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HUNDREDS OF INTERNATIONAL students have been left with questions to be answered after an English language school in Dublin city centre closed its doors.
Eden College on Burgh Quay in Dublin told students today that it had ceased trading with immediate effect.
The school lost its state accreditation in February of this year after it was found to be non-compliant with standards of English language teaching.
The school is believed to have had at least 400 students, while some 40 staff members were told on Friday that they were being made redundant.
Former Minister for Education Batt O’Keeffe resigned as president of the school earlier this month.
The Eden College website has been taken down and replaced with a message saying:
“The Board of Eden College regrets that Eden College Dublin has ceased trading with immediate effect”.
The College has made a number of arrangements with other colleges for the continued provision for the majority of courses without any additional fees for tuition.
Please note, though, students are required to contact the student review group in INIS [the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service] to finalise the transition.
Students were asked to report to the school’s reception this week for further details.
Some students on Facebook and Twitter were unhappy with the sudden closure of the school. “I want to study. Simple as that,” Lua Bilhalva wrote on the school’s Facebook page.
Another said that she had gone to the school today but said there was no-one there to answer her questions. “We don’t know anything about certificate, attendance or which new schools the students are going,” wrote Camila Cirne. “Please, we need to know who is going to support us about those details”.
The Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service is deliberating over how to deal with the non-EU students at the school who are in Ireland on visas, but has said there is “no immediate threat to students’ immigration status”.
“All current permissions remain intact,” the INIS said this afternoon.
The INIS, which falls under the Department of Justice, has advised students not to pay any money or to enrol with another college without first contacting them.
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This is a disgrace…and make no mistake it is a disgrace on a national level. These students from abroad are often strapped for cash and have to pay fees and expenses upfront. Who now will look after them? What I want to know is who regulates this school and how come they went broke so quickly? The government needs to step in here and direct other institutions to look after these people. We need to do right by these students. Shame on Batt O Keefe!
“The government step in and do something”. The government do something?? HAHAHAHAHA
This was a visa farm.
Lets hope they are investigating other colleges.
Halve of those students don’t go to collage , most are working with very little intention of leaving Ireland, I know of several Brazilian so called students who are conveniently pregnant now, and trying to to access unmarried mothers allowance crazy situation , we need to be a lot more stringent about handing out visas, but incompetent shatter responsible for that too.and anything he’s involved in seems to be a total mess
true Straighttalker, they’re clamping down on it now though.
Same thing a lot of Irish women are doing minus the extra paper work, at least this way we might deepen the gene pool here in Ireland a bit
Straighttalker, it’d do you no harm to go to English school. “Halve” “collage” – many of these students that you’re complaining about have better English than that.
Yes Karl, and now lets address the point straightalker makes.
His point is valid and needs to be acknowledged rather than just taking a pop.
Total crap. Conveniently pregnant? Brazil is a booming economy. These people are here to improve their English and have a bit of a holiday while they’re at it. Then go home to work. People do get pregnant sometimes, believe it or not.
@moneysocks
Wake up, and take your head out of your ass.
@karl waters
whats I`d ?? should it not be “it would“ in the context of that sentence,maybe we can join English class together?
“HALVE.” – time you went!
Eh, read it again Straighttalker – I wrote “it’d”. So no boss, you’re on your own in the English class, sorry. Maybe you should get your eyes checked while you’re at it…
@karl walker
It’s still bad grammar you arrogant fool
Even if what you’re saying is true, it’s also a shame that in Ireland you have this kind of scams, these things are typical of third world countries and it is shameful to happen here, because although you refer to Latin Americans in your racist commentary, in these schools also study many EU citizens who will return to their countries with only bad comments about their unpleasant experience and how they were scammed here in Ireland.
It’s easier to see the straw in someone else than the beam in oneself!!
Big clampdown last year in England with these colleges. Had lots on register but hardly any in college as they were working. I feel sorry for the genuine students whose parents probably made sacrifices to let them get a better education
It’s true that sometimes the business of the school gets abused and students are here to work rather than learn. But let’s not throw the baby out with the bathwater, overwhelmingly the numbers are here for genuine reasons. Your argument applies to political refugees as well and lots of other scenarios. Properly regulated these schools and colleges are a great resource and often leads to young students choosing full time degree courses in the country of their language learning.
But us Irish have never emigrated on student visas and worked full time and stay in US Australia Canada etc is that what you believe ,everyone no matter colour or creed has right to feed themselves and family
well it shouldn’t come as a surprise to the brazilian students really, for you and i: holders of ‘Student Visas’ are not allowed to work in Brazil. It should work both ways shouldn’t it?
Yes we have but there are some difference between us and those countries,
1) we are a tiny country. 100,000 Polish people moved here and we really felt their presence. If 100,000 Poles moved to America,Canada or Aus they wouldn’t notice it so much as they are huge countries with big populations.
