities and the university could collaborate to enhance the spectrum of education currently available in Malta. On their part, the Maltese authorities were very receptive to the suggestions put forward by Dr Craen and a roadmap was drawn up for further submissions to be made by the European University so as to ensure that items discussed would be favourably concluded in the shortest time span possible.”
It all sounded very impressive. The only problem is that the European University is not a university at all. It operates out of Switzerland but is not recognised by the Swiss government. It is not listed in the World Higher Education Database compiled by the International Association of Universities. The US Senate has investigated the European University and classifies it as a bogus institution not authorized to issue academic degrees. The top people of the European University also got their ‘degrees’ from their own university or other fake universities like Fairfax University of Louisiana in the United States.
The EIE is now trying to distance itself from this organisation and wants to shed all responsibility after it was a partner in the academic fraud carried out by the European University through its Malta Centre. The ‘first Maltese European University graduates’ are now painfully finding out that they were taken for an expensive ride. Their MBA course is not a post-graduate course, as the Malta Qualifications Council found out in its assessment of their course, as they only had a third of the workload of credits that post-graduate students cover to obtain their degree.
More serious than this deficiency in the quantity of credits, is the fact that the awarding institution is a fake university recognised by no serious education authority in the world.
To make matters worse, the PN government has allowed itself to be used by the EIE and the European University to obtain political and academic credibility for their courses. The EIE presented the European University as an ‘established university’. The European University declares that it is in the process of being recognised by the Ministry of Education of Malta and the Ministry of Education of Kazakhstan. Its courses were launched in Malta by the Minister of Education and government institutions were used by EIE and the European University to give students the impression that these courses were recognised and would help them advance in their careers.
Mr Antonello Cappitta who was awarded a ‘King Fellow Award for Education Services’ by the European University for bringing it to Malta, has been appointed by the Nationalist Party on its focus group to propose how to improve Malta’s higher education in the future.
The PN should be ashamed to have appointed such a person to advise it on the way forward for higher education in Malta. Before June 2009, the Minister of Education intended to present a bill on higher education. It has not come to parliament yet and when it comes, I will make it clear that a Higher Education Act in Malta should take steps to disqualify those institutions that cheat their students, and that we should have effective regulation and quality assurance to stop academic fraud from spreading in Malta. We should also provide public information about fake and unaccredited universities that make students pay for a piece of paper which they call a degree or a diploma, with no academic value or professional qualification for work.
The Observatory on Borderless Higher Education notes that the number of fake universities continues to rise in the world. There were 200 such universities in 2000. By 2005 they had multiplied to 800. The list includes not only the European University but also the International University of Vienna.
The EIE is not promoting the courses of the European University anymore but it is trying to persuade Maltese students to take courses offered by Metheki Public University of Tbilisi, Georgia. This is a shady organization as well, and the EIE has brought it to Malta and has also brought its rector, who is Professor Dr Manana Kirtbaia. She calls herself a professor because she was made “Honorary Professor of the International University, Vienna” – another fake university. A University that has as its rector a person who goes around flaunting a professorship from a fake university and participates in the bogus Club of the Vice Chancellors of Europe, is not to be trusted.
The spread of academic fraud to Malta is part of a worldwide trend. Last year, it was estimated that there were 10,000 holders of fake US degrees in Malaysia. The New South Wales Education Minister recently informed the state parliament that fake degrees are on sale from at least 40 sources in Australia. Seven years ago in Hawaii the court closed the American International University of Management and Technology for failing to comply with state law. But it still offers degrees in the rest of the world. A government investigation concluded that in Israel 5,500 people, including teachers, police and civil servants have been awarded fake University of Lincolnshire and Humberside degrees.
Nick Butler, export manager for education at the British Council, says several bogus universities appear each year – and students should be wary. He says the rapid globalisation of education is likely to attract “more of these shadowy organisations wanting to make a quick buck.
“Students need to check if a college is awarding degrees which are valid. The people who are setting up these institutions play on a lack of awareness.”
http://www.maltatoday.com.mt/2009/09/06/evarist.html
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Without official accreditation, ‘university’ is just a word
No amount of libel suits by the European Institute of Education (EIE) is going to stop me from exposing academic fraud in Malta. It is my duty to tell students to check well before paying thousands of euros to an institution that promises them academic and vocational qualifications, and ends up giving them a certificate worth very little.
For example: the EIE has already taken a number of people for a ride when two years ago it made them pay for a course it said would lead to an MBA. After celebrating their graduation, some of these students found out that they did not have a postgraduate degree at all, because the awarding institution, the European University, is not a university at all. It is not even included in the World Higher Education Database of accredited universities around the world compiled by the International Association of Universities (UNESCO).
I have a document, signed by the Malta Qualification Recognition Information Centre (MQRIC) in October 2007, that classified the European University as “a prestigious higher education institution”. I have now been informed by MQRIC that this is no longer the case: “that (it) has stopped (calling it a highly prestigious institution) now following a comparability study which MQRIC undertook earlier this year.”
The MQRIC confirms that according to the official information from its counterparts in Switzerland and for “mutual recognition” purposes, the “European University, Switzerland” is neither a recognised institution by the Swiss Canton where it is situated, nor is it accredited by the Centre of Accreditation and Quality Assurance of the Swiss Universities.
In a Comparability Exercise which the MQRIC undertook in June 2009, the Masters degree in Business Administration (MBA) awarded by the European University registered in Switzerland, was assessed as a programme of studies that meets some, and not the full, standards and criteria which typically describe the ‘second cycle qualification’ of the Qualifications Framework of the European Higher Education Area and the Malta Qualifications Framework (MQF); and therefore can only be given a partial referencing to Level 7 of the European Qualifications Framework.
So the students paying EIE for their MBA degree from the European University, and who were allegedly promised a full degree, ended up getting one-third of a degree.
I believe that MQRIC should check the academic credentials of fake universities like the European University, and desist from giving any credibility, through full or partial recognition of such an organization. Otherwise public confidence in MQRIC is bound to be shaken.
