Pearl Academy Explained

Pearl Academy
Established:1993
Type:Private
Parent:Global University Systems
Head:Aditi Srivastava
Head Label:President
Country:India
Campus:New Delhi, Mumbai, Jaipur, Bengaluru
Former Names:Pearl Academy of Fashion

Pearl Academy (formerly Pearl Academy of Fashion) is an Indian higher education communication and design institution. As of 2019 it has been owned by the for-profit education group Global University Systems.

History

Pearl Academy of Fashion was set up in 1993 by the House of Pearl Fashion’s education arm Little People Education Society. In 1995, Pearl started offering students degrees validated by the United Kingdom’s Nottingham Trent University.[1]

In July 2012, University Grants Commission (India) instructed Pearl Academy to stop awarding joint degrees with Nottingham Trent University, citing ‘mounting complaints against private institutes’.[2]

In 2015, concerns were raised about the validity of programmes delivered by the institution after an alumna reported that the Association of Indian Universities had ‘refused to recognize her degree from Pearl Academy.[3]

Ownership

In 2011, Pearl became a part of the US-based education group Laureate International Universities network.[4] [5]

Laureate sold Pearl Academy to Netherlands-headquartered private education company Global University Systems in July 2019, as part of an INR 2,500 crore deal for Laureate's Indian business that also included the University of Petroleum and Energy Studies.[6]

Since the acquisition, Global University Systems has partnered with Pearl Academy and UPES through a subsidiary company in India, GUS Global Services.[7]

Campuses

the institution is present in four cities across India, with a campus each in Mumbai, Jaipur and Bangalore, and two in New Delhi (south and west).[8]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: UK collaboration in India: institutional case studies . Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education . 21 January 2021.
  2. Web site: Sharma . Jeevan Prakash . UGC Asks Pearl Academy to Close Degree Courses . Hindustan Times . 9 July 2016 . 21 January 2021.
  3. Web site: Sharma . Jeevan Prakash . After paying Rs 25L, they have degrees that are not valid in India . Hindustan Times . July 2015 . 21 January 2021.
  4. Web site: Laureate Education, Inc. - Class A Common Stock Filing . United States Securities and Exchange Commission . 21 January 2021.
  5. Web site: Gupta . Medha . Pearl Academy, UPES may face trouble as US-based education giant bids goodbye to India business . Preptube . 2 November 2018.
  6. Web site: Lamba . Prerna . GUS Buys Out Laureate Education India Biz . Business World . 21 January 2021.
  7. Web site: About GUS Global Services India . https://web.archive.org/web/20210125030225/https://www.gusindia.global/about-us.aspx . dead . 25 January 2021 . GUS Global Services . 15 February 2021.
  8. Web site: Pearl Campuses . Pearl Academy . 21 January 2021.