2) we have one of the highest percentages per population of foreign nationals in the EU.
3) these schools are often covers for immigrants looking to work with the vast majority seemingly Chinese or Brazilians.
Did somebody tip off Batt?
It’s all gone batt sh1t…. Hope the student’s are sorted soon. Must be close to exam time.
Ever wonder why certain small shops and petrol stations have stave of the same nationality? Let me explain the language school and employment scam.
A business owner needs 200 hours worth of low level staff a week. Paying minimum wage is tough. SHady employment outsourcers offer them 200 hours for the price of 100. These groups organise staff to come over from china or pakistan. They enrol them in language schools and set them up here. These persons now owe the gang quite a bit of cash. So they work 60 hours a week in a shop for a far lower wage than an Irish person. Maybe they go to the language school, maybe they don’t. The gang don’t care and neither do the school. They have their money.
When the language visa is up they can go home with their money or disappear and find some off the book work here or in the UK. Either way, they’re easily replaced.
Loads of these Donald Duck Colleges in Dublin, major regulation badly needed
It was in the independent days ago how some schools were closed for not following the rules. This obviously leaves the students in a terrible situation. All their school fees have to be paid upfront to receive the visa and now they are caught in limbo with no school, probably little money and a chance of losing their visas
http://www.independent.ie/lifestyle/education/immigration-authorities-launch-visa-crackdown-on-schools-30190044.html
scammers
He didn’t Batt an eyelid – When he heard the news!! He swept his side of the street clean last week before the shit hit the Fan, typical Fianna Fail Bertie -esque move I say.
The whole thing is a joke.
Is it me or is this story being kept hush hush????? Why has it only been reported on the Journal.ie 3 hours ago when it was known this morning? Why has it not been on the news as students and staff are treated this way. Is it a coincidence that an ex Minister just happens to be the President?
The same Batt O’Keeffe who on Newstalk, before FF lost the last election, seemed unable to distinguish between millions and billions while being interviewed about the bank guarantee and furthermore was incapable of pronouncing either word correctly ie, *millins* and *billins*. Subsequently sits on the board of an English language school. This whole country is a scam.
This would not have happened in a Gaelteacht.
Was he fianna fail
That’s the difference between FF and FG.
FF divvy out to the boys in a quiet behind the scenes manner. FG corrupt by shouting aloud like Siteserv.
That’s just a stupid comment.
Ah maybe you are right. FG keeping some of Irish Water names low key. Over 200 million losses at 2 cocos by two of the FG appointed boards. Plus 100 million written off for Siteserv. Plus LPT for last year. Plus savings of 300 million expected by BG not being met. Irish Water – the Super Quango.
Someone needs to get Batt O’ Keefe to answer questions asap. A shocking inhumane display by the school in not offering even a basic level of communication with students. Their accounts should be immediately frozen.
I think because they have gone bankrupt their accounts are automatically frozen by court order
One thing for sure is the students will receive no money back thanks to our bankruptcy laws.revenue then director fees, then preference shares, rents then the disposable students. Its not the first or last school to repeat action.
Truth hurts.
Not the only politician involved with colleges specialising in foreign students. The government trips to China, India, etc always bring somebody looking for business for these colleges. The colleges with accommodation are more corrupt as the owners of the accomadation are the directors and friends of the colleges. Batt is only one and he is not the biggest benefactor of government junkets with past and present heads of state, other politicians and families are making lots of money from these taxpayers funded trips. All on the backs of innocent students.
Most of the fools here don’t have a clue what these people are going through yet they’re willing to shout loud and clear from the rooftops about what they think the school represented or why the students were here in the 1st place. Granted there are probably a few who didn’t come here to learn and instead they try to make a living here. So what? At least they are trying to improve their circumstances and their lives. Should that not be allowed because they are not Irish or not EU citizens? Grow up bitches. Now if there are students who got fleeced by this scam and still wants to remain in this country to learn English then I could, as a TEFL teacher who taught in France for 2 years, offer 1 place in my hometown for the duration of their visa. I can’t offer any credentials but I can promise this student will speak better English after they stay here for a while. If others did the same Ireland may have a chance of salvaging some of her reputation abroad which, believe me, has been hit very hard with all the scandals as of late. This country was built on a reputation of charity, friendliness and hospitality. It’s about time we started showing it.
Mind your language ‘teacher’ :)
I’m glad you took the time out of your really busy schedule to find a “mistake” somewhere. But I’m sad you missed the point. You can’t learn English and not learn the colorful language…especially in Ireland.
Considering it was an English college and the grammar employed by some of the students, I would suggest the college was shut down for poor teaching
The are closing collages down of non EU students who pay to say they show up but really work 40 hours a week and Eden collage has a lot of them students
A lot of them collages take money off people to say show up