No education like British education?

I READ with dismay the report “Consider other countries instead of Britain for further studies” (The Star, Aug 22 - see below) suggesting that Malaysian students turn their backs on British institutions of education because of the adverse impact of the British Security Policy on some students.

Such a notion ignores Malaysia’s association with Britain for over 200 years.

Unlike some colonial powers, Britain has stood the test of time in being a strong ally of Malaysia.

They stood by us in one of the most challenging times of the nation by fighting alongside in defending the country against a formidable communist insurgency in which many of them lost their lives, including Sir Henry Gurney the British High Commissioner who was gunned down in 1951.

Jalan Templer in Petaling Jaya stands as a legacy of the contributions of this general to this cause.

It’s easy enough for those who did not live through those anguishing times to brush this aside as the sentimental musings of the past.

Following independence, instead of abandoning the country like some colonial powers, Britain continued to prepare Malaysians to fill the void by training Malaysians in every sphere of education and training to put the nation on its feet, such as the Colombo Plan and thousands of educational aid in the form of subsidies and sponsorships.

Britain has some of the oldest and highly reputable globally recognised institutions of higher learning that have not lost any quality over time despite present-day economic constraints that have put pressure on educational institutions the world over.

The world is a rapidly changing place, burgeoning populations, factional wars and economic pressures are seeing people movement both legally and illegally in unprecedented numbers.

Most seeking a better life and refuge in developed democracies, are going to desperate lengths to get in, by forged or stolen documents and destroying their identifications so as not be be returned to their country of origin.

Western democracies are in a particularly vulnerable position because of the committed values they hold, of freedom and human rights, against people who grossly abuse those values.

Hardened by defiant illegals, who often challenge immigration policies in court through legal aid funded by taxpayers in host countries, border security authorities who have no way of telling the genuine from the bogus, tend to take a hard line in implementing rules to the letter.

As it is the nature of things, well meaning people sometimes become indignant victims of regulations.

The offence felt by honest people who are affected by the application of these regulations is understandable.

But to suggest that Britain should be bypassed as a centre of learning for self-centred reasons, without understanding the reason for these policies, is to mislead prospective students from securing a time- tested quality of education.

PAT ABRAHAMS
Melbourne, Australia

Consider other countries instead of Britain for further studies

SOON, thousands of our youths will leave for Britain to further their studies either on scholarships or self-funded. A lot of money will be spent.

While the majority of the British educational establishments may give value for the money we are spending, there are other choices with the same or even better institutions where we can send our youngsters.

If we must have English as the medium of higher education, places like Australia, New Zealand, Canada or the United States should be considered instead of Britain.

I am advising Malaysian students to choose Britain last for further studies. I am not anti-British or trying to repeat the call of our fourth Prime Minister.

I am giving this advice simply because since the formation of the British Border Agency to deal with visa applications, things have really deteriorated to a very sad state for anyone trying to go for studies or are already studying in Britain.

The British Border Agency is treating Malaysians and any other non-European students as if we are asylum seekers. The inefficiency of the agency in dealing with visa applications makes one wonder if Britain is still a developed country.

Malaysians can now get our international passports within a couple of hours, but the British Border Agency can take a whole month just to let you know that your application is rejected because you missed out on some information.You then need to make a fresh application and pay new application fees.

While it may be a pain getting a student visa to Britain, one can get an Australian visa through online application. So if there is any doubt, just that alone should make one choose Australia instead of Britain.

For those already in Britain and hope to stay back to gain work experience, again you may be disappointed. Even if you manage to get a job, the Border Agency may make life quite difficult for you.

I know of a medical graduate who got a job for two intern years. The Border Agency gave her a work visa two weeks short of two years.

After working a few years there, the same doctor needed to renew her visa which was expiring. Due to technical error, the visa was denied, and this despite that her job contract was still valid. She had to get a lawyer to seek redress in the court just to stay back in Britain.

The worst and the most cruel case I know involves another student stranded in Britain during the long summer break. This poor girl lost her passport, which was replaced without much hassle.

However as her student visa was in the lost passport, she had to submit an application to have her visa in the new passport. She is there on a valid visa which should be in the system of the British Border Agency, yet her application which was submitted more than two months ago is still pending attention.

The Australian government from next year will allow foreign graduates to stay back up to four years after graduating to work. The immigration office is student-friendly.

So my advice to all those planning to go overseas to study is, please just exclude Britain.

GCK Ipoh

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Tesco faces £200,000 fine over illegal foreign workers

Tesco could be fined up to £200,000 after foreign students at one of its warehouses were found to be working illegally, The Daily Telegraph can disclose.

Tesco said it was "co-operating fully" with the UKBA, adding that it had tightened procedures to tackle illegal workers, which it did not condone employing. Photo: PA

Authorities found the students, of almost a dozen nationalities, were working significantly longer hours than their visas allowed at the warehouse operated by Britain’s biggest supermarket chain.

The breaches were discovered after immigration officials swooped on the Tesco.com building in Croydon, south London, last month.

UK Border Agency officials arrested 20 of the students for alleged breaches of visa terms that restricted the amount of hours they could work.

It is understood that at least seven of the students, none of whom has been identified, have been deported. It follows Home Office operations to put a stop to “visa abuse”.

Officials discovered the students, who were predominantly of Bangladeshi and Indian origin, had been working up to three-and-a-half times longer than their visas allowed.

By Andrew Hough
- The Telegraph