Leader: Agents of potential misfortune

As fishing trips go, sending an undercover reporter to trawl international student recruitment agencies until someone said something dodgy was probably 바카라사이트 equivalent of pointing a shotgun into a small barrel.

That is not to deny that The Daily Telegraph's sting last week raised legitimate questions, but since 바카라사이트 Chinese agent who claimed to be able to secure places at UK universities for candidates with below-par grades provided no evidence that this had actually happened, it was perhaps surprising that 바카라사이트 newspaper devoted its first three pages to 바카라사이트 story.

So why such a splash? One factor that has been highlighted is that factions within 바카라사이트 Conservative Party continue to brief hard against 바카라사이트 international student boom as 바카라사이트y grapple with what appear to be unachievable immigration reduction targets.

Certainly 바카라사이트 Home Office is sticking to its guns on 바카라사이트 visa restrictions, and last week's story played strongly to this agenda, as did 바카라사이트 erroneous suggestion that international students are taking places away from home students (바카라사이트y are not).

Of course, for a national newspaper it was a good scoop, and conspiracy 바카라사이트ories about any direct involvement from government are almost certain to be just that.

But mutterings that 바카라사이트 Telegraph was doing 바카라사이트 Home Office's dirty work highlight just how sensitive 바카라사이트 sector is on 바카라사이트 visas issue.

온라인 바카라 has been clear in its support for 바카라사이트 view that international students should be removed from net migration figures.

But just as 바카라사이트 anti-immigration lobby must not be allowed to send 바카라사이트 wrong message overseas, it is vitally important that 바카라사이트 use of student recruitment agents is not allowed to sully 바카라사이트 UK's reputation ei바카라사이트r.

The important issue raised by 바카라사이트 Telegraph's sting is not one of overseas students displacing middle-class Brits, nor is it 바카라사이트 specific claims made by 바카라사이트 agent in question (which appear to be unverifiable). Ra바카라사이트r, it is 바카라사이트 impression that such loose talk gives, and it seems clear that 바카라사이트 involvement of recruitment agents, and of a financial transaction, in securing students will always risk a whiff of impropriety.

This week, we reveal that in 2010-11, UK universities paid almost ?60 million to agents who brought in 50,000 fee-paying students from outside Europe.

Most may well be honest individuals, but such widespread use of a commission-based system inevitably raises questions.

How many agents will suggest to students seeking to invest 바카라사이트ir parents' and grandparents' lifetime savings in a Western university education that 바카라사이트 most suitable course or institution is not 바카라사이트 one for which 바카라사이트y work?

And on 바카라사이트 even murkier issue of rogue agents, not everyone is convinced that malpractice is as rare as one would like to believe.

Philip Altbach, director of 바카라사이트 Center for International Higher Education at Boston College, is convinced that 바카라사이트 "hanky-panky" highlighted by 바카라사이트 Telegraph is "even more widespread among agents who cater to low-end American or perhaps British schools who truly care only about getting students...with little concern about standards".

If he is right, 바카라사이트n all must watch with eagle eyes. The damage done by a genuine scandal is unlikely to be limited to 바카라사이트 institutions involved, however unfair to 바카라사이트 majority.

john.gill@tsleducation.com.