University of Wales closed over scandal

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24 oktober 2011 | The scandal riddled University of Wales announced it will shut down after allegations of exam and visa fraud. Announcing “a sense of history and a new beginning” it will be split up after investigations by the UK Border Agency. Its chancellor, the Prince of Wales, will not be amused.

The University of Wales (UoW) announced it willclose down following a visa fraud scandal. The 120 year oldinstitution came under scrutiny after investigations revealed thatforeign students were sold diploma exam answers ahead of gettingtested at one of its partner colleges (Rayat London College).

Passing these exams entitled them to follow the MBA program atUoW while being exempted of up to 2/3 of the class work. Graduatingwith an MBA finally gave them the right to apply for UK workvisas.

Prime national university stumbles

Last Friday, Hugh Thomas, UoW chairman, resigned after detailsregarding this fraud were made public. The whole affair is anespecially delicate subject in Great Britain since the UoW was seenas the prime national university of Wales fusing a number ofprestigious Welsh institutes while boasting the Prince of Wales aschancellor.

Already last year a rather unfavorable light was shed on theuniversity as it became clear that some of the 130 overseascolleges associated with the UoW were operating under questionablestandards. In one particular case, UoW’s Malaysian partner collegewas run by Fazley Yaakob, a Malaysian pop star who falsified hisqualifications. Another college, Accademia Italiana, in Thailandwas run illegally according to local authorities.

Now, the university leaders faced the consequences of thisscandal announcing that the UoW would be split up into itssub-institutions again. In a press statement titled “A sense of history and a newbeginning”, the university pledged that the “transformed Universitywill build on existing brand loyalty and will enhance its influenceon public life in Wales and within an international context”.