First, the positive development. Commonwealth College in Glasgow, one of the spurious so-called institutions exposed by The Herald recently, has been removed from a Westminster government register. As a result, it should no longer be able to recruit students from abroad. This has a double benefit. Students should no longer be exposed to fraud by paying for courses that do not exist. In addition, there will be one place fewer where an immigration scam with security implications can operate (it is easier to obtain a visa for Britain by signing up online for a "college" on the register).

Next, however, comes the negative news. An ongoing investigation by this newspaper has uncovered a fifth college in Glasgow (the LSMT Business School) with highly dubious credentials. It, too, is on the register and claims links with Dundee University. In fact, there is no connection and the university has acted to ensure all references are removed from the LSMT website. Claiming an association with an established seat of higher learning in Scotland is a worrying development.

Scotland's tertiary education sector has a reputation for quality and integrity which it must guard and project if it is to attract students from home and abroad to secure lifeline teaching and research funding. When false colleges pose a threat to that reputation, and reputable institutions are not even aware that their good names are being exploited, alarm bells should ring. That action is being taken to protect further and higher education, somewhat belatedly, is in no small part down to The Herald. The government at Westminster has decided that all private colleges that recruit students from overseas will be required to register with the Home Office and prove they are genuine before they can operate. This, too, is a positive development. It is unfortunate, however, that the new rules will not apply until 2009. Even when they come into operation, will the safeguard be sufficient? The Association of Scotland's Colleges (ASC), which represents the further education sector, does not think so. The reputation of its member institutions, many of which offer higher education courses, has also come under threat from sham private colleges claiming academic links with the FE sector. FE colleges also operate in a competitive environment and equally need to demonstrate rigour and an adherence to standards.

What's in a name? A lot when it is associated with quality and reliability. It is no coincidence that the names university, polytechnic, institute and special school are protected by law and only those institutions approved by the Scottish Secretary can use them. The ASC is lobbying for college to be added to the list. There is no good reason why this should not be the case. Doing so would add another layer of protection that would be helpful. Legitimate private colleges would have nothing to fear from this. The rest would be exposed and weeded out, as they should be as a matter of urgency.