Monday, July 22, 2013

Warnborough, revisited (possibly with a lawyer letter)

A "proud graduate" of Warnborough College, Ireland is threatening a lawsuit against a top English-language Malaysian daily for describing his varsity as unaccredited. I was told that the Phd holder, a bestseller author, is mighty pissed off with the newspaper for suggesting that he and others who had graduated from the college were cheats. 
Warnborough's status was first questioned by blogs [including my own The great, unaccredited Warnborough University] which pointed out that Dr Emir Mavani, who was the Felda Global Ventures CEO-designate then, may have gotten his Phd from a university that was not on the list of higher institutions of learning recognized by the Malaysian authorities. 
Last week, as soon as he was officially appointed as President and Group CEO of FGV, Emir went public for the first time to defend his academic qualifications, h e r e.   
The spotlight on the 49-year old, however, remains. Over the weekend, critics challenge his decision to buy a local plantation company for reportedly 30 times its PE ratio.
p.s For more info on Warnborough's latest status, click this link to the Accreditation Service for International Schools, Colleges & Universities or ASIC.   

23 comments:

  1. Datuk,

    Using the ASIC website, there is no "Warnborough University, United Kingdom".

    Only 'Warnborough College, Ireland'.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Anonymous12:51 am

    Datuk ,

    May i ask you two question ? What is your personal view on Najib and his cabinet .... Honestly

    2) Do you hate Chinese or you hate individual that have bad attitude and bah heart ?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dead Anon 1251am,

      My answers to your two questions:

      1. I think Najib is still, by far, the best guy to lead us through 2020 but he needs to be more decisive, as decisive as when he boldly attributed the PRU13 results to a Chinese tsunami, for eg. His Cabinet is lethargic but not without bright sparks. Anifah Aman, for eg, could be Malaysia's first PM not from the Semenanjung

      2. People with bad attitude and bad hearts

      Delete
  3. Apa lah susah sangat NAJIB oi!!

    SACK ajelah (package SKALI dengan PUENAH SIHAT)....LEMBIK LAH....KALAU SUSAH SANGAT NAK PIKIAQ MACAM MANA NAK BUANG....YOU QUIT YOUR JOB!!! SENANG CITER!!!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Salam Datuk,

    PM Najib ni suka gali lubang besar keliling beliau. Lubang ni bila-bila jua jadi trap. Nak salahkan siapa ni? Pilih personnel yang bukan ahli nya. Salah tempat lagi...

    Contoh terbaik, tsunami cina(terma beliau) kegagalan 100% dari segi sokongan. TETAPI masih ada hidayah, di anugerah hikmah terbaik untuk memperbaiki kesilapan.

    Semoga perhimpunan umno kelak mesti di reliasasikan....... jangan lagi mengharap guruh di langit... mesti berpijak di bumi nyata.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Anonymous6:05 am

    Apa punya Boddow TS Samad jadi chairman FGV mkn gaji buta. Apa punya Boddow DS Najib dan UMNO kerna dgn pembelian RM1.2B Pontian Plantation akan memperkayakan Parti rasis giler vavi komunis biaDAP. kan boddow tu.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Anonymous6:37 am

    Warnborough, Warburton, Womble

    Wombling close . . .

    ReplyDelete
  7. Anonymous9:12 am

    Was it NST?

    If it was, expected as it has become a thrash..

    ReplyDelete
  8. Anonymous9:40 am

    This is instruction from PM....PM want this ...PM want that...actually this is not from Najib but just from Omar Ong...everybody kena cos Najib tak buat kerja

    ReplyDelete
  9. wankerburit universitas3:15 pm

    College charges €18,000 fees for 'useless' degrees

    Warnborough College in All Hallows, Dublin
    SHANE PHELAN AND JOHN WALSHE – 15 FEBRUARY 2008

    A COLLEGE run by foreign businessmen has been accused of offering effectively "worthless" degrees and doctorates from the grounds of a prestigious third-level institution.

    The self-styled Warnborough College is charging up to €18,000 in fees for unrecognised qualifications after renting offices at All Hallows College in Drumcondra, Dublin.

    Following inquiries from the Irish Independent, All Hallows confirmed it will not be renewing its rental arrangement with Warnborough.

    Using a slick website, Warnborough runs a so-called "distance learning" college where students from all over the world are offered course work over the internet.

    Until recently the website included a photograph of All Hallows and made references to graduation ceremonies and seminars that were due to take place there.

    However, the Irish Independent has established that the courses offered by Warnborough College are not recognised by the Department of Education.

    The courses are also not recognised by the Higher Education and Training Awards Council (HETAC) and the National Qualifications Authority of Ireland (NQAI), which described the qualifications on offer as effectively "worthless".

