Ireland has called on Malaysia to clamp down on a private higher education institution near the country's capital which has named itself the Irish International University, a report said on Sunday.

Ireland's ambassador to Malaysia Daniel Mulhall said the institution was not connected to his country and he had reported the problem to Irish authorities.

"They do not offer any courses or conduct any classes in Ireland. I find the name is itself a deception because they are neither Irish nor a university," Mulhall was quoted as saying by the New Straits Times .

"I think the Malaysian authorities are aware of this and I hope they will take action to prevent people from being deceived into thinking they have qualifications from an Irish university," he said.

The envoy said his embassy had received queries about the institution for the past few years, and had raised the issue with Malaysia's Higher Education Ministry several times.

Mulhall also blasted the institution's prospectus, saying he was "offended" by its use of Gaelic, Ireland's traditional language, and that the words were misspelt.

The Irish International University, which has insisted it is a legitimate educational institution, was set up as a company in Ireland in 2000 and has its campus in the satellite town of Petaling Jaya, near Kuala Lumpur.

Value-added education?

A statement on the institution's website says its purpose is to "provide a high-quality, value-added, affordable education for adults in the middle of their careers."

The Higher Education Ministry has said it will investigate the institution and says its degrees are not accredited or recognised in Britain, Ireland or the United States, said the newspaper.

Privately-funded schools and institutions have been part of Malaysia's education system for decades and are registered with and approved by the Ministry of Education.

Their popularity is growing due to a squeeze on public university places, but there has been increasing criticism from educators over the quality of tuition offered by the private bodies.

The most recent government statistics list 539 private higher education institutions as of 2003.