Kathmandu, Nov. 24 -- Nepali students duped by bogus colleges in various cities in the United Arab Emirates have accused the Tribhuvan University of legitimising those institutions by granting equivalency to their training-level certificates as university degrees.

TU's Curriculum Development Centre (CDC), which has the authority to grant equivalency to foreign degrees, is often criticised by students for making the process difficult, even for those who have graduated from the world's reputable universities and colleges. However, the CDC has nonetheless granted equivalency to degrees issued by UAE-based training institutes which, according to the victimised students, are not authorised to award academic degrees.

A complaint lodged by the...