School’s prosecution first of its kind

Simon Collins

An international business school is facing the first criminal prosecution in New Zealand for allegedly falsifying student records.

The International College of New Zealand (ICNZ) and its director Chirag Solanki face fines of up to $10,000 for breaching Section 292C of the Education Act, which makes it a criminal offence to falsify a student’s record of achievement.

The New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA), which has filed the criminal prosecution at the Auckland District Court, said it was the first time a company had been prosecuted under that section.

NZQA cancelled the college’s accreditation to provide the National Diploma in Business (Level 5), National Diploma in Business ( Level 6), Diploma in Business Management (Level 7) and Diploma in Homeopathy (Level 7) last July.

“[NZQA] identified significant concerns about assessment capability and practice at ICNZ,” the agency said.

“NZQA has taken this action to ensure the integrity of the New Zealand Qualifications Framework (NZQF).

“NZQA’s role is to ensure quality education is delivered to students and that New Zealand qualifications are robust, credible, and internationally recognised. NZQA must take action in situations like this to protect the integrity of New Zealand’s qualifications so that students are gaining and using qualifications they can have faith in.”

NZQA is also prosecuting another private training establishment, the name of which has been suppressed, on 33 counts under other sections of the law.

A spokeswoman said NZQA prosecuted another private training establishment several years ago for illegally enrolling international students.