A group of dentistry students who were pursuing their specialization in orthodontics at a private institution in Yucatán have filed a complaint for educational fraud after discovering that the school does not issue or deliver degrees upon completion of their studies.
The situation has been described as a “frustrated dream” for the seven students of the University of Valle de Guerrero (located north of the city), who are affected by the lack of official validity of their three years of study.
According to Karla Casanova Burgos, one of the affected students, all of her fellow classmates were on the verge of completing their specialization in orthodontics at the mentioned educational institution when they realized that the university would not be issuing the corresponding degrees for their studies due to the absence of the Official Recognition of Studies (RVOE) registration.
This situation led the students to file a fraud complaint under case number 175/2023 with the State Attorney General’s Office (FGE) of Yucatán against the school administrators, Tomás H. S., Sara A. S., and Juana S. R.
“We were studying the orthodontics specialty and almost at the end of the third out of four semesters, we found out that it didn’t have RVOE, which means it wasn’t officially valid, and therefore, we wouldn’t receive the degree. At first, they mentioned that we would graduate with our degree and professional license, but then we found out that it wouldn’t be the case,” reproached the student.
She pointed out that this situation has not only caused financial losses due to high tuition fees but also that during this time, there were out-of-town students who paid for rent and sustenance in order to pursue their specialization, in addition to the time lost during the courses.
Currently, the seven affected individuals are studying at another institution while pursuing legal action against the institution. The legal process has reached the First Control Court of the First Judicial Department of the State based in Mérida, where an initial hearing took place on August 29th.
The victims of this educational fraud hope for justice to be served and for this incident to serve as a reminder for students to be cautious in selecting their educational institutions, ensuring that they possess the necessary permits and recognitions to grant valid degrees upon completing their studies.
TYT Newsroom
