Some Malaysian agents have allegedly been sending scores of students to unrecognised medical schools in Ukraine after 'enrolling' them in the Crimea State Medical University (CSMU).

This shocking revelation by CSMU was contained in a letter it sent to the Malaysian Medical Council (MMC) late last year. A copy was made available to malaysiakini .

"Several commercial firms which have long back dissolved their legal contracts with us have been using the pretext of recruiting students to CSMU, but instead sending these poor children to other unscheduled universities," said university rector Prof AA Babanin in the letter.

Nineteen universities in the Ukraine are not recognised by the MMC and Public Service Department (PSD). About 400 Malaysians are reportedly studying in unrecognised medical schools there.

The MMC could not be reached for immediate comment.

CSMU's medical programme will be de-recognised with effect from January 2006 on grounds that its teaching quality had dropped following a drastic increase in its student intake.

Health Minister Dr Chua Soi Lek has further alleged an incident of rape and corruption at the university, as grounds for its de-recognition announced three weeks ago.

Ukraine Embassy counsellor Olexander Nechytaylo, contacted today, said many people had called earlier this year to check on the status of individuals claiming to be CSMU agents.

"We obtained a list of authorised agents from CSMU and put up the notice in The Star some time in March," he said.

The embassy however has not received any formal complaint over the alleged activities of unscrupulous agents.

Frantic parents

Several CSMU-authorised agents backed the claim that scams are being perpetrated.

Met recently, student placement agency Aspirasi Sejati Sdn Bhd director V Nadarajah related what concerned parents had told him about their children being sent to other Ukraine medical schools.

"They were frantic about getting their children into recognised medical schools, and the situation has become worse in the last couple of years," he said.

"Parents wanted me to source for alternative universities and although they were angry over loss of money and time, they remained focused on securing their children's future."

He said the parents recounted how agents confirmed that their children had obtained seats in CSMU only to find out later that it was in a different university.

"The scam was discovered when the children called home to tell their parents that they had been enrolled in other medical schools in Ukraine and not CSMU."

Nadarajah said the parents, after having lost thousands of ringgit, also had to bear the embarrassment of facing neighbours and relatives who had attended pre-departure kenduri (feasts).

A general Internet search on recruitment agents revealed the website of Kuala Lumpur-based agent, Maju Indra Sdn Bhd, which listed two Ukraine medical schools - Kharkov and Odessa - as being recognised by the MMC and PSD.

The page also listed CSMU and three other Indonesian universities followed by a seventh item, 'And other Universities in the World'.

When contacted, a company spokesperson firmly denied sending any Malaysian student to either of the Ukraine universities and insisted that the list was outdated, without giving further details.

Another agent, who did not want to be named, said about 15 individuals and companies had acted as agents early last year, but that the number had dropped to four after the Ukraine Embassy in Kuala Lumpur intervened.

Apart from causing public outrage, the MMC's decision to derecognise CSMU has been severely criticised for lack of transparency.

Most notable was the contradiction between the MMC's earlier grounds of poor teaching quality at CSMU and the allegation of rape and corruption.

Chua, citing the CSMU's failure to respond to official queries since late last year, said appeals from CSMU will not be entertained.

The university has since denied all the allegations and also e-mailed its appeal to the MMC last week.

The current batch of over 1,000 undergraduates and 247 pre-medical students in CSMU will not be affected, but the September intake of 140 to 150 foundation programme students has been advised to enrol elsewhere.

About 1,200 Malaysians in CSMU are sponsored privately and by the government, Lembaga Tabung Angkatan Tentera Malaysia, Mara, Yayasan Selangor, Yayasan Terengganu, MIED, Kojadi and various banks.