Azteca University - International - Foreign Credential Evaluation

Dang. I timed out. Here's the whole thing:

I guess they do - somehow... What alternative do they have? Well, they can come here, I guess. And they do. And what good is the fact that costs are 60% cheaper, when wages are ~90% (or more lower).

Truth is - there - and here, money is being siphoned off that should be getting to the people - or being used for their benefit. The means and methods may differ. Corruption in one place is different to that in another - that's what makes getting a handle on it as a whole, very difficult.

However, I still maintain that overall, the problem is much worse in Nigeria, than in Canada. Here, the main cause of Government waste is bungling and ineptitude, rather than larceny. In the US I think Government waste is generally 50-50. That's not scientific - just casual reading and observation. I could be WAY wrong. I think in the Nigerian Government - there's comparatively little incompetence and a whole lot of stealing.

You dismiss the corruption report totally. Okay - I don't. Too many sources - and too many individuals - say pretty nearly the same thing, re: Nigeria. I know, from my own reading, that Nigerian writers deal with the topic frequently in both their novels and non-fiction. I could give you some names to start with, if you want. I think it's outside the realm of coincidence. And It's not the most corrupt place in the world, according to the report. Nigeria is 150th. The worst place would be 180th. The worst five are:

176 -Yemen
177 - Venezuela
178 - Syria
178 - South Sudan (tie)
180 - Somalia (Dead last)

Those sound about right to me. I'll just stick with what I wrote - all of it. There, no caps or bold. I can do that, too. G'Night.

 

No. Stop. Saying that what is happening in a country that should be doing better than it does is a global norm normalizes (by definition) the endemic corruption. Making the populace believe it is how bad people stay in power. I've seen it on the post-Soviet space. The closer to the heart of the evil empire, the more powerful the signal from "ballistic defense towers" (Russian sci-fi reference), the more cynical people are. So people in Poland are less cynical than people in Ukraine, who are way less cynical than the people of russo-mordor. This is why Poland is in EU and growing, while Ukraine is struggling, and russia is a full blown Nazi dystopia where mothers of killed soldiers are grateful to the Fuehrer for a cheap car they can now buy. This kind of thinking, in addition to being just factually wrong, is also absolutely toxic. For the sake of Nigeria, don't do that.

Here's a theory: people who work hard to make folks in the Third Word hate the West are either robbing them, or are working for someone that do. Or are empolyed by the RT network and "rossotrudnichestvo" and are involved in whitewashing a genocide that happens right now.

 

Oh, do they really? How wonderful!

What % of Nigerians are officially poor? 63%

"Highlights of the 2022 Multidimensional Poverty Index survey reveal that: 63% of persons living within Nigeria (133 million people) are multidimensionally poor. The National MPI is 0.257, indicating that poor people in Nigeria experience just over one-quarter of all possible deprivations" (National Bureau of Statistics - Nigeria)

What % of Americans are officially poor? 11.6%

"Official Poverty Measure
The official poverty rate in 2021 was 11.6 percent, with 37.9 million people in poverty. Neither the rate nor the number in poverty was significantly different from 2020 (Figure 1 and Table A-1)." (US Census Bureau)

What % of Johann is no longer listening to any more fiction about economic conditions for Nigerians ? 100%.

 

Did you ever get your Nicaraguan diploma? I recall you did get the Azteca diploma.

 

Nigeria has the CBN exchange rate (banks) and the black market XE rate (forex and Aboki). When I was in Lagos in December, the CBN rate was about mid-400 naira to 1 USD. I changed my large note for 730 NGN ($100) and 630 NGN for smaller notes. Nonetheless, the rates have changed. So, today, 74k NGN is about 97 USD.

CBN - Central Bank of Nigeria
NGN - Nigerian Naira

On another note, I find it utterly annoying to see/hear people talk about how bad a country is when they haven't experienced it. Many people who haven't left their home state feel qualified to talk about life in another country based on what they have read or seen. Until you've visited, you are not qualified to draw any conclusions. Your opinion is nothing but balderdash.

 

It looks like OIUCM is now also a partner of Azteca (https://oiucm.net/).

 

Iffy -- or worse. Two wrongs never make a right.

 

Sorry you're annoyed, Doctor. As far as I knew, this is a forum where opinions - well-based or otherwise, can be freely expressed. People are free to express them, be they fact or rubbish. And they are free to get contradicted and steamrollered if others have better info.

Again, I apologize for the fact that this freedom annoys you - but as far as I know, it hasn't yet been suspended by the (forum) authorities. And if anyone wants to learn facts - economic etc. about another country - there are good sources. I'll go this far - if you want to know what it's really like to live somewhere - "get the vibe" of the place - right. You do have to be there.

