Don't be duped by false recruiting agents: IDP Australia

Chennai, Sep 19 (UNI) IDP Education Australia Ltd, the world's largest recruiter of international students to Australian Institutions, today cautioned aspiring Indian students against approaching ''Recruiting Agents'', who had no credibility.

Talking to newspersons on the sidelines of Australian Education Interview Programme, organised by IDP here, Director-India, IDP Henry A S Ledlie said the students should take adequate precautions and cross-check the credibility of the agents and the institutes they showcase before they select the institutes for higher studies.

''Its a major decision in students career and both the students and their parents should do their homeworks before they make the investments in the institutions,'' he said.

Prof Hema Sharma, from the faculty of Engineering, Western University of Australia, who was also present, admitted that some agents make false promises and give incorrect informations about the infrastructural facilities in some of the educational institutions in Australia. The students must check the antecedents of those institutes before opting for them, she said.

Mr Henry said more than 750 students attended interview programme in the day with almost 90 per cent evincing interest in pursuing Masters Degree, commencing from February next in Australia. Some of the popular courses offered by the Australian institutions included MBA, Accounting, Finance and Engineering, he said.

The duration of the Masters Degree ranges from one to two years, while that of Bachelor's Degree varies according to discipline. The annual tuition fees for a laboratory-based programme would be Rs six lakh and a business/arts course would cost Rs five lakh a year, he added.

IDP proposes to recruit about 8,000 to 10,000 students from India for both Post-Graduate and Undergraduate courses starting from February and March next year. Besides the Australian Government, universities like UQ Bond, James Cook, UNSW, UTS and Tasmania offered scholarships and bursaries to attract top Indian students, he added.

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