    Neither is Warnborough College, which also has offices in Canterbury in Kent, recognised by the UK Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills as an institution with the power to award its own degrees.

    Education chiefs are furious Warnborough College has linked itself to All Hallows, whose degrees are validated by Dublin City University.

    All Hallows last night said it was concerned about the presence of Warnborough College on its grounds.

    It confirmed it would not be renewing its rental agreement with the college.

    Since last July, Warnborough College has rented offices at All Hallows. Prior to that, it had offices above a pub in Bray.

    But despite this, the head of Warnborough last night said claims it had tried to link itself to All Hallows were "ludicrous".

    ReplyDelete
  10. Anonymous3:26 pm

    ASIC's "accreditation" is not quite what most readers of this forum define as such. It does not lend ANY standing to a school's degrees, or -of itself- make it legitimate for the school to offer them.

    ASIC started life reporting on British schools enrolling foreign students. It reported to the UK Border Agency and its accreditation primarily ensured that there were "real" classes, the schools were not hives of terrorists or undesirables and were not involved in illegal foreign labour scams or immigration-related chicanery.

    Most of the schools it reported on were not degree-granting. A relative few were, but ASIC's seal of approval had nothing to do with degree-granting authority. Since then, ASIC seems to have morphed into a company that markets its services in many countries and people seem to view it as "accreditation" in the sense that degrees of ASIC-accredited schools will have the same standing as the mainstream schools. This is simply not so at all.

    Interestingly, one (count 'em) school in the US displays ASIC accreditation: The University of Atlanta. This school had DETC accreditation for five years. It expires in 2013 and the school has been on a "teach-out" basis for a while. I guess they will now be enrolling new students once again, under their new ASIC accreditation -which lends no CHEA or USDoE standing to their degrees whatsoever.

    Here's an interesting quote from The U. of Atlanta Website: "ASIC is a member of Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) International Quality Group (CIQG)"

    Maybe so - but that doesn't make ASIC a CHEA-recognized accreditor! It just ISN'T! Check the list at Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) (2012)

    Here's the full blurb from the U of A site: Accreditation, Licensing - Accredited Online Degree - UNIVERSITY OF ATLANTA

    As far as Warnborough College and Warnborough University go: The College doesn't offer degrees - it can't. The University shouldn't. It relocated in Ireland some time ago and it has neither Irish or UK authority to grant degrees. Both schools have been much cussed and discussed in the various degree-fora.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Anonymous3:44 pm

    My hunch says NAJIB with assistance from Omar Ong, Idris Jala, PEMANDU, Isa Samad, and Emir Mavani is scheming off the top.

    The Baord of directors below are answerable to God:

    1. YB Tan Sri Haji Mohd Isa Dato' Haji Abdul Samad
    Chairman, Non-Independent Non-Executive Director

    2. Mohd Emir Mavani Abdullah
    Group President/Chief Executive Officer Non-Independent Executive Director

    3. Tan Sri Dato' Sabri Ahmad
    Non-Independent Executive Director

    4. Tan Sri Dato’ Sri Dr. Wan Abdul Aziz Wan Abdullah

    5. Tan Sri Dato’ Sri Dr. Wan Abdul Aziz Wan Abdullah
    Independent Non-Executive Director
    (MOF/EPU... NMY/Najib?)

    6. Datuk Dr. Omar Salim
    Non-Independent Non-Executive Director

    7. Datuk Shahril Ridza Ridzuan
    Independent Non-Executive Director
    (NMY boy)

    8. Dato’ Yahaya Abd Jabar
    Senior Independent Non-Executive Director

    9. Dato’ Paduka Ismee Ismail
    Independent Non-Executive Director
    (NMY boy)

    10. Datuk Wira Jalilah Baba
    Independent Non-Executive Director

    11. Datuk Nozirah Bahari
    Non-Independent Non-Executive Director
    (MOF)

    12. Datuk Noor Ehsanuddin Bin Haji Mohd Harun Narrashid
    Independent and Non-Executive Director
    (Isa Samad boy ... sama2 kena for Isa Samad's money poliyics allegations)

    13. Ida Suryati Datuk Abdul Rahim
    Company Secretary


    The MANAGEMENT TEAM:

    1. Mohd Emir Mavani Abdullah
    Group President and Chief Executive Officer

    2. Dato’ Khairil Anuar Bin Haji Aziz
    Group Chief Operating Officer (Domestic Business Operations)

    3. Dr. Suzana Idayu Wati Osman
    Chief Strategy Officer
    (PEMANDU)

    4. Fairuz Ismail
    Head of Global Plantations

    5. Abdul Halim Ahmad
    Executive Vice President, Downstream

    6. Chua Say Sin
    Head of Sugar Cluster

    7. Palaniappan Swaminathan
    Head of Research and Development

    8. Ahmad Tifli Dato’ Hj Mohd Talha
    Chief Financial Officer

    9. Nik Mustapha bin Nik Mohamed
    Chief Human Resource and Corporate Services

    10. Norzaimah Maarof
    Chief Counsel

    11. Ida Suryati Datuk Abdul Rahim
    Company Secretary

    The must start squeeling on this PEMANDU idiots.

