The Syro-Malabar Church laity commission is to introduce three help centers to prevent large numbers of students seeking admission in overseas universities being cheated, an official said yesterday. The commission is to set up the centers in the southern state of Kerala, in New Zealand and in Singapore, said V.C. Sebastian, secretary of the laity commission. The help centers will provide information on visa regulations and job opportunities overseas. “We found many students, especially in New Zealand and Singapore, had been duped by private agencies who offer consultancy services for migration on student visas,” Sebastian said. In many countries “sham” universities also offer courses with a work permit to dupe students. “Many students told us that they have been duped by the universities and lost a large amount of money,” he said. Krishna Kumar, an educational consultant, claimed many of these sham universities are sprouting up in New Zealand and Singapore. In Kerala, studying in foreign universities is a status symbol and around 10,000 students seek admission to various overseas institutions. Related report Malabar honors its first college principal