London School of Business and Finance students demand compensation

Last month, a private educational institution patronized by His Royal Highness Prince Michael of Kent revoked its license torecruit and train non-EU residents. About 350 people are required to leave the country by the end of March according to the rules of the Ministry of the Interior. The school says some students have already received compensation.

Reimbursement of expenses

However, one South American student who wishes to remain anonymous says that she and several other students are seeking full reimbursement fortraining in the Master of Business Administration (MBA) program, as well as accommodation and flight. Every year they paid LSBF School almost £ 9,000 (about 1,000,000 rubles). They waited a long time for visa approval by the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and, among other things, they had to undergo face-to-face interviews, which lasted more than an hour.

But too many students enrolled in the School have been denied visas.According to rules , as soon as their number exceeds 10%, the educational institution is automatically either suspended or revoked the license for the right to teach foreign students. This means that all non-EU students studying there, even if their visa was previously approved, must leave the UK within 60 days. Students from this School are the largest group from a single institution to have their visa canceled under these rules.Three years ago, 150 students of London Metropolitan University were forced to leave the country after he lost his license.

LSBF drew up a new timetable to distribute courses that were due to end in July or September over six weeks. However, students say that then they lose access to libraries and the ability to communicate with the academic advisor. When I return to Africa, I will not have access to the Internet.And how can I write a diploma, sendhomework or talking to a supervisor? ”one of the students asks.

“You pay for experience and knowledge, but what we are offered is not at all what we expected,” says another. Students say they feel as if they are being punished for the School's mistakes when they have not done anything illegal. “We can hardly believe this is happening in the UK,” the student adds.

No entry into the country

An accounting student, let's call her Tracy, 25, was visiting her family in China whenshe received an email stating the cancellation of her visa. She is now banned from entering the UK.And all of her belongings remained in an apartment in London, for which she still pays rent.

“I was very shocked and upset,” she told the BBC News Service. “I can't even appeal. And in the official letter there is only a dry wording. "Tracy paid £ 9,000 to attend the School's two-year accounting course, which was due to end in late December. She had to cancel exams and interviews to get a job at accounting firms in London.

“This has had a negative impact on my career plans and personal life. My boyfriend lives in the UK. "The school suggested that she either get half the cost of her tuition or complete it online. “But it’s the live learning that is important to me, so I didn’t choose the online courses. ”Her boyfriend Adam, a student at Lancaster University, believes that partial refunds are not enough.

“Tuition reimbursement must be paid in full, as well as compensation for time and money spent in London”. Tracy already has master's degrees from other universities in the UK, and, according to Adam's calculations, in five years she brought the country's economy £ 100,000. “And now they just unsubscribe from the officialthe letter "Leave" ".

Students also fear that the awarding authorities may be reluctant to do so due to curtailed courses. The Italian Distance Learning University, Uninettuno, with offices in Rome, is an MBA accredited institution. LSBF has forwarded an email attachment to students stating that Uninettuno is up to date with new plans. But the letter, which says "Dear student (s)", does not address a specific person, does not say what kind of training programs this applies to, and it is not even signed. “I requested another letter ... signed, printed and addressed to me personally,” said one of the students.

Students' fears

Students are upset, worried that they will not receive any diplomas or degrees at all. “We ask for written confirmation when we receive our diplomas. And when will the presentation ceremony take place? "

The BBC asked the Ministry of Enterprise, Innovation and Crafts, which is responsible for higher education, for comment on this issue. The Ministry forwarded the request to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, which replied that “it has no right to intervene in financial issues and disputes between private individuals and educational institutions regarding payment and possible compensation”. A spokesman for the Ministry of Internal Affairs said that all educational institutions licensed to teach foreign students must pass certification annually in order to maintain it. "The London School of Business and Finance did not pass this certification, so its license has been revoked."

“Bad News”

No Dominic Scott, Executive Director of the Council for International Students Affairs UK (ukcisa.org.uk) says that students from other countries are entitled to protection.

"This is another definitely sad example of how the Ministry of the Interior takes action against an institution and other government departments do not take responsibility for helping innocent foreign students."

Mr. Scott said that whatever the background, hebelieves that "the main moral and ethical obligation of any educational institution in the UK that cannot complete their studies is to help students finish their studies somewhere else, in this case in London and at the expense of the educational institution, or to reimburse all the costs incurred."

Professor Maurits van Rooijen, Rector and Chief Executive Officer of the LSBF said that one-to-one interviews were held with all international students to discuss “suitable optionsand the amount of compensation ”, and that this process was in full swing.

“We have an independent appeal process if a student is suddenly not satisfied with the proposed option, but so far no one has complained to us,” says Professor van Royen, “our task is to ensure that studentscould graduate from their program and so that they would not suffer financial losses due to these annoying measures on the part of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. We are fortunate because, thanks to the structure of our organization, we can support students through online education, as well as through training in other educational institutions around the world, or with the help of our international or local partners."