EU Business School review: Phony Diplomas not worth the paper they are printed on 5

Celebrities bluff with fake PhD-Titles (Diplomas)article by Alan Cassidy, Saturday, Juli 13, 2013 - translated from the Swiss newspaper "Schweiz am Sonntag", obtained from:

http://www.sonntagonline.ch/ressort/wirtschaft/3081/

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The private "European University" regularly assigns "honor degrees" to celebrities. But that school will soon lose the right to call itself a university.

André Dosé is the previous Swiss-chief and current president of the grasshopper-club in Zurich. What many do not know: He also carries an "honorary PhD-Title". He even used the title in his commercial registry (Handelsregister). But Mr. Dosé left out the required addition "h.c." that differeniates an "honor degree" from a legitimate academic title. Whether he did so by accidental oversight or on purpose could not be determined. Mr. Dosé did not respond to numerous requests made by the "Schweiz am Sonntag" (newspaper).

Mr. Dosé, who absolved the traffic school in Biel and the pilot school in Geneva received the "honorary PhD" title from the European University. This private institution, which operates from office buildings in Montreux (Switzerland) and Geneva (Belgium) refers to itself as a leading business school. In Switzerland, almost no one ever heard of them (knows who they are). They've gained recognition mostly for an advertising campaign to their own advantage: They generously issue "honorary PhD Titles" ("honorary diplomas").

Swatch president Nayla Hayek carries the (fake) Dr. h.c. title of the European University with pride. On the website of the watchmanufacturer, the title is shown next to her name. Hayek dropped out of an archeology study program before enrolling in a management course at the "European University". Her son Marc is also a graduate and "honorary PhD" carrier of that school. The school also honored her previous mentor and superior Moritz Suter. In her online appearance she lists the Crossair-founder - with his last name spelled incorrectly - as a prior guest speaker.

The latest person to receive an honory PhD-title (from the European University) is (Swiss politician) Adolf Ogi. He received an "honory PhD in June for his "accomplishments in sports". Prior to Ogi, Steve Guerdat, the Swiss Olympia-victor in show jumping (with horses) received the "honorary" title (from the European University). «Steve Guerdat est un docteur» the «Tribune de Genève» (newspaper) anounced in May.

This business school that was founded in Belgium and which opened a campus in Switzerland in 1985 has referred to itself as a "university" for a long time: This year they celebrated their 40th anniversary. But now they will soon have to find a different name. With the new law ("Hochschulförderungsgesetz") that was passed by the (Swiss) parliament in 2011 which is set to go into effect most likely by 2015 the government is tightening the rules. (When the law becomes effective) only schools or universities which are accredited in Switzerland may call themselves a university.

But the European University is not accredited in Switzland. The government and counties have set high criteria (academic standards). Much too high for a school, which on its website lists a woman as "Professor for Marketing" who's only "academic experience" is a diploma from the Luzern journalist school MAZ.

President and head of the school is the belgian-swiss dual-citizen Dirk Craen. He replied to a request that he was "concerned" about the new Swiss law. Instead of the non-existant Swiss accredation, Mr. Craen prefers to discuss the school's international accredations. These include accredations from the ACBSP and the IACBE, which are common accredations among business schools.

Apparently, the school is firmly entrenched (engaged) in issueing business certifications. According to their own figures 98% of the student body of the European University comes from abroad. For a diploma they pay a hefty fee: 24, 000 Swiss Franks for a bachelor in business administration and 32, 000 Swiss Franks for a Master's degree. The school claims to have had 25, 000 graduates.

While the European University in Switzerland has received little attention so far, they had to fight repeated acceptance problems abroad. International branches run by the school currenly include campuses in Barcelona, ​​Munich and London. But governmental accedation is lacking in all of these places. In 2007, ​​the Catalan authorities in Barcelona revoked their official recognition that the European University had enjoyed for several years. In Malta, the European University made ​​headlines because of a partnership with a local school that, according to the "Times of Malta", was sued by a (considerable) number of former graduates.