Up until Thursday of this week, EIE named the University of Wales, as amongst the “prestigious universities it worked with”, using their logo alongside theirs. I checked with the University of Wales directly, and this is what Mr Stuart Evans from the UoW’s validation office told me: “I can confirm that the University does not validate any programmes to be delivered by EIE. However, I can confirm that the University of Wales has validated several programmes to be delivered and assessed online by Resource Development International (RDI) Coventry, founded 19 years ago, and is the world’s largest independent provider of UK university distance learning qualifications. EIE act as an agent for RDI and are involved in the promotion of the validated programmes at RDI. EIE are not involved in the delivery or assessment of University of Wales programmes. EIE have not been authorised to use the University’s logo on its homepage and will be asked to remove the reference as a matter of priority.”
In fact, last Thursday the logo of the University of Wales disappeared from the EIE website. Obviously the EIE did not have the decency to explain this vanishing act.
MQRIC should also investigate properly the courses offered through EIE by an organization based in Tbilisi, Georgia. On the EIE website, this organization is referred to as Metheki Public University, brought to Malta by EIE along with its rector, a professor Dr Manana Kirtbaia. She calls herself a professor because she was made “Honorary Professor of the International University, Vienna” – another fake university (listed in the USA Council on Higher Education Accreditation’s list of non-accredited universities) whose rector flaunts his own fake professorship from a fake university, and participates in the bogus ‘Club of the Vice Chancellors of Europe’. Surely not someone to be trusted.
In March 2009, the MQRIC confirmed that another university, the ShPS Tbilisi Saero Universiteti “Metekhi” is an institution recognised by the Georgian authority as having the power to award its own degrees/diplomas and so its degrees/diplomas are also recognised. Thus on conferment of the above mentioned degree, your qualification will also be recognised.
But the courses promoted by EIE are those offered by Metheki Public University – and not by ShPS Tbilisi Saero Universiteti “Metekhi” – as MQRIC are saying. I do not believe the naïve interpretation of those who say that the confusion in names is just a human error on the part of the EIE: the “Metheki University, Tbilisi, Georgia” was wrongly quoted by the local agents as ShPS Tbilisi Saero Universiteti “Metekhi”, which is now a recognized institution by the Georgian authorities.”
EIE are however promoting the courses of Metheki Public University. But in full-page adverts appearing this week, they referred to this so called university as Tbilisi National University ‘Metheki”, which wonder of wonders is listed in the list of universities recognised by the Malta Government Scholarships Undergraduate Scheme, and where tudents can get a scholarship if they follow a “BA Business Administration offered by Tbilisis National University Metekhi, Georgia represented locally by EIE.
It is shameful that Malta’s educational authorities and minister are allowing academic fraud to spread amongst us, either by not taking appropriate action or worse still, by protecting those who are cheating our students and giving a bad name to a number of serious private educational centres which provide our young people with much needed educational opportunities.
The PN has set up an issue group to propose ideas on how to improve our higher education. And the person who runs EIE is in this PN core group.
In two weeks’ time, parliament meets again. The Minister of Education had promised that before the summer recess we would debate and pass a Higher Education Act to regulate this sector. This promise was not kept. I hope that the Minister of Education wakes up from her complacent slumber and brings this Higher Education bill to parliament as soon as possible. I will be insisting that our new Higher Education Act should take steps to disqualify those institutions that cheat their students and that we should have effective regulation and quality assurance to stop academic fraud from spreading in Malta.
We should also provide public information about fake and unaccredited universities that make students pay large amounts of money for so-called diplomas and degrees not worth the paper they are written on.
evarist_bartolo@yahoo.com
http://www.maltatoday.com.mt/2009/09/13/evarist.html
Education Minister, wake up
The European Institute of Education (EIE) claims that it is “licensed by the Ministry of Education of Malta to provide further and higher education.” In the last two years it has even referred to itself as being “licensed by the Ministry of Education and Employment as a tertiary level institution of the European University Programmes…” – who at the Ministry of Education has authorised EIE to make these claims? Which part of the Education Act entitles the Ministry of Education to license private centres as further and higher or even tertiary education institutions?
In fact, EIE is listed on the ministry’s website as one of 58 private tuition centres that are licensed to operate in Malta in areas ranging from beauty therapy and hairdressing to modelling, dancing, childbirth, diving, information technology and flying. It is not the first time that EIE have used logos and names of reliable universities like the University of Wales to give the impression that they “collaborate with the finest names… to provide quality educational programmes” and then it transpires that EIE had no authorization to use these names and that it had to take them off its website.
The EIE is misleading students when it defines itself as being licensed as a further, higher and tertiary education institution. The Ministry of Education should take the necessary steps and stop EIE from abusing students in this way. Why is the Ministry of Education failing to act? The Ministry should stop being an accomplice with EIE. In the last few years the Ministry has helped EIE by having the minister launch the Malta Centre of the European University, which is a fake university. It has allowed its premises to be used for the examinations of this fake university, giving students the impression that they were going through a recognised course that would qualify them for an MBA.
It is not enough for the Malta Qualification Recognition Information Centre (MQRIC) to count how many credits students go through to decide whether or not to accredit their courses. The workload is important but equally important is the credibility and quality of the awarding institution. Making our students go through 120 credits (double what they need) for an MBA awarded by the European University would change nothing. A fake university is a fake university.
MQRIC should also find ways of evaluating an overseas university and not simply recognise its courses because it is accredited by the country where it is based. Accreditation should not be automatic. Without evaluating their quality, MQRIC has recognised the courses awarded by the Public University Metekhi, a private university based in Tbilisi, Georgia, which works in Malta through EIE and has also established an EIE branch in Tbilisi as one of its departments.
The Ministry of Education has allowed this university to be listed as one of the overseas universities for which Maltese students can get a scholarship to follow a degree course. There are thousands of good universities in the world – why choose this small university which does not enjoy a good reputation in Georgia itself? There are some good universities in Georgia. But this small university is not one of them.
