With the Russia-Ukraine war not seemingly nearing an end any time soon, thousands of Indian medical students are worried about their future and the hard-earned money their parents spent on their education. The latest threat? Scams.
Over 20,000 medical students, who fled strife-torn Ukraine, are yet to overcome their mental agony of surviving bomb explosions and missile attacks. However, since they have arrived in India, they have been bombarded with fake and dubious career offers.
Despite being enrolled in various educational institutions for undergraduate medical education in Ukraine, thousands of students had to leave their studies midway and return to India following the Russian invasion of Ukraine. With the war not seemingly nearing an end any time soon, thousands of such Ukraine-returned students are now worried about their future and the hard-earned money that their parents have spent on their education. And back home, they are facing a new type of problem.
Touts and agents from substandard as well as unrecognised institutions have started preying on these evacuated students. Aware of the vulnerable status of the young students and their families, many have reportedly been trying to lure these students with fraud offers to exploit the situation.
Such offers are being circulated on WhatsApp groups of students, enticing them to join medical colleges in India as well as in other countries such as Poland, Hungary, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan among others. The offers claim that the credit score of the students can be transferred to other countries where they can complete their remaining education paying the remaining fee.
A letter being circulated among students by a self-professed "counsellor" says, “Due to the present situation, the government of Hungary offers you the possibility to stay in Hungary and continue your studies here.”
The letter even claims that students’ credit will be accepted through an international exchange programme and the cost of their studies “will not be higher than (their) Ukrainian university because any difference will be covered by the government of Hungary".
Similarly, an advertisement published in a newspaper is being circulated in students’ groups in which a well-known private university is claiming to give them admission for medical courses. The university claims that “it is exempted from the regulatory control of any council including National Medical Commission.”
A second-year student, who returned from Ukraine last month, said, “We have been receiving calls and messages from many education counsellors who tell us that there is no scope for any further study in Ukraine as the war will go on for very long. They are trying to lure us to take offers in other countries.”
“They say that they are ready to adjust the fee that we have already paid in our college in Ukraine. We do not know how genuine these offers are. Many students, who have taken admission this year and haven’t started their studies yet are thinking of dropping out of Ukraine and accepting one of such offers,” he added.
Some students also say that many touts have even promised admission to medical colleges and deemed universities in India too.
Shikhar Ranjan, a former law officer and erstwhile regulator at the Medical Council of India cautions the students by stating that no medical college or university in India can claim to be beyond the regulatory control of the National Medical Commission.
“It is a very difficult time for students who had to return from Ukraine leaving their education incomplete. Even students who come from China due to the pandemic are also in a similar uncertain frame of mind,” Ranjan said.
“I advise students to exercise extreme caution in choosing an option. If any Indian college or an Indian University claims that it is out of the regulatory control of the National Medical Commission, it is incorrect and illegal," Ranjan cautioned. "Students should stay away from such offers and not put their lives in peril. They can never get a licence to practice medicine if they obtain degrees from institutions that do not have NMC approval," he added.
Another senior lawyer, who has appeared in several educational matters, suggests that if any tout is luring students by saying that the government of a particular country is making an offer of credit transfer, such students should check with NMC if this kind of credit transfer if valid or not.
“In case they don't get any response from NMC, they should check with the Indian Embassy of the respective country about the validity of such offers. If the Embassy is not in a position to answer, it will communicate with NMC and get the clarification,” he added.
According to education counsellors, even colleges in Ukraine are worried about the future of these students and they also fear that other substandard educational institutions might try and poach them with lucrative offers.
“In fact, amidst war, a couple of universities are planning to start online classes so that students will not be in doubt about their studies. They might start the classes from the bunkers or after moving to safer locations,” Ashish Sinha, an education counsellor, said.
"Colleges are also trying to convince the student not to take any step in a hurry because touts are creating a trap for them with fraud offers. Students should be patient and take any step with a lot of caution," Sinha added.