The relevant online discussion forums are also full of criticism. A user in Degree-Info.com writes:
"The European University is basically a playground for rich kids who have more money than brains."

That the school has been in business for so long is due to their enterpreneurial (inventive) president. Craen regularly convinces celebrities from politics and business networking events to vouch for his institute. Apparently, this sometimes even results in a business opportunitiy. In 2002, Mr. Craen announced together with the former Swiss chef André Dosé a "European Aeronautical University» at the Euro-Airport in Basel. The school sought to educate (indoctriate?) "policy makers from within the aviation industry" in the Swiss-building at the airport. In this way "our people can earn an MBA from within the same institution" (at the same time), said Dosé to the "Basler Zeitung". But the project never got off the ground.

The situation regarding the alleged UNESCO Chair "for international relations and entrepreneurship», that Craen allegedly held at his school since 1999 is similar. A check with the Swiss UNESCO Commission in Berne reveals that the chair was never even active: The European University and the UNESCO Commission have had no contact whatsoever for numerous years. The school also failed to submit to UNESCO the required annual progress report on the activities of their department. UNESCO is currently reviewing all of its chairs and has let it be known that the one from the European University is about to be abolished.

Craen claims he has not benefitted from the association with the (UNESCO) chair anyways for some time now. His attention is currently focused on the 40-year anniversary of the school of which he is proud. (Craen claims that) his graduates have found good jobs which (Craen alleges) is a testament to the quality of the courses.

Jobs are indeed generated by the school for Craen's own family: His sons run the campuses of the European University in Switzerland and Barcelona.

ORIGINAL ARTICLE

http://www.sonntagonline.ch/ressort/wirtschaft/3081

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Prominente bluffen mit Doktortitel
Von Alan Cassidy, Samstag, 13. Juli 2013 23:30

Die private European University stattet Schweizer Persönlichkeiten regelmässig mit Ehrendoktortiteln aus. Dabei darf sich die Schule bald gar nicht mehr Universität nennen.

André Dosé ist früherer Swiss-Chef und heutiger Präsident des Grasshopper-Clubs Zürich. Was viele nicht wissen: Er ist auch Ehrendoktor. Den Titel verwendete Dosé sogar schon im Handelsregister. Den Zusatz «h. c.», der den Ehrendoktor vom akademischen Grad unterscheidet, liess er dabei weg. Ob sorglos oder bewusst, bleibt offen: Auf mehrere Anfragen der «Schweiz am Sonntag» reagierte Dosé nicht.

Den Ehrendoktor erhielt Dosé, der die Verkehrsschule in Biel und die Pilotenschule in Genf absolviert hat, von der European University. Das private Institut, das in Bürogebäuden in Montreux und Genf untergebracht ist, bezeichnet sich selbst als weltweit führende Wirtschaftshochschule. In der Schweiz kennt sie kaum jemand. Aufgefallen ist sie vor allem mit einer Werbemassnahme in eigener Sache: Sie vergibt grosszügig Ehrendoktorate.

Swatch-Präsidentin Nayla Hayek trägt den Dr. h. c. der European University mit Stolz. Auf der Website des Uhrenkonzerns prangt er neben ihrem Namen. Hayek hatte ein Archäologiestudium abgebrochen, bevor sie an der European University Management studierte. Ihr Sohn Marc ist ebenfalls Abgänger und Ehrendoktor der Schule. Geehrt hat die Schule auch Dosés früheren Mentor und Vorgesetzten Moritz Suter. Auf ihrem Online-Auftritt führt sie den Crossair-Gründer – mit falsch geschriebenem Nachnamen – auch als früheren Gastredner auf.