Georgia is still struggling to come out of a dark past. Natia Janashia, a former director of studies at a private college in Tbilisi, describes this recent past: “Corruption in academic life in Georgia occurs at all levels of the university, but it does not stop there. Widespread misconduct affects the entire higher education system. Corruption influences university examinations, the conferring of academic credentials, procurement of goods and services, and the licensing and accreditation of institutions.
“Instances of academic fraud have involved bribery, the establishment of diploma mills, forgery, and falsification of examination results, patronage, cronyism and professional misconduct among teachers. Students, parents, teachers, university administrators, public officials, and other professionals have all been perpetrators.”
In the last four years Georgia has taken steps to turn a new leaf by joining the European Union’s Bologna process in an effort to join the European Higher Education Area, but it still has a long way to go. Writing about corruption in the higher education system of Georgia, Ketevan Rostiashvili says: “There are about 154 private institutions in Georgia… the overwhelming majority of these private institutions are regarded as even more corrupt than the public institutions. These institutions often are created just to make money... Usually professors there are less qualified, or even if qualified, there are not all the necessary conditions of studying, building, class rooms, libraries and so on.”
He goes on to say that accreditation, though required by law, is not enforced seriously. So far accreditation in Georgia is only institutional, that is the syllabi and course content of the universities are not quality assured and accredited.
Last November, the International Institute for Higher Education Policy, Planning and Management concluded that Georgia has still a lot to change in its higher education system to make any real headway in the Bologna process: “The vast majority of the universities do not understand what they are doing and why. The general impression is that the higher education institutions implement initiatives of Bologna principles only because these processes are vital for the purpose of institutional accreditation of higher educational institutions. Thus, the formal regulations are adhered to, but the process lacks genuine understanding and authentic quality control.”
This is definitely the case with the Public University Metekhi. Quoting from its own website: “In December 6-10, 2007 the delegation from Tbilisi Public University ‘Metekhi’ visited Vienna, Austria at the invitation of Vienna International University. By the decision of the Vienna International University authorities the rector of Tbilisi Public University ‘Metekhi’ Prof. Manana Kirtbaia was conferred the rank of “Honorary Professor of the International University”.
The Vienna International University like the European University is another fake university. Austria’s accreditation authority says: “Since 1 August, 2003, International University has again the status it used to have before January 2001, i.e., according to our information, the status of an institution not recognized according to the educational systems of any country in the world.”
A university that has as its rector a woman who goes around flaunting a professorship conferred to her by a fake university cannot be taken seriously, and our Ministry of Education and MQRIC should stop giving any credibility to this business concern based in Tbilisi, Georgia. One way of finding out the quality of a university is to look at the academic qualifications of its staff. If the Public University Metekhi has a rector with a fake professorship from a fake university, how can it expect its lecturers to have serious academic qualifications?
The person who runs EIE is in the issue group set up by the PN to chart Malta’s future in higher education. Is that why the Ministry of Education considers him untouchable and above the law? The Minister of Education should also stop dragging her feet and bring the Higher Education Bill to parliament so that we ensure top quality higher education and stop unscrupulous operators from cheating students.
http://www.maltatoday.com.mt/2009/09/27/evarist.html
http://www.independent.com.mt/news.asp?newsitemid=95466
‘No cases of academic fraud’
by STEPHEN CALLEJA
Article published on 11 October 2009
The Malta Independent on Sunday has seen documentation that says the European Institute of Education (EIE) has the necessary licences to operate as a tertiary level tuition centre, facilitating the studies of Maltese and foreign external students up to degree level.
Added to this, degrees awarded by a Georgian University – the centre of a controversy sparked by opposition spokesman for education Evarist Bartolo – are internationally classified as a recognised award.
In other sections of the media, Mr Bartolo has been making claims of “academic fraud” by the EIE, which has taken legal action against Mr Bartolo and the newspapers that printed his articles.
The Education Ministry described Mr Bartolo’s claims about the EIE as being “unfounded allegations”. In its statement last week, the ministry said that there was a tangible effort to upgrade standards and to ensure that qualifications receive adequate recognition.
The setting up, in 2002, of the Malta Qualifications Recognition Information Centre (MQRIC) was specifically to evaluate diplomas, assist designated authorities, learning institutions and individuals in the comparative analysis and evaluation of qualifications, and collect and disseminate information related to professional and vocational qualifications.
MQRIC head Dr James Calleja, replying to questions sent by TMIS, confirmed that EIE has a permit to act as a tuition centre. The permit is issued by the Directorate for Quality and Standards in Education.
Recognition of foreign qualifications awarded by EIE is on a case-by-case basis and at the request of either the students or EIE itself, Dr Calleja added.
In the case of the Georgian university mentioned by Mr Bartolo as not being recognised, Dr Calleja said that the Tbilisi Saero University Metekhi “is internationally classified as a recognised award”.
As to the claims of academic fraud made by Mr Bartolo, Dr Calleja said that he is not aware of any.
Until January 2008, the EIE also worked in partnership with the European University which, in his articles, Mr Bartolo says is a “fake” institution. In a letter written by Dirk Craen, European University President, and seen by TMIS, Mr Craen writes that the partnership came to an end because of a “divergence of opinions”, since the EIE wanted to have exclusivity of “our name and we did not agree with it”, and not because of politics.
He goes on to defend his institution, saying that it was founded in 1973 and has since had a student body from more than 100 nationalities. It also has agreements with over 20 leading American business schools that have worldwide accreditations. With regard to the MBA programme offered by the university, Mr Craen said that this is recognised worldwide and there are 21,000 students taking the course. MQRIC has also given partial recognition to the MBA degree of the European University.
The European University is also looking into the possibility of suing for damages if “wrong information” about the institution continues to be printed.
A spokesman for the EIE told TMIS that the institute has never “taken people for a ride”, as Mr Bartolo has implied in his articles. Instead, it was offering its services to help students achieve higher qualifications that are recognised internationally.
