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Allow them to write exams if they have proof of fees paid.

Dubai: Dubai’s Campus Educational Institute, which functioned as the affiliated distance study centre for the University of Madras (UOM) in India, owes the university Dh1.3 million and hence will no longer function as its study centre, university officials disclosed on Friday.

In a statement issued to Gulf News, the university said it has initiated criminal case in India against Nandan Balakrishnan, who runs Campus.

A team of senior officials from the university are now in Dubai to hold talks with more than 62 students, who were allegedly conned by the institute by promising degrees from the university.

On December 5 about the plight of the students who lost up to Dh25,000 in addition to their aspirations to earn a degree to better their career.

The students have now been offered a ray of hope after the university officials have assured to sort out their issues.

The officials met with the students at the Indian consulate on Thursday evening.

"We assure that the students, who have remitted fees and who have evidence for the same, will be allowed to write the examinations and those who have obtained the result, will be given the Degree Certificates," the university said.

It was in July that the students who enrolled for undergraduate and postgraduate programmes offered by the university through Campus realised they were being conned, they said.

Although they paid their fees in full to Campus, the institute allegedly did not remit the fees to the university forcing the university to disallow students to sit for their exams and withhold their mark sheets.

The students were in for a rude shock when they found out from the university that some of them were not even registered with them as per official records, although they have been studying the course for 2 to 3 years.

The students immediately sought the help of the Indian consulate in July, who intervened in the matter to help resolve the issue.

For the last one year, the university has been receiving complaints from the students at Campus about not receiving mark sheets, provisional certificates, degree certificates, etc.

Further, some of the students, who have remitted the tuition fees have also not been permitted to write the examinations, officials said.

"The Campus institute has not remitted the fee collected from the students, approximately Rs16 million (Dh1.3 million) to the university and has not answered any of our calls and reminders," Dr G. Thiruvasagam, the vice-chancellor of UOM, said in a statement.