More than 60 Nepali students enrolled in MBBS and MD programs in various universities in China have been left in the lurch after Motherland Charitable Foundation failed to pay the fees to the universities.

The guardians of the students said they had paid the foundation Rs 1.5 million per student for the six-year MBBS program and Rs 750,000 per student for the three-year MD program. The foundation also runs an education consultancy. 

“The foundation had claimed that it had received donations from Nepalis and foreigners in Europe, the US and Canada to provide 50 percent scholarships to those who wanted to become medical doctors in Nepal,” said Arjun Kumar Thapa of Rautahat, who sent his daughter for the MBBS program after paying Rs 1.5 million through the foundation. “I went to the foundation after reading a newspaper advertisement claiming to provide scholarships, but it did not even pay the universities the amounts the guardians had paid.”

The foundation located at Chandi Complex in Kalimati, Kathmandu, has been found cheating guardians and students since the last three years. 

Purushottam Pokharel, one of the guardians, said that foundation owners Raja Jha, Mukesh Jha, Prabina Khokali and Anita Shakya did not deposit the amounts the guardian had submitted to their organization. He said most of the guardians have paid all the money the foundation demanded. 

“Five students who went to China three months ago have not even gotten their admissions to the universities,” said Neela Jha, whose husband Dr Neeraj Aryal also went to China through the foundation.

Jha said her husband has been waiting in China for the approval of his documents as the consultancy is yet to deposit the admission fee at Launing University.

The Chinese university sent back Dr Shabana Khan who went there for his MD three months ago. Similarly, the university also refused to admit Babita Sah to the MBBS program, informed Tara Kumari Rai, coordinator of the action committee formed by the guardians of the victims. 

As many as eight students who went to Southern University for the MBBS have been left helpless while 17 MD students are said to be stranded at Launing University. Similarly, six MBBS and eight MD students at Chauchang University, 11 MBBS students at Xindao University, and two MBBS and 27 MD students at Teinjin University have been left helpless after the foundation failed to pay the fees to the universities.

The official website of the Ministry of Education has stated that education consultancies are only authorized to provide counseling and cannot send students to foreign countries. 

Following the guardians´ complaint at the Metropolitan Police Range, police have arrested Raja Jha of Janakpur, one of the members of the foundation. The three others are still at large.