Mr Bartolo’s unfortunately-timed outburst has had a negative effect on the institute’s intake this year, but apart from taking legal action to clear its name, the institute will continue to work hard to upgrade the services it offers in the best interest of its students, the spokesman said.
scalleja@independent.com.mt
http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/200 ... wspapers.272816
Thursday, September 10, 2009, 12:27
EIE files libel suits
Four libel suits were this morning filed by Antonello Cappitta and EIE Malta Ltd against Saviour Balzan and Evarist Bartolo, editor and author, respectively of an article in Malta Today and Felix Agius, editor of Kullhadd.
The libel suit against Mr Balzan and Mr Bartolo was regarding an article in last Sunday's Malta Today entitled "How academic fraud came to Malta - the EIE case.
The other three libel suits were all filed against Mr Agius for articles on August 23 and 30 and last Sunday.
The August 23 article was entitled Ghand il-Pulizija: Ingannati minn taparisi universita, that on August 30 was Il-European University tal EIE falza u ingannat l-istudenti while that of last Sunday was Il-European University tisparixxi minn fuq il-website tal-EIE.
EIE said it is the institute licensed by the Ministry of Education to offer higher education courses and endeavours to offer repute degrees and qualifications of the highest level.
Also, check out the discussion at the bottom...
http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/200 ... wspapers.272816
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
One writer comments:
"Even Madoff was thought to be a true professional, until he fell from grace."
http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/200 ... wspapers.272816
(Comment by M Pace
Sep 10th 2009, 18:22)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
To sum up:
There sure is way too much "smoke" for there not to be a "fire" somewhere...
Friday, 11 Sep 2009, 11:42
EIE case: “I will not be silenced” - Evarist Bartolo
“I will not be silenced,” Evarist Bartolo, Labour Party spokesperson for Education, said in reaction to the libel suit filed by the European Institute of Education (EIE) against him following an article on newspaper ‘Maltatoday.’
“The EIE can sue me, but I’m duty bound to uncover the deceit which is leading students being asked thousands of euros for bogus qualifications.”
In an article penned for newspaper Maltatoday, entitled ‘how academic fraud came to Malta - the EIE case’, Mr Bartolo outlines the course of events of the EIE case.
The EIE filed libel actions against MrBartolo, Saviour Balzan, editor of Maltatoday and Felic Agius, editor of Kullhadd.
In a statement, Mr Bartolo said: “The EIE has already taken for a ride students who had paid thousands of euros for a MBA from the European University when in reality this is not even an accredited university and its MBA is not even recognized as a post-graduate’ qualification.”
“The EIE also tried to deceit students when in its websites it says that it is affiliated to world wide universities and also advertises their logo on its website,” Mr Bartolo added.
The University of Wales has confirmed with Mr Bartolo that it has not authorized the EIE to show its logo on the EIE website.
Moreover, the university of Wales has not accredited any course provided by the EIE.
“It is shameful that foreign governments reveal such scams while the Nationalist administration blesses such scams,” Mr Bartolo said.
Moreover, one of the EIE directors has been appointed by the Nationalist Party to come up with a set of proposals on how education in Malta can be improved, the PL spokesperson said.
“I expect that the local authorities defend the students.”
http://www.maltastar.com/dart/20091109-eie-ca ... evarist-bartolo
What various people are saying about Evarist Bartolo's efforts to expose the academic fraud conducted by the European University:
Obtained from:
http://www.maltastar.com/dart/20091109-eie-ca ... evarist-bartolo
David Camilleri
- Sat 12-Sep-2009, 08:46
Well done Evarist. Deceit at government levels is order of the days nowadays. Keep it up for the good work.
Mario
- Sat 12-Sep-2009, 04:38
The Hon. Evarist Bartolo truly has the interest of students at heart while this government does not give a penny whether one is duped or not by one of its cronies. Will the fraudster who has been appointed on an education board be allowed to stay on when he has been so clearly exposed for what he is? Another case of hbieb tal-hbieb appointed to lucrative jobs when they not only do not deserve it but are totally unsuitable, in this case for having betrayed the good faith of bona fide students. Shame, shame, shame! What a government have we been saddled with!
Carmel Cilia
- Fri 11-Sep-2009, 19:07
Libel case or no libel case the opposition should as Mr. Bartolo is justificably doing continue to expose the dirt which is engulfing Malta. If the court then dares confront our elected M.,P.s it is up to the people to defend them. The courts I dare say has enough to keep them occupied.
Well done Mr. Bartolo the party needs more people like you, Keep it up. One of your constituents.
..
edward
- Fri 11-Sep-2009, 18:15
Tarcisio Mifsud
- Fri 11-Sep-2009, 14:48
As usual there is only one place they can go so that they will try to stop serious people from saying the truth, they just go to court, where the action will take some 10 years to come to an end (if ever), but they would have stopped the truth from being made public.
But, Hon. Bartolo, like he did in the BWSC case woudl not surrender for these scams.
charles scerri
- Fri 11-Sep-2009, 13:31
Mr Evarist Bartolo you are a REAL MAN of Honour..........We do believe you.KEEP IT UP
Franco Schembri
- Fri 11-Sep-2009, 12:47
Conratulations to Evarist Bartolo for the great job.
Keep it up. Malta needs people like you.
Obtained from:
http://www.maltastar.com/dart/20091109-eie-ca ... evarist-bartolo
---------------------------------------------------
‘No cases of academic fraud’
by STEPHEN CALLEJA
Article published on 11 October 2009 --see above--
http://www.independent.com.mt/news.asp?newsitemid=95466
-------------------------
The modus operandi of those acting as an employee of or on behalf of the European University has time and again been to seek affiliation with various legitimate academic institutions and when this affiliation has indeed been established to quickly exchange letters and documents to verify their contacts and agreements. But when that legitimate academic institution finally discovers who they are really dealing with, the response is usually a very quick disassociation from the European University. The temporary contact however, no matter how brief, has already served its point. Now the European University continues to exploit their FORMER association by waving the falsely created documents and letters around to discredit any allegations against them.