    Who are the Investment committee member of FGV. WHy are their names not on the website of FGV? Hiding something?????

    Sense the culprit must be in the investment committee too. Emir must have placed somebody .

    Isa Samad must go. He is corrupt and dumb dumb ...

    ReplyDelete
  12. Painkiller judas priest6:36 pm

    Where was jib ah gor when muhyiddin took centerstage and ousted badawi?

    This guy is limp and im pretty sure he's limp in bed also.

    Such a loser. Jibby is a different kettle of fish. He is not only stupid, he is also mentally retarded (if you seen his gaze).

    Come on rocky, do what you and da gang did to badawi. We need you. And also think it is the time for perkasa to be a political party. We the peasants have had enough of this third world millionaire sindrom bullshit.

    ReplyDelete
  13. With such a discredited Phd - does he not feel ashamed?
    Is this the type of management we want for a key GLC?

    ReplyDelete
  14. Anonymous3:18 pm

    Datuk is it true this Emir Balvenie is a convert and his previous name was Pradeep Kumar? Not a mamak or Indian Muslim?

    Convert Monkey!

    ReplyDelete
  15. Anonymous4:41 pm

    Warnborough College Ireland (WCI) is a private educational institution operating legally and is entitled to award degrees. WCI is accredited by ASIC as a "Premier College" having met stringent requirements and attained commendable grades in six areas including Learning and Teaching;Course Delivery and Quality Assurance and Enhancement. ASIC is an independent British-based accreditation agency which accredits educational institutions in the UK, Asia, and in the other parts of the world. Lately, the British Embassy in Bangkok is supporting ASIC on university accreditation in Thailand in preparation for ASEAN economic integration in 2015. Indeed, three local universities fully accredited by Malaysian authorities have sought and received ASIC's accreditation. That itself speaks volume about ASIC's credibility and international recognition. ASIC is gradually becoming the standard of international academic accreditation.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Anonymous9:45 pm

    ASIC is well respected in the UK and abroad. In fact, several Malaysian universities are now ASIC accredited. I have never seen anywhere on the internet or websites any claim by Warnborough that they can award UK degrees. Also, fees charged by UK and Irish universities are way higher than Euros 18,000 which again is a wrong fee quoted. Also, the DETC was sued by Warnborough for not having an appeals procedure, and for not being a professional acting accreditation body. HETAC has now been disbanded I noted!

    ReplyDelete
  17. Ranjit Singh Malhi6:16 pm

    A legal letter of demand for apologies/damages has been served this evening against Ms. Gurmeet Kaur and Star Publications (M) Bhd. for erroneously labelling Warnborough University (now known as Warnborough College Ireland - WCI)as an unaccredited university based upon online sources. The hard truth is WCI is accredited as a "Premier College" by ASIC which is internationally recognized as a reputable accreditation agency.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Anonymous11:46 pm

    Is this university even recognized by the Irish government? Is it even recognized by the public service department in Malaysia?

    ReplyDelete
  19. Anonymous3:41 pm

    I have noted that Warnborough College (UK) has been for over 35 years an official examination center for Education Testing Services (ETS) Princeton, New Jersey, USA for TOEFL, SAT, ACT, etc. examinations to study in the USA. Seems they are now the only ETS center in the UK offering the paper based examinations. Humnnn..don't think they would have this status if ETS had any doubts about its credibility UK or elsewhere.

    ReplyDelete
  20. Ranjit Singh Malhi10:37 pm

    I have documentation to prove that Warnborough University's Ph.D degree was recognized by PSD in 2003 when I enrolled and at least until 2005 when I conducted two workshops on effective teaching and academic leadership for lecturers from various Malaysian universities under the auspices of the Ministry of Higher Education. By the way, JPA has clarified that degrees which are not listed under the PSD are not necessarily unrecognized or bogus. Furthermore, only those who want to join the Civil Service need their qualifications to be recognized (Sunday Star, 23 August 2009)

    ReplyDelete
  21. Anonymous10:54 am

    Is Warnborough College even recognized by the Irish Government?

    ReplyDelete
  22. Anonymous2:40 pm

    Who cares - the Irish government is one of the most corrupt in the world.

    ReplyDelete