Story of a foreign enterprise in Bangladesh

by Special Correspondent
May 17, 2011

http://www.weeklyblitz.net/1438/story-of-a-foreign-enterprise-in-bangladesh

Pearl Fashion Institute [PFI], which is operating a 'campus' at Dhaka's Baridhara residential area with Ms. Garima Srivastava, who is the executive director of Pearl Academy of Fashion, India. On the website of Pearl Fashion Institute in Bangladesh, though it claims to have branches in Ludhiana, India and United Arab Emirates, but in reality, the links provided on the website of these branches are found to be fake!

This was the beginning for Weekly Blitz to become curious about the activities of this dubious foreign enterprise, which is running business in Bangladesh, in the name of various degrees and courses, cashing millions of dollars each year.

In the website of Pearl Fashion Institute gave names of a number of Bangladeshi entrepreneurs, showing them as the advisors of PFI.

Since PFI is offering graduation and honors degrees in Fashion Design as well as Fashion Merchandising and Production, which also are claimed to be validated under graduate programs by Nottingham Trent University, United Kingdom, PFI is required to be duly registered with Ministry of Education in Bangladesh. At the same time, the foreign teachers, who are working with PFI are required to have work permit issued by Bangladesh authorities.

Major segment of income of PFI goes to its head office in New Delhi, for which, the organization is required to have permission granted by Foreign Exchange Section of Bangladesh Bank as well as National Board of Revenue.

In response to an email from Weekly Blitz, Faye Martin or Nottingham Trent University wrote:

"I can confirm that the following undergraduate programmes at Pearl Fashion Institute, Bangladesh, are indeed validated by Nottingham Trent University:

BA [H] Fashion Design - FT [Dhaka], BA [H] Fashion Merchandising and Production - FT [Dhaka]."

Weekly Blitz shall continue to investigate legal status as well as other details of Pearl Fashion Institute.

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