Zuletzt war es Alt-Bundesrat Adolf Ogi, der zum Ehrendoktor ernannt wurde. Er erhielt die Auszeichnung im Juni wegen seiner Verdienste für den Sport. Und zuvor war die Reihe an Steve Guerdat gewesen, dem Schweizer Olympiasieger im Springreiten: «Steve Guerdat est un docteur», titelte die «Tribune de Genève» im Mai.

Eine «University» nennt sich die in Belgien gegründete und seit 1985 in der Schweiz ansässige Business School schon lange: Dieses Jahr begeht sie ihr 40-Jahr-Jubiläum. Nun wird sie sich jedoch bald einen neuen Namen suchen müssen. Mit dem neuen Hochschulförderungsgesetz, das 2011 vom Parlament verabschiedet wurde und voraussichtlich 2015 in Kraft tritt, verschärft der Bund die Bezeichnungsregeln. Als Universitäten oder universitäre Einrichtungen dürfen dann nur noch Schulen auftreten, die in der Schweiz als solche akkreditiert sind.

Eine Schweizer Akkreditierung hat die European University jedoch nicht. Die Kriterien, die Bund und Kantone an eine Akkreditierung, an Lehre und Forschung stellen, sind hoch. Zu hoch für eine Schule, die auf ihrer Website unter anderem eine Frau als «Professorin für Marketing» aufführt, als deren einzige «akademische Erfahrung» ein Diplom an der Luzerner Journalistenschule MAZ angegeben ist.

Präsident und Kopf der European University ist seit ihren Anfangszeiten der belgisch-schweizerische Doppelbürger Dirk Craen. Er räumt auf Anfrage ein, er sei «besorgt» über die Bestimmungen des neuen Hochschulgesetzes. Lieber als über die fehlende Akkreditierung in der Schweiz spricht Craen aber über die internationalen Zertifikate der European University. Dazu gehören die unter Business Schools geläufigen Zertifikate ACBSP und IACBE.

Tatsächlich scheint die European University im profitablen Geschäft mit Business-Abschlüssen erfolgreich mitzumischen. 98 Prozent der Studenten stammen gemäss Eigenangaben aus dem Ausland. Für einen Abschluss bezahlen sie gutes Geld: 24 000 Franken kostet ein Bachelor in Business Administration, für 32 000 Franken gibt es einen Masterabschluss. 25 000 Absolventen will die Schule gemäss eigenen Abgaben bereits gehabt haben.

Während die European University in der Schweiz bisher wenig Beachtung fand, kämpfte sie im Ausland wiederholt mit Akzeptanzproblemen. Internationale Ableger betreibt die Schule derzeit in Barcelona, München und London. Staatlich akkreditiert ist sie an keinem dieser Standorte. In Barcelona entzogen ihr die katalanischen Behörden 2007 die offizielle Anerkennung, die sie während einiger Jahre genossen hatte. In Malta geriet die European University in die Schlagzeilen, weil sie eine Partnerschaft mit einer dortigen Schule unterhalten hatte, die laut der «Times of Malta» von ehemaligen Abgängern eingeklagt wurde.

Auch in einschlägigen Online-Diskussionsforen stösst man rasch auf Kritik. Ein User auf Degree-Info.com schreibt: «Die European University ist im Prinzip ein Spielplatz für reiche Kinder, die mehr Geld als Verstand haben.»

Dass die Schule so lange im Geschäft ist, verdankt sie ihrem umtriebigen Präsidenten. Regelmässig gewinnt Craen Prominenz aus Politik und Wirtschaft für Netzwerkanlässe seines Instituts. Daraus ergeben sich offenbar auch Geschäftsgelegenheiten. 2002 kündigte Craen gemeinsam mit dem früheren Swiss-Chef André Dosé eine «European Aeronautical University» am Basler Euro-Airport an. Diese sollte im Swiss-Gebäude am Flughafen «Entscheidungsträger» für die Luftfahrtindustrie ausbilden. «So können unsere Leute einen MBA gleich im eigenen Haus machen», sagte Dosé in der «Basler Zeitung». Das Projekt hob jedoch nie ab.

