IT is well known that many foreigners come to our country to work by all sorts of means, including using student visas. However, to say that this is a major source of illegal immigrants is gross exaggeration.

The Ministry of Higher Education has taken many steps to ensure that only genuine students are approved before the Immigration Department can issue student visas. However, there are still many institutions of higher learning that are giving the industry a bad name, by not ensuring that their students are genuine and attend classes regularly.

Most responsible institutions of higher learning conform to rules. Should there be some students in such institutions who come to work rather than to study, this must surely be happening without the institution’s knowledge. After all, these students had produced all the required documents before a visa is issued.

However, it is the responsibility of such institutions to see that all their student-visa holders are genuine students and they attend classes regularly. Any absenteeism must be noted and action taken. One action is to send such students home.

However, there must be a clear understanding and co-operation between institutions and the authorities responsible as to why this is done. The students should be barred from entering the country on a visitors’ visa in future. This would also prevent other institutions in the country from being exploited by such students.

Many bogus students will attend classes regularly until their visas have been issued. Then, they go “missing in action” for long periods.

Higher learning institutions face the dilemma of being unable to trace such students and the authorities are not too happy that reports are made to apprehend such students, for they feel it is not really their responsibility.

The authorities, especially the police, are already burdened with criminal cases and to make them search for errant students would make their jobs even harder.

On the other hand, institutions that knowingly recruit students who have no genuine desire to study should not be spared the wrath of the Immigration Department and the Ministry of Higher Education. Not only should the registered institutions be banned and blacklisted, all their directors should be banned from opening or involvement in any education programmes in the future.

Constant checks must be made by the Ministry of Higher Education and the Immigration Department on institutions of higher learning to weed out the goats from the sheep.

On a day when classes are held, the class must show the exact number of students approved, with slight allowance for absenteeism because of illness and truancy.

Secondly, they must also check on the viability of the courses and lecturers to ensure their existence is for academic purposes. We may have a lot of institutions of higher learning, but a carefully planned programme on the ministry’s part could enable all such institutions to be checked at regular intervals.

Employers must ensure that students work only during their vacation as provided for under their student visas. They can easily verify when the vacation occurs by checking with the institutions indicated in the visas.

If they disregard this rule, the employers should be dealt with accordingly too. If there are no employers of illegals, then there will be no illegal workers.

VICTOR CHEW, Ipoh

Source: NST – May 28, 2008