***Is it a good idea to send teenage kids to far off places without any regard to the idea whether these kids are capable enough to do the right things? So many times, we have seen kids leading a bizarre life because there is no parental control Some parents in Bangladesh must be courageous to let their kids loose in America. Perhaps they have the slightest concern whether their wards are getting the kind of education they deserve.***

LATELY, the elusive commodity hope is selling like a hot cake in Bangladesh. There is a ready market for hope in a place where situation is becoming rather hopeless. Amongst us. though, are some unscrupulous people who would not mind selling hope for an exorbitant fee. However, before buying hope one should Judge the genuineness of that hope. In that regard, we flunk rather miserably. We can't even differentiate between real hope and artificial hope.

The axiom or principle in commerce would Imply that the buyer alone Is responsible for assessing the quality of a purchase before buying. In real life, most of us follow this adage not to be fooled by unscrupulous sellers or shopkeepers, but occasionally we let our heart overtake our good Judgment (read brain). Only then, the principle of Buyer Beware' takes the back seat while the sales pitch of disreputable sellers carries us away. The merchandise could often be simply 'Hope' In some cases. Well, this is what happened in Dhaka recently as I gleaned the story from an Internet newspaper. What I read simply makes me wonder that in this day and age of Information, we still have gullible people all around us. There Is lesson to be gleaned from all-good stories. And this story Is not exception In that regard.

According to a much publicized news account, some school representatives came to Bangladesh all the way from America to recruit foreign students. This sounds fishy to tills scribe. Why would American universities and colleges send their recruiting team members to far-fiung places such as Bangladesh?

When we looked at the names of those academic institutions, we all would simply appall not

finding one single school of good reputation. No one practically heard of these schools. For once, let one forget the reputation and academic standing of these schools. The would be students or their parents who are so willing to dish out large sum of money to make sure that their son or daughter will get proper education should ask one question "Is the school has received

accreditation from the state or some valid agency?"

But true to our gullibility, no one would dare to ask these "officials" who came all the way from America to recruit Bangalee students. This is sheer stupidity on the parts of parents not to ask this simple question. Also, they should have asked, 'Why do you come all the way to Bangladesh to recruit students?" If they cannot recruit enough American college-goers, then there must be some academic problem with those schools. A reputable school in America and for that matter any reputable school In the West wouldn't be sending their foreign student advisor or any of their admission committee members to remote corners of the world to collect students to fill the classroom. It simply does not happen. Honestly speaking, the idea of recruiting foreign students by sending emissaries to far off places sounds too fishy to this scribe. And there are good reasons for thinking that way.

According to the news

account, a whole bunch of these "agents" converged into a Dhaka hotel. What It means is that someone in Dhaka has arranged this get together. In America, each school is run independently. It is rather amazing that quite a few schools from America decided to send their representative all at the same time. Someone also has placed advertisement in the daily newspapers

telling the Interested parties about the American College Fair. Who are they? What was their interest? Supposedly, the Inquiring students were charged money and they did not receive any receipt for the fees they had paid!

This is not the first time we heard similar stories of student recruitment by the foreign schools. In 1972, right after Bangladesh was born, an enterprising Bangalee became the foreign student adviser in a small obscure college located near Fort Wayne, Indiana. He went to Dhaka with a fistful of 1-20 forms and recruited students. This scribe met one of those recruited students tn 1974 in Ohio. This student narrated rather hilariously, how the recruiter gave them 1-20 forms. It was obvious from the description that the 1-20 form was not for free. This writer was abhorred knowing that Bangalee college students were working part time in Fort Wayne's Hamburger Joints while they attended the school with dubious distinction. And that

was not the last time this illegal practice of selling documents for a high price in Dhaka to the aspiring students did occur. People all over the world know one thing rather well. That is. if there were an easy way to make money, some folks would do it. The recent Incidence of asking some aspiring students to pay up cash front for some service by these schemers have all the

marking of Illegal activities.

If someone from abroad wants to come to America for studies, that person may visit the American Information service and read all the catalogues that are available there. In this day of Internet, there are other alternatives. A person sitting In the comfort of his home can do all the searching, without having to go outside, with the help of a PC equipped with a modem. One can do the searching by using search engines for colleges In America. Most of these colleges have their own web sites. The academic requirements for entry-level students are all spelled out. It Is hardly required for aspiring students to meet "someone" from the college in a hotel lobby in Dhaka and pay cash In U.S. currencies for information to that representative. The entire process sounds unseemly enough to let the authorities know that something fishy and bizarre is happening In Dhaka under the watchful eyes of many people. The gullible Bangalee students are being taken for a

ride and they must know this.

There are other factors to consider as well. Is it a good idea to send teenage kids to far off places without any regard to the idea whether these kids are capable enough to do the right things? So many times, we have seen kids leading a bizarre life because there is no parental control. Some parents in Bangladesh must be courageous to let

their kids loose in America. Perhaps they have the slightest concern whether their wards are getting the kind of education they deserve. Sometimes kids coming from a very disciplined life go awry in their quest for a "good" life. Easy availability of alcoholic beverages, narcotics, promiscuous teenagers, etc.. should ring the warning bell to any guardians who is aspiring to send their sons and daughters to an alien place where their children will be under the caprice of whims. Who needs the extra headache? Wouldn't it be sane to send more mature kids for graduate school? Students in their early twenties are far more mature, than say. teenagers.

Is It worth taking the risk of sending a very young person? However, knowliig how pathetic the situation is in Bangladesh with lawlessness and violence in the society, some parents are willing to take the undue risk. Thus, they succumb to hope'. They think their wards would stay the course and become the worthy sons and daughters of

their parents. Under this back-drop. when the music men' come to town to sell hope', these students and their parents converge to the hotel lobby and pay a considerable sum to satiate their wishes. Was it worth it? Only time can tell. If this scribe were one of them, he would not send his kids to no-name brand college. What a person can do with degree from a worthless school is well known.

Nevertheless, in a country where hopelessness abounds what is the difference whether a Bangalee student is getting his or her degree from Harvard University or Hiawassee College. Incidentally, a representative came from Hiawassee College to Dhaka with the hope that someone from Bangladesh would attend this college in Madisonville,Tennessee. Anon-line search In Encyclopedia Britannica on Hiawassee College gave no result From another electronic source, this scribe learned that the said college is a small private institute with only about 500 students.

As a parent, would someone feel good about sending his or her kids to a college with no name? Not to mention, the parents have to splurge a large sum of money to receive a worthless education.

Since this article is all about false hope, it is befitting to end It with an erudite quotation from Shakespeare. The celebrated English playwright wrote. The miserable have no other medicine but only hope" in his play "Measure for Measure." The bard could have said this about our people of this Gangetic alluvium in the dawn of this new mlllen-

77 ic writer. a senior research scientist in America, writes from New Orleans.