However, around 20 to 25 thousand students of those institutions, who pay around Tk 75 crore annually in tuition fees, are now very uncertain about their academic future because of the UGC declaration.

Due to a lack of specific rules, the caretaker government is not taking any stern action against those educational institutes either, UGC and education ministry sources said. Meanwhile, taking the opportunity, those allegedly masquerading educational institutes are continuing to post advertisements for attracting students, although some of them were found to have their signboards removed while continuing to operate otherwise despite the UGC declaration.

UGC, the apex regulatory body overseeing private and public universities, published a list of 56 foreign university campuses through posting advertisements in different daily newspapers in the second week of May, where the commission claimed that the listed institutes are operating without valid documents of government permission or approval.

In the advertisement, the UGC mentioned that according to the Private University Act 1992 and Amendment Act 1998, no private university can be established or operated, or no graduation or post-graduation, diploma or certificate courses can be offered, or no degree, diploma or certificate can be issued in the country under the auspices of any foreign university without specific permissions from the government.

The advertisement signed by Acting Director of UGC M Khaled, also called upon students and their guardians to avoid the branches of foreign universities officially declared illegal by the commission.

The UGC, academicians, and the authorities of some foreign universities stressed the need for new rules and regulations for setting up offshore campuses of foreign universities in the country and for running academic activities in those.

UGC Chairman Prof Nazrul Islam said those campuses of foreign universities were declared illegal because they do not have permissions from the UGC or the education ministry.

"Now we consider the campuses of foreign universities in light of the Private University Act but those are not private universities. New rules and regulations on campuses of foreign universities are needed so that the government can take stern actions against fake educational institutes," he suggested.

He alleged that the black listed institutions are selling certificates of different degrees. "We published the list of unauthorised foreign university campuses so that new students do not fall down the tube of illegal institutes," he said.

Nazrul also said the UGC will reinvestigate the black listed institutes considering the plight of innocent students who had already been admitted to those and spent several academic years there without knowing about the hoax.

However, the authorities of some of the claimed branches of foreign universities urged the government to enact new rules regarding such institutes so that low quality educational institutes cannot operate while quality institutes do not face any trouble.

Mohammad Sirajul Huq Chowdhury, academic director of the University of Newcastle (USA), which is one of the UGC declared 56 illegal institutes, urged the government to enact new rules for running offshore campuses of foreign universities.

"How could the UGC declare us illegal without enacting any rule? At first the government should enact new rules, and then declare the institutes illegal which do not obey the rules. Why should we suffer despite providing quality education?" he asked.

MK Bashar of Cambrian College Canada, another UGC declared illegal institute, said he tried several times to get permission from the UGC but failed as there is no rule governing operations of foreign university branches.

"I asked the education ministry and UGC to visit my institute. I agree, some foreign university campuses do not provide quality education. But the UGC should re-examine my institute because we provide quality education and the government should enact new rules so that false educational institutes cannot operate," he told The Daily Star.

Prof Assaduzzaman, former chairman of the UGC, said the black listed foreign university campuses do not have any course curriculum or their own teachers. "They carry out academic activities hiring teachers from other public and private universities but offer different degrees including PhD and MBA," he said.

Among the 56 foreign university campuses, 21 institutes are set up in Dhanmondi area, five in Uttara, four in Bannai and the rest are in Mohammadpur, Gulshan, Motijheel, Kalabagan and Lalmatia in the capital. Khulna, Chittagong, Sylhet and Rajshahi cities also have their shares of such problematic institutes for higher education.

Unauthorised branches of foreign universities in the capital are World University Bangladesh at Dhanmondi, North American University at Lalmatia, Mantrust Institute of Information Technology at Banani, Green Valley University at Panthapath, Headway Institute of Bangladesh at Dhanmondi, National Institute of Business Administration & Information Science (NIBAIS) at Green Road, GESA Bangladesh at Dilkusha, Victoria University Study Centre at Dhanmondi, El Dorado at Uttara, Neural Institute of Management & Information Technology at Mohammadpur, Centre for Management Development (CMD) at Dhanmondi, Newcastle Law Academy at Dhanmondi, Maple Leaf International Centre for Higher Studies, Institute of Law at Dhanmondi, Perdana College of Malaysia, Environment, Agriculture and Development Services Ltd (EADS) at Dhanmondi, Bhuiyan Academy at Dhanmondi, World Institute of Business & Technology (WIBT) at Dhanmondi, Foreign Education Services Bangladesh at Khilgaon, Australasia Institute of Business Technology at Banani, Global Institute of Resource Management (GIRM) at Dhanmondi, Progressive Meritocracy Ltd at Uttara, International University at Uttara, James Cook University at Dhaka, University of Ballarat at Nayapaltan, Royal Roads University at Banani, University of Honolulu at Dhanmondi, Cambrian College Canada at Gulshan, University of Newcastle at Dhanmondi, The Law Tutors at Dhanmondi, British School of Law at Gulshan, Soft-Ed Ltd at Dhanmondi, Atlantic National University at Jigatola, University of Luton at Dhanmondi, Dhaka Centre for Law & Economics at Dhanmondi, University of North America at Banani, University of Wollongong Australia at Banani, Assumption University (ABAC) Thailand at Topkhana Road, Pitch Blend University of Science & Technology at Uttara, Central Institute for International Technology at Dhanmondi, Neural Systems Limited at Satmasjid Road, Daffodil Institute of IT at Kalabagan, SAFS International at Dhanmondi, Asian Centre for Management and Information Technology at Banani, SRGB-AEC Centre for Business Studies at New Eskaton, CAT ACCA Preston University at Banani, Bhuiyan Institute of Technology at Dhanmondi, IBCS PRIMAX Ltd at Dhanmondi, Bangladesh Institute of Arts Design and Technology at Uttara, and Victoria University, USA at Dhaka.

Illegal foreign university campuses outside Dhaka are Institute of Business and Information Technology at Zindabazar in Sylhet, Unique Computing at Rajshahi, Victoria University, USA at Chittagong, Panama University at Khulna, Australian National University at Khulna, Institute of Management Technology and Research (IMTR) at Chittagong, and West Cost University of Panama at Khulna.

Four law institutes filed a writ petition with the court and the High Court on May 16 stayed for two weeks a decision taken by the UGC to declare the four private law institutes illegal. The institutes are Bhuiyan Academy, Newcastle Law Academy, Dhaka Centre for Law and Economics, and British School of Law.

The High Court however did not issue any rule on the UGC to explain the legality of the commission's decision to declare 56 private universities including the four law institutes illegal.

Besides, High Court on May 30 issued a rule upon the UGC to explain why four educational institutes--Bhuiyan Academy, New Castle Law Academy, Dhaka Centre for Law and Economics (DCLE and British School of Law (BSL)--- in its public notice as illegal universities should not be declared unlawful.