 

Thank you for saying that.

 

$120 a month sounds like a pretty typical income level in early-90ies Ukraine. My father's official salary as a state university PE instructor and coach was around that; wonders of hyperinflation. My grandparents' pension was significantly lower. Crappy times, lots of hustle to supplement that income, no stability. An IT job for a small Dutch web studio making $400 a month in 1999 made me the breadwinner of the family, while still an undergrad. But, as you can see, I am physically alive. I bet lots of people would trade russian bombing for that existence, even with the organized crime uptick.

Point is, be a little humbler talking about circumstances you know nothing about.

 

I am sure that you are aware that "opinions are like a**holes, everyone has one." So, I am not trying to infringe on your freedom of expression, sir!

 

I generally disagree with this statement certainly as an absolute, "Until you've visited, you are not qualified to draw any conclusions. Your opinion is nothing but balderdash".

That isn't how academics works. Someone can draw an opinion about life and circumstances of living in another country through a great deal of data, reporting, biography, and so on (eg a brutal totalitarian dictatorship). Is it a complete picture? Obviously not. But you don't necessarily get one from people who live there either. For example, someone from a country may paint a nostalgic, patriot picture, that minimizes its faults. Or is based on their own socioeconomic or cultural background within that country.

What you are saying is like saying that no one is able to talk about a diploma mill or is qualified to do so based on what they have read or seen. That leaves only those enrolled who invariably report it is the equal of any accredited program they have been involved in or better (rigorous). Now you do get additional insight when someone like Michael Burgos weighs in an explains with apparent candor and balance his experience at the time he was enrolled.

 

In general, there's academics, and then there's being a condescending jerk. The latter is much more prevalent online.

 

I don't care how academics work in your view. Okay?! That said, everyone is entitled to their opinion. However, it doesn't mean that you are a qualified or competent authority when you share your views.

I am not saying one has to experience everything to be able to share their views. Indeed, you don't have to undergo a gunshot to speak about the pain associated with it. My comments are specifically related to things where lived experiences are paramount. As someone who enjoys traveling, I would never base any decision on the opinion of someone who's never been to the destination of interest.

In my experience, I have had people question my desire to visit Africa, which I think is based on any stories they have heard (likely from people who have no experience in Africa). People who haven't even traveled to Europe, not to talk of Africa. The saddest part is that people allow unqualified people to influence their decisions.

 

And still hoping cacoleman finally received his Nicaraguan PhD diploma. "Possibly" a little more utility than the Azteca one. The man has had to have the patience of Job.

That is not to downplay the Proprio Azteca diploma or the intricacies of the national system in Mexico. I would frame both of them and enjoy them (if he hasn't developed PTSD from this whole process).

 

A variety of epistemologies can be employed to get at the ontology of a phenomenon. First-hand personal experience is just one way. I'd like to think Jonah Salk didn't feel the need to catch polio in order to develop a vaccine for it.

 

Right. And nobody who writes historical fiction (or about history itself) can travel back in time - but they can learn what things were like in the era of their story. Also - it's a good thing addiction workers don't have to undergo heroin addiction, to understand it well enough to help people recover. And to learn how a country works, one might talk to people who HAVE lived there. 30-odd years ago in college, my Spanish profesora, from Chiapas, Mexico, which shares a border with Guatemala, taught me quite a bit about her homeland. I presently have two friends from Africa. I'm no expert, but I'm pleased that, from them, I've learned things about both Somalia and Nigeria that I didn't know. I hope to learn more.

I think people in this forum would generally concur that there are a variety of ways to learn many things. Yes, for any learning, there may be a "best" method - or competing "best methods." But "best" does not always mean "only."

Maybe one of these days I'll find a "best" way to study humility. For me, that's gonna be a tough one.

 

OK back to Azteca. RFValve just informed us that OIUCM (Open International University for Complementary Medicine - Sri Lanka) had formed a partnership of some kind with Azteca. To me, that's not good news for either school. Back in the day, OIUCM (unaccredited by any recognized source) was known to do things like sell Knighthoods, Albert Schweitzer prizes, canned dissertations for PhD's ( A couple of people enquired and saved the replies as proof). We have the school's word that these things no longer prevail, but the school is still without recognition. 2014 story here, many more available: https://www.hindustantimes.com/dehradun/unrecognised-lankan-varsity-still-lures-degree-aspirants/story-sNL1NpQx4W0KGkNv4hyxyJ.html

I'm excruciatingly uncomfortable with ANY school, including Azteca that would enter any kind of partnership or even an MOU with OIUCM.