In the cited article above, STEPHEN CALLEJA writes that:
"The Malta Independent on Sunday has seen documentation that says the European Institute of Education (EIE) has the necessary licences to operate as a tertiary level tuition centre, facilitating the studies of Maltese and foreign external students up to degree level."
The real question is:
WHAT documents? Could we please see them? Time and again the various legitimate academic institutions that European University officials have deceived into associating themselves with them have instantaneously disassociated themselves from this place when they discovered who they were dealing with. How do we know that whatever documents STEPHEN CALLEJA was shown by the head of the European University Dirk Craen weren't in some form or fashion obtained by various similar means of deception? STEPHEN CAJELLA needs to do much more in-depth research before he lets his paper be used as a vehicle for Dirk Craen's misleading academic statements. Of course they've had "a student body from more than 100 nationalities." Those are precisely the types of people that the European University targets with their misleading name: Students from Third World countries who think that the name "European University" implies a prestigious institution, instead of the third-rate money-making scheme that victimizes those seeking legitimate academic education and accreditation.
What STEPHEN CAJELLA's article really reads like is the type of hack job that is the result of a publicity expert hired by the European University to counterattack the various exposes such as the one by courageous Labour Party spokesperson for Education Evarist Bartolo.
Its not an exaggeration to advise students to beware of any institution that officials of various governments shout their warnings about, completely independent of each other. When various governments from all over the world get involved and basically say exactly the same thing, could whatever it is that they say be actually true?
Subsequently, I followed the above lead and also googled "VLAAMSE RAAD" and "European University". Sure enough, I quickly discovered that Evarist Bartolo is not alone. Not only does the Malta Labour Party spokesperson for Education accuse the European University of fraud. But way back when in 1993, four years before the Belgian authorities officially kicked the school out of their country, the European University was already being accused of fraud. On page 1058, the Flemish Council (Vlaamse Raad) discusses the European University's "illegal competition":
"De European University is een particuliere instelling die door de Vlaamse overheid niet wordt erkend of
gesubsidieerd als academische instelling. Deze instelling voert evenwel onwettige reclame door
aan te kondigen dat zij academische titels uitreikt. Welke initiatieven zal de minister nemen om een einde te maken aan deze oneerlijke concurrentie ?"
http://docs.vlaamsparlement.be/docs/bva/1992-1993/va-20-.pdf
GOOGLE -TRANSLATION:
The European University is a private institution that is not recognized or subsidized by the Flemish government as an academic institution. This institution, however, continues to illegally advertise and announce that it sells academically accredited degrees. What initiatives will the Minister take to end
this illegal competition?
The rest, as they say, is now part of the European University's shameful history...
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Even Madoff was thought to be a true professional, until he fell from grace.
(Anonymous)
The writer's name is spelled STEPHEN CALLEJA,
not "Cajella". :-)
Typos happen in Internet forums unfortunately all to frequently.
Students file judicial protest against EiE director
Sunday, 18 Oct 2009
A group of students, who obtained a degree in Masters of Buisness Administration from the European University filed a judicial protest against Antonello Cappitta, director of the European Institute of Education and representative of the Switzerland “University”.
The MBA degree obtained by this group of student is not recognized in Malta, even though it was advertised by the European institute of Education (EiE).
“All of this notwithstanding the deceiving written adverts and “course packs”, provided to the students and moreover with the pompous 2006 inauguration of the Ta Xbiex centre, with the participation, among others of Dr Louis Galea, then Minister for Education and the presence of Dr Dirk Craen, president of the European University,” the judicial protest said.
The students are finding it difficult to obtain promotions or get new jobs because of the non-recognition of the degree, the judicial protest said.
The students are holding Mr Cappitta and the EiE responsible for the damages.
The judicial protest was signed by Dr Bernard Grech.
http://www.maltastar.com/dart/20091018-studen ... r-bogus-degrees
Making money out of shattered dreams
The young man sighs in the armchair and tells me how painful it is to have his hopes and expectations dashed after going through three years of studying, ending up with a degree from a university that turns out to be fake.
“I was looking forward to graduation in November. Now I feel so hollow and that November date has become meaningless to me.”
His mother, trying to hold back her tears, says how proud they were that their son was going to graduate with a Bachelor of Arts (Business Administration) from the European University. Her husband is the only income earner in the family and on a modest salary they had to struggle hard to make ends meet and pay Lm3,000 for this degree to the European Institute of Education (EIE) at Ta’ Xbiex who were promoting this degree.
In the past few weeks many young – and not so young – people got in touch with me to share the distressing experience of having their dreams shattered after paying so much money and working hard at their assignments and dissertations to qualify for the diploma, degree and post graduate degree offered by the European University through EIE.
Some have already ‘graduated’ and started earning more money and were promoted as their employers thought they had obtained a recognised MBA.
They are worried that they might lose all that, now that it is clear that their MBA is not an MBA as the course work they did is just over a third of an MBA offered by a serious and reliable accredited University.
To make matters worse, the awarding body – in this case the European University – is not recognized as a university by any serious educational authority in the world, including the Malta Qualification Recognition Information Centre (MQRIC).
A man in his 50s tells me: “I am one of the many mature ex-students who went to EIE in Malta to read for my MBA in Leisure and Tourism, in 2005. When I saw the advertisement in the ‘The Times of Malta’ the details in the advert mentioned that the Institute was “recognised by the Government of Malta, by the Ministry of Education, Malta.”
The MBA was from European University (EU), Switzerland and in the EIE brochure it listed down its accreditations with a number of reputable accredited organizations throughout Europe. In the EIE/EU brochure it also gives details that all the work in the curriculum has been organized in Malta and corrected in Malta under the auspices of the Ministry of Education…”
He tells me that it was a two-year, part-time course. The students met every Saturday including other days to visit businesses and the Stock Exchange as part of the curriculum.
When EIE moved to new premises in Ta` Xbiex the then Minister of Education Dr Louis Galea cut the ribbon and inaugurated it. He smiles cynically: “What other proof did we need that the EIE was a serious and reputable institution, when it had such backing from the top national education authorities?”
