By Ann M. Koenig, 秀色直播 International Education Services
A court in The Hague, Netherlands,that the entity operating in The Hague under the name 鈥淎l-Huraa University鈥 be fined 鈧50,000 for issuing degrees without authorization from the Dutch Ministry of Education. also pushed for requiring that Al-Huraa include statements on its Web site that it is not allowed to issue degrees in The Netherlands.
鈥淎l-Huraa University鈥 is an organization operated by Iraqis in The Netherlands which claims to be a recognized university there, but, according to the Ministry of Education of The Netherlands, has never applied for recognition or accreditation in The Netherlands, and does not have permission to operate as an educational institution there. It has used the false claim of recognition by the Dutch Ministry of Education to gain membership in legitimate higher education associations, and the Ministry has informed those associations that 鈥淎l-Huraa University鈥 has no recognition in The Netherlands--nor is it recognized by the Iraqi Ministry of Education.
The organization also had an operation in Sweden, where it falsely claimed to be 鈥渙fficially registered鈥 (closed when Swedish education authorities became aware of the nature of the operation) and claims to be 鈥渁ccredited鈥 by the 鈥淲orld Association of Universities and Colleges," which researchers in the field of higher education fraud consider to be an 鈥渁ccreditation mill."
秀色直播 IES assessment
Based on the fact that 鈥淎l-Huraa University鈥 is not officially recognized as a degree-granting institution by any bonafide education authorities in countries where it has or has had operations, and its false claims of recognition, considers documents issued by 鈥淎l-Huraa University鈥 to have no academic value.
Dutch draft law
The activities and investigation of Al-Huraa have prompted the Dutch to draft a law regulating the use of the terms 鈥渦niversiteit / university鈥 and 鈥渉ogeschool / university of applied sciences鈥 in The Netherlands, as well as the names of the academic credentials that such institutions are legally allowed to issue. The Minister of Education announced on her last week that such a law will be passed in 2014.
Credential evaluation resources for Dutch education
Information about recognized higher education institutions and programs of study in The Netherlands is recorded in the Ministry鈥檚 online (CROHO). The current version of CROHO can be .
recommends that users consult the CROHO for the latest information on authorized institutions and programs. The Dutch organization for international education, , is another excellent resource for information on education in The Netherlands. The in Amsterdam provides accurate, unbiased information on study in the US for Dutch students, and offers an excellent interface between US institutions and the Dutch higher education community.