Ähnlich verhält es sich mit dem Unesco-Lehrstuhl «für internationale Beziehungen und Unternehmergeist», den Craen an seiner Schule seit 1999 inne hat. Eine Nachfrage bei der Schweizer Unesco-Kommission in Bern ergibt, dass der Lehrstuhl gar nie aktiv war: Zwischen der European University und der Kommission besteht seit Jahren kein Kontakt. Auch die vorgeschriebenen jährlichen Fortschrittsberichte über die Tätigkeiten des Lehrstuhls hat die Schule nicht an die Unesco eingereicht. Derzeit überprüft die Unesco alle ihre Lehrstühle, und aus dem Umfeld der Unesco-Kommission heisst es, dass jener der European University wohl abgeschafft wird.

Craen sagt, er habe ohnehin schon lange nicht mehr auf den Lehrstuhl hingewiesen. Seine Aufmerksamkeit gelte derzeit dem 40-Jahr-Jubiläum der Schule, auf das er stolz sei. Seine Absolventen, von denen die meisten gute Stellen gefunden hätten, seien ein Beweis für die Qualität der Lehrgänge.

Stellen generiert Craens Schule auf jeden Fall für die eigene Familie: Seine Söhne führen die Campus der European University in der Schweiz und Barcelona.

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COMMENTS:
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In reply to "Prominente bluffen mit Doktortitel", translation: "Celebrities bluff with fake PhD Titles", article in Swiss newspaper "Schweiz am Sonntag" by Allan Cassidy, July 2013

Anyone who wanted to know whether the European University was a Diploma Factory now has the answer:

The article by Allan Cassidy in the Swiss newspaper "Schweiz am Sonntag" leaves no doubt that the European University is a diploma factory that uses the same celebrity-targeting tactics as Scientology to gain cheap-shot publicity for themselves. With Scientology, its Tom Cruise and John Travolta. With the European University, its people in the Industry, a considerable number of whom dropped out of legitimate academic courses.

Industry leaders and "celebrities" who allow themselves to be used for such promotion in exchange for a fake Title or Diploma do more harm than good: They allow Dirk Craen and his machinery to trick gullible and often naive students from third world countries to part with their parent's hard earned money for what is really a useless, academically valueless title or diploma not worth the paper its written on.

As one such parent, G. Pace Bonello, wrote to the Times of Malta in an online forum on the issue of the European University:

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G.PACE BONELLO

Oct 20th 2009, 10:29
"We parents go through tremendous lenghts to give our children a good educaction. These persons organising such unrecognised courses should be elinminated from the the education sector immediately and not be authorized to work in this same sector ever again. No one likes to be cheated and I am sure they would not either... Shame on them!"

http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/200 ... 77#.UlrNBti0nrQ

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G. Pace Bonello is synonymous for so many of them!

Although he may very well have obtained the cheapest possible accredation since then, in 2009, everyone agrees, the European University was *not* accredited. And yet, Dirk Craen had no qualms about tricking Third World citizens who can't afford a decent living into parting with their hard earned money for a piece of worthless [censored] only to sail off into the sunset and leave these poor people hanging there with all the money saved for their children's education drained down a useless black hole.

Celebrities and Industry profesionals who accepted "honorary PhD's" from the European University have helped him do that.

SHAME ON YOU, DIRK CRAEN!

More info on the European University:
http://complaintwire.org/complaint/75oBAAAAAAA/european-university

More info at:
http://complaintwire.org/complaint/75oBAAAAAAA/european-university
So much more...

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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2012http://www.maltatoday.com.mt/2009/09/13/evarist.html

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

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2012http://www.maltatoday.com.mt/2009/09/27/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

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To be fair, here is the other side of the story:

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

-------------------------------------------------

These comments are in regards to:
---------------------------------------------------

‘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 CALLEJA 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 CALLEJA'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...