The students did not know that the Ta’ Xbiex premises of EIE did not, at the time (or even now) have the required MEPA permits to be given the licence to operate as a tuition centre, let alone as a higher and tertiary educational centre!
All the MBA students passed with flying colours and went to Barcelona for the Graduation at the European University Headquarters. But there the fairy tale ends.
“When I started applying for top jobs where they requested the recognition certificate by MQRIC I was turned down and was told that my MBA is not recognised. This obviously was a total shock. I approached EIE Institute to ask them for an explanation and the Director Antonello Cappitta was rather aggressive. His words were: “I should have checked if it was recognised or not before I started the course.” I did not even think about checking such a high qualification course, having seen in black and white that it was recognised by the Government of Malta and the Ministry of Education.”
15 months ago he wrote to the Education Minister Dolores Cristina, but it led nowhere. Then MQRIC informed him that their inquiry shows that the European University in Switzerland is “neither recognised by the canton where it is situated nor accredited by the Swiss University conference. It had never submitted an application for accreditation.”
The inquiry also resulted that our MBA can only be given a “partial referencing to Level 7 of the Qualifications Framework” which means that it is only one third of an MBA.
He says bitterly: “In other words, our certificate is as good as nothing. The Government and the Ministry of Education, including MQRIC, surely must have known that this course and the European University were not reliable and accredited, yet they allowed EIE (Antonello Cappitta, Joseph Bonnici) to continue fleecing people, knowing that at the end of the day the MBA they taught was useless.
“The course cost me just under Lm6,000. Their course material was practically non-existent. Some books were given to us as photocopies, with many pages missing, print hardly readable and pages upside down.
“I cannot fight these people because they are well connected and have ways of getting out of it. People like me – who starved to provide the fee and spent two years working to the early hours of the day on research and study, while taking the initiative encouraged by the Government to get better qualifications – get robbed instead.
“If I cannot get recognition for my hard earned MBA, then I would like you to please help me get my money back, including damages and compensation. These people should not even be allowed to continue cheating others, while laughing all the way to the bank.”
http://www.maltatoday.com.mt/2009/10/04/evarist.html
EIE – enjoying legal immunity
***[ONLY THE RELEVANT SECTION OF THE ARTICLE (2nd part) IS REPRODUCED HERE]***
[...] He managed to dupe over 40 students by enrolling them in diploma, first and second degree courses run by the Malta Centre of the European University (EU) based in Switzerland – a bogus institution which serious educational authorities abroad (but not in Malta) list in their websites to warn their citizens of fake universities before registering for their expensive courses.
EIE projected this fake university as a prestigious educational institution that would enhance Malta’s higher education system. Over 40 people were taken in by an ad in the The Times saying that EIE was “recognised by the Government of Malta, by the Ministry of Education, Malta.” The glossy EIE/EU brochure also said that all the work in the curriculum has been organised in Malta and corrected in Malta under the auspices of the education ministry. The Minister launched the Malta Centre of the European University. When its president Dr Dirk Craen visited Malta, Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi welcomed him with open arms in April 2006. The PN government did all it can to give the European University credibility.
Now, the students who paid so much money to follow their courses through EIE have been told (too late) by the Malta Qualification Recognition Information Centre (MQRIC) that their degree cannot be recognised as a degree, and that the European University is not accredited as a university after all. The EIE is trying to create the impression that it’s not responsible for the Malta Centre of the European University any longer. But next month over 20 students are going to ‘graduate’ after following a first degree course in Business Administration and these degrees are to be awarded by the European ‘university’. I have seen circulars written this year by EIE to their students which are stamped with the European University logo.
The Minister of Education has failed to deliver on her promise to bring a higher education bill to parliament before June 2009. She is taking too long to act to regulate the higher education sector in Malta, to set high standards and to stop unscrupulous operators from cheating students by selling them fake degrees. It is shameful that the PN government and the educational authorities continue to protect those who are exploiting the aspirations of those who want to further their education and snatch their hard earned money and shatter their dreams.
http://www.maltatoday.com.mt/2009/10/11/evarist.html
EIE – enjoying legal immunity
He [= Antonello Cappitta, who runs the European Institute of Education (EIE)]
managed to dupe over 40 students by enrolling them in diploma, first and second degree courses run by the Malta Centre of the European University (EU) based in Switzerland – a bogus institution which serious educational authorities abroad (but not in Malta) list in their websites to warn their citizens of fake universities before registering for their expensive courses.
http://www.maltatoday.com.mt/2009/10/11/evarist.html
News: Sunday, 20 September 2009
Private school had no official accreditation
Agency sues MaltaToday for libel over Labour MP’s allegations
Matthew Vella
A private educational institution, formerly represented in Malta by the European Institute of Education (EIE), was not registered in a list of bona fide Swiss educational institutions.
The European University of Geneva is at the centre of allegations by Maltese graduates, who studied for a long-distance Masters in Business Administration – paid for through EIE – which degree is not recognised by the Malta Qualifications Council.
EIE has sued MaltaToday for libel, for comments that shadow education minister Evarist Bartolo made in his regular column on the institutions represented by the agency.
Checks with the Swiss and Austrian authorities have now confirmed the dubious quality checks on the degrees conferred by certain private educational institutions.
This newspaper can confirm that the European University is registered in two Swiss cantons, which do not require checks on academic quality.
The European University is a private institution, which is actually licensed – just as trading companies are – to offer its courses by the educational authorities of Holland, Estonia, Malta and Kazakhstan.
But the school’s degrees still elude accreditation standards. Isabella Brunelli, from the Swiss education department’s university institutions unit, told MaltaToday that “according to the federal law on financial aid to universities, no institution with the name ‘European University’ is recognized by the Swiss government.”
The school is however listed in the register of the Swiss Federation of Private Schools (SFPS).
Swiss cantons retain autonomy on higher education. However accreditation in Switzerland “operates on a voluntary basis” and “is not compulsory”, Brunelli said.
“While in some cantons no authorisation is needed, in some others it is like the procedure for establishing a trading company and it does not imply a quality audit of the institution… those institutions that successfully carry out accreditation get listed on the Swiss centre of accreditation’s (OAQ) homepage.”
The European University is however not listed on the OAQ register of bona fide accredited institutions.
Problems for the European University also dogged it in Barcelona, where it enjoyed authorisation to offer Bachelor and MBA degrees. The Catalan authorities withdrew this status in 2007 when it transpired that the institution did not have official recognition from Switzerland.
Bogus professorship
MaltaToday has also confirmed that the rector of the Tbilisi National University ‘Metheki Ltd’, has been conferred an honorary professorship by an unrecognised establishment.
Metheki is represented in Malta by EIE and enjoys the recognition of both the Georgian educational authorities, and the Malta Qualifications Council. It was founded in 2002 by rector Manana Kirtbaia.
Kirtbaia was conferred an honorary professorship by Vienna’s International University.
But the Austrian national agency for accreditation has confirmed that Vienna’s “so-called International University” only spent a period as an accredited private university from January 2001 to July 2003.
However, since then “it has not been, and is not, a recognized Austrian educational institution,” Heinz Kasparovsky told MaltaToday. “Since 1 August, 2003, International University has again the status... of an institution not recognized according to the educational systems of any country in the world.”
mvella@mediatoday.com.mt
http://www.maltatoday.com.mt/2009/09/20/t13.html
Tuesday, 08 Sep 2009, 16:33
EIE removes all references to the Swiss European University on its website.
EIE- The European Institute of Education (EIE) has removed all references to the Swiss European University on its website. The institute has also done the same in printed advertisements in a British newspaper in the middle of the week.
EIE was allowed to represent a ‘university’ in Malta, despite the institution not being accredited or recognised in its own country, newspaper Kullhadd revealed.
In fact, a number of Maltese students who chose to read at this European University through its centre run by EIE in Malta, ended up being defrauded because they were given to understand that they would be reading for an MBA, which would be an asset to their careers.
Investigations by Kulhadd revealed that in 2008, the Swiss Embassy in Singapore made a statement that the European University was not recognised by Switzerland, where the Centre of Accreditation and Quality Assurance for Swiss universities has the responsibility of awarding accreditation to universities in that country.
From 1993 to 1997, the European University in Barcelona was authorized through the Catalonian authorities to offer a programme, which would lead to Bachelor and Masters Degrees in Business Administration. This authorization was reneged because of a lack of accreditation by the Swiss authorities.
In addition, last August, the influential Malaysian newspaper The Star included the European University in a list of dubious institutions that lack recognised accreditation.
Last Wednesday, the newspaper attempted to take the comments of Antonello Cappitta, the President of EIE but was informed that he was abroad and that he would return during this week.
The question that was to be asked of Mr Cappitta regarded the European University and how any mention of this university has now disappeared from both the website of his company and the advertisements placed in a British newspaper this week. In contrast to the advertisements places a few years' back in order to attract students to this phony university, last Wednesday's advertisement did not show the emblem of the European University. The advertisement appeared on a full page of The Times, on page 56 to be exact.
This advertisement claims that the Ministry of Education of Malta licenses EIE in order to provide higher education. "We collaborate with the best in order to provide quality education" claims EIE in its advert.
Nevertheless, EIR refrained from mentioning the European University that it represents in Malta, a university, which is not even recognised in its own country.
A week ago, Evarist Bartolo made the claim that it is shameful that while serious governments and educational authorities abroad uncover the fraud by this phoney university, the Maltese government gives it its blessing and collaborates with this university too defraud students.
To make matters worse, one of the authorities in this centre was nominated by the PN to offer proposals by which higher education in Malta can be improved in the future. It is not right that we allow unscrupulous individuals to defraud students who work very hard in order to carry on with their studies. "One would expect that the authorities would defend the students' rights and not defend the people who have defrauded the students," insisted Evarist Bartolo.
In spite of the fact that a full week has passed since the publication of the report and the strong criticism by Bartola, the newspaper has received no answer or denial. There has been complete silence from both the Education Ministry headed by Dolores Cristina and EIEm the company head by Cappitta that runs the Malta Centre of the European University.
A recent document by the Maltese Qualifications Council regards the MBA by the European University offered by EIE as one which amounts to part of a post-graduate course and not a full course and therefore cannot be considered as a full course on a post-graduate level.
The council has analysed the course according to standards established by the Bologna process and found that the course's workload is far too low (about 21 ECTS when one considers the number of contact hours) when the established minimum is 60 ECTS. The general content of the course is considered to be of Level 7 but the workload is far too low. In order to remedy the situation, EIE should offer compensation until the students reach the required number of ECTS.
To make matter worse, EIE has done its best to give the impression that the European University is a serious university, one that has the support of the Nationalist government in what it is doing in Malta while it also has the blessing of the Ministry of Education as an institution offering higher education in Malta.
In his Sunday Blog on Maltatoday, Labour Spokesperson Evarist Bartolo stated “During the week of Easter in April 2006, the EIE were delighted to welcome Craen to Malta and organised meetings with top Maltese personalities, amongst them Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi and Education Minister Louis Galea.
The EIE reported that: “During these meetings, Dr Craen highlighted the University’s vision for the future growth in Malta and outlined ways in which the Maltese authorities and the university could collaborate to enhance the spectrum of education currently available in Malta. On their part, the Maltese authorities were very receptive to the suggestions put forward by Dr Craen and a roadmap was drawn up for further submissions to be made by the European University so as to ensure that items discussed would be favourably concluded in the shortest time span possible.”
It all sounded very impressive. The only problem is that the European University is not a university at all.”
“The ‘first Maltese European University graduates’ are now painfully finding out that they were taken for an expensive ride,” he stated.
“Their MBA course is not a post-graduate course, as the Malta Qualifications Council found out in its assessment of their course, as they only had a third of the workload of credits that post-graduate students cover to obtain their degree.”
Bartolo continued to explain that more serious than this deficiency in the quantity of credits, is the fact that the awarding institution is a fake university recognised by no serious education authority in the world.
To make matters worse, the PN government has allowed itself to be used by the EIE and the European University to obtain political and academic credibility for their courses, he stated.
“The EIE presented the European University as an ‘established university’. The European University declares that it is in the process of being recognised by the Ministry of Education of Malta and the Ministry of Education of Kazakhstan. Its courses were launched in Malta by the Minister of Education and government institutions were used by EIE and the European University to give students the impression that these courses were recognised and would help them advance in their careers.”
The Labour Party Spokesperson, and blogger explained how Mr Antonello Cappitta who was awarded a ‘King Fellow Award for Education Services’ by the European University for bringing it to Malta, has been appointed by the Nationalist Party on its focus group to propose how to improve Malta’s higher education in the future – however this move is shameful due to the fact that EIE has taken many people for a ride.
”The PN should be ashamed to have appointed such a person to advise it on the way forward for higher education in Malta. Before June 2009, the Minister of Education intended to present a bill on higher education. It has not come to parliament yet and when it comes, I will make it clear that a Higher Education Act in Malta should take steps to disqualify those institutions that cheat their students, and that we should have effective regulation and quality assurance to stop academic fraud from spreading in Malta. We should also provide public information about fake and unaccredited universities that make students pay for a piece of paper which they call a degree or a diploma, with no academic value or professional qualification for work,” he said.
http://www.maltastar.com/dart/20090809-eie-re ... -on-its-website
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Comments (1)
Cambronne
- Tue 08-Sep-2009, 19:53
There is only a simple thing to do in such case, resign.
Shame that a whole ministry with a formidable staff was taken for a ride by an assuming university.
The council of Europe from time to time publshes the name of all bogus Universities in the world. Was it consulted?
Of course not. The Minister/Ministry just believed some one who is a first class commedian. There is no seriousness in the P.N. Ministry from the Prime Minister's office to the least secretary
When will God deliver us from such Carnival Government.
http://www.maltastar.com/dart/20090809-eie-re ... -on-its-website
Remember me? Larry? I was in the same class as Marc Van Meeuwen, Martin Hanes. Our favorite teacher was Mrs. Cat.
How are you? I remember you had left to start a Robot or AI company correct?
Please stay in touch.
Larry
Email: iq195lu@gmail.com
fakes its own glowing comments and references. Makes perfect sense.
DISGUSTING how the European University tries to attract international students by spreading such balloney and lies!
01-23-2013 12:10 PM #78
anabele
Registered User
Join Date
Jan 2013
Posts
1
Hello dear all,
i studied in European University Barcelona for my bachelor and European university Geneva for my masters... Biggest mistake of my life... I wanted to continue my studies in London, only two universities were ready to enroll me, and ATTENTION they wanted me to study for two years for the same degree i obtained in EU and than continue with other degrees. Ive also received a confirmation that European Uni is not recognized in England.
Furthermore i wanted to try something else and decided to apply to Webster... Guess what, a private american university denied my enrollment. They said i can only start over as freshman, because European University degree is not recognized by american instituitions.
I adressed this question to administration of European University Geneva, after a while they just started ignoring my letters.
Plus i dont know if this issue was adressed in this forum (havent had the chance to read all). European university Barcelona had several law cases and probems... and there used to be a European University Lisbon, which just closed.... (i wonder why)
So, i highly recommend, to check for a different Uni.
Peace
http://www.degreeinfo.com/accreditation-discu ... credited-5.html
http:// www. degreeinfo.com/accreditation-discussions-ra-detc-state-approval-unaccredited-schools/24724-european-university-accredited-5.html
http:// www. massachusettscorps.com/corp/363316.html
Company Name E. E. C. School & European University Educational Org.,Inc.
Company No 042765442
Entity Type Nonprofit Corporation
Status Involuntary Dissolution by SOC
Date of Formation 06/28/1982
Jurisdiction Domestic
State of Incorporation MA
Company Overview
E. E. C. School & European University Educational Org.,Inc. is a company in Massachusetts and its company number is 042765442. E. E. C. School & European University Educational Org.,Inc. was registered on 06/28/1982. The company's status is listed as Involuntary Dissolution by SOC.
Company Name E. E. C. School & European University Educational Org.,Inc.
Telephone n/a
Business Address SNYDER & SWEENEY
35 BRAINTREE HILL PARK
BRAINTREE, MA 02184
Email n/a
Officers/Directors:
JOHN WELLS, TREASURER
XAVIER NIEBERDING, PRESIDENT
http://www.massachusettscorps.com/corp/363316.html
http:// www. massachusettscorps.com/corp/363316.html
http://www.justanswer.com/law/181dc-involutary-dissolution-soc.html
http:// www. justanswer.com/law/181dc-involutary-dissolution-soc.html
Customer Question
What is an "involutary dissolution by the soc" in relation to Massachusetts corporate law?
Submitted: 7 years ago.
Category: Legal
Read more:
http://www.justanswer.com/law/181dc-involutar ... l#ixzz3jwLqvAac
Expert: Legal Professional replied 7 years ago.
It is where the government dissolves the corporation...
M.G.L. Chapter 156B, s.101 authorizes the Secretary of the Commonwealth to dissolve corporations which fail to file annual reports with the Secretary of the Commonwealth or tax returns with the Commissioner of Revenue for two or more consecutive years and corporations which the he believes become inactive and whose dissolution will be in the public interest.
Read more:
http://www.justanswer.com/law/181dc-involutar ... l#ixzz3jwLyj2KJ
Reply to Legal Professional's Post:
What can happen to the former officers?
Expert: Legal Professional replied 7 years ago.
Depends upon why the dissolution occured.. can vary from nothing to personal liability for the failure to act....
Read more: http://www.justanswer.com/law/181dc-involutar ... l#ixzz3jwM60e6w
http://www.justanswer.com/law/181dc-involutary-dissolution-soc.html
http:// www. justanswer.com/law/181dc-involutary-dissolution-soc.html
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Dear Mr. John Wells:
That doesn't sound so harmless and beneficial!