KUALA LUMPUR – Some of the 10 international students seeking RM5 million in damages from Limkokwing University of Creative Technology (LUCT) said this was their only recourse.
This came after the Malaysian Qualifications Agency (MQA) revoked accreditation for LUCT’s Bachelor of Computer Science (Hons) in Cloud Computing Technology (BCCT) degree.
For them, seeking damages from LUCT for university fees, living expenses, time lost, pain and suffering their families have endured is the only remedy available.
Having returned to their countries of origin – Iraq, Pakistan, Nigeria, Bangladesh, and Syria – they said they face a bleak future and most of them remain jobless.
Bangladeshi national Afroza Akther Moni spent three years at LUCT to earn the unaccredited BCCT degree.
“My parents spent RM100,000 for my studies, it was my mother’s entire life savings and LUCT cannot give back the three years I spent in Malaysia.”
Today, Afroza is jobless and facing financial difficulties.
“Both my parents passed away during Ramadan this year. My father had a stroke, and my mother suffered kidney failure and died 18 days after him.
“I feel cheated by LUCT. It took my money and I got nothing in return,” she said.
Afroza is currently living with her youngest brother.
Anas Ali Jameel Jameel left Iraq in 2013 to come to LUCT for a BCCT degree.
“My father was a professor in Baghdad, and though he was old, he gave me his savings so I could have a degree for my future. He was my inspiration.
“His savings of RM160,000 were spent on my studies,” said Anas, whose father has since passed away from Covid-19 in February.
“LUCT has betrayed our trust,” said Anas, who now lives in Turkey.
“In 2018, the year of my graduation, LUCT brought up the issue of accreditation and I was dumbfounded. When we tried to find out more, we were reassured the process was ongoing.”
Later, Anas found BCCT was permanently removed from the Malaysian Qualifications Register.
Meanwhile, Emad Louai Jumah left Saudi Arabia in December 2015 with his father’s savings to study for the BCCT degree at LUCT.
“My parents spent RM300,000 on my education and today I feel cheated. I travelled to Turkey from Saudi Arabia to seek a job but could not find one due to my unaccredited degree.”
The representative of the group, Chowdhury Atiqur Habibur, is also a BCCT graduate who has since returned to Bangladesh.
“At no time did LUCT come to us with any solution to the revocation of accreditation. We in fact carried on until graduation day, and it is devastating for me,” he said.
Chowdhury, who remains unemployed, said the nine former LUCT students decided to mount legal action.
In July, LUCT said it was working with MQA to re-accredit the eight revoked courses – seven masters programmes and one doctorate. This did not include the BCCT programme.
The students alleged that the BCCT programme lacked global accreditation due to revocation of accreditation by MQA in May this year.
Chowdhury said MQA had said in a written response that no application had been received for full accreditation of BCCT until today.
“We have no choice but to seek legal recourse for all the fees paid, expenses living in Malaysia, and suffering going through this painful process.”
It is learnt that LUCT applied for full accreditation in November 2017 but was denied accreditation by MQA’s accreditation committee in 2019 for failure to meet the minimum requirement of standards necessary for recognition of the BCCT programme.
The ministry had rejected the appeal submitted by LUCT, and the revocation of accreditation was maintained.
LUCT said in early May that it amended and resubmitted eight of its programmes within 30 days of being flagged in a recent accreditation audit.
The institution said accreditation of all its courses is an ongoing process as they reach maturity and require scrutiny by MQA. The university added that it has 98 academic programmes registered with the Higher Education Ministry, and has full MQA accreditation.
The Vibes had reported that more than 800 students had been left in limbo due to the revocation of eight programmes, including seven masters programmes and one doctorate.
Chowdhury had said MQA revealed in an August online meeting with the affected students that there was no provision in Malaysian law that could compel LUCT to submit for accreditation.
Also present during the meeting, he said, were MQA deputy chief executive Prof Khairul Salleh Mohamed Sahari and MQA senior accreditation director Lilian Kek Siew Yick. – The Vibes, September 14, 2021