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"Even Madoff was thought to be a true professional, until he fell from grace.
(Anonymous)

----------------------------------------

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

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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)
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To sum up:
There sure is way too much "smoke" for there not to be a "fire" somewhere...
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http://www.maltastar.com/dart/20091109-eie-ca ... evarist-bartolo

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

-COMMENTS-
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

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http://www.maltastar.com/dart/20091018-studen ... r-bogus-degrees

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-degreesReply!Googler replies to Melanie Burns11 May 2012http://www.maltatoday.com.mt/2009/10/04/evarist.html

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
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http://www.maltatoday.com.mt/2009/10/11/evarist.html

EIE – enjoying legal immunity

***[ONLY THE RELEVANT SECTION OF THE ARTICLE (2nd part) IS REPRODUCED HERE]***

[...] 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.
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

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http://www.maltatoday.com.mt/2009/10/11/evarist.html

EIE – enjoying legal immunity

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

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http://www.maltastar.com/dart/20090809-eie-re ... -on-its-website

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

Congress doesnt get involved in an issue unless its a major issue.
Any analogy about individual actions at other schools is just
as misleading and irrelevant as all the phony degrees issued by the
European University.

To all those dumb enough to fall for Nieberding's schemes
here are a few institutions where you can get your fake degree
for a lot less money...

http://superiorfakedegrees.com/

http://www.phonydiploma.com/

The person who wrote this is actually the biggest crook, bringing all students which went to this school in discredit, like in every institute, you have the ones which buy a degree or have learned for a degree. By my knowledge, I speak Dutch, French, German, Spanish, English, and Portuguese, thanks to this school, of course I have studied at home, and yes in the weekend I also went out and drunk a beer. The ones who bought a degree they fool them self, but if you study you have the knowledge and get the capabilities to practice what you're worth. At the end you may have the super best degree of the whole world and you know [censor] all guess what, nobody is going to hire you. At the end you can see my CV: I'm Belgian, moved ten years ago to Portugal, stayed for 2 years (Started up a business for my father )Than I went to Spain, The Belgium consulate invited me to work( knowing the degree I have ) with them in the consulate, but I declined the offer, so I became responsable for a construction company in Antequera, 2 years later I went back to Portugal where I got married with my wife, and where the real life started and where I also wanted to show my parents what I really was capable of, so I applied to a 4 star hotel in Carvoeiro where I became the hotel manager and right arm of the owner. 3 years later Pinecliffs at Sheraton in Algarve offered me a job as an account manager where I also stayed for 3 years and where I also earned some great money.
I'm almost 32 years old and worked 2 apartments together all by myself. So I must admit yes the school where I went to really paid of for me and I'm happy that I went there and got my degree I'm really not ashamed. It's like Nieberding always said ad augusta per angusta ( the highest top of the mountain is only reachable by taking the smallest and most difficult roads)

Don't forget that a professor at the Royal university in Leuven (KUL) also allowed his girlfriend to pass an exam which she never took and got a degree which she also didn't deserve!

What matters a degree, at the end you always have to show what you're worth. If the Belgian university degrees were so fantastic I believe there would be less people on the dole but for sure not everybody which has a degree is qualified for his or her job and they have to try an other area.

It's quite easy to blame a school when you don't succeed in your career maybe you should blame yourself!
It's a common mistake which is made by many people trying to search the fault by somebody else, while we should search the fault by yourself.

The last note I would like to say: If you would put so much energy in improving your self as you have done in writing this complaint I'm pretty sure that nobody would doubt on your diploma knowledge and qualifications.

Let me finish this reply by saying to you: I'm happy I got my degree there which may be worth nothing for you, guess what FOR ME IT IS WORTH A LOT OF MONEY AND IT GAVE ME A GREAT CAREER It'S A MASTER KEY WHICH OPENS MANY DOORS.
LONG LIVE THE EUROPEAN UNIVERSITY AND INTERNATIONAL MANAGEMENT INSTITUTE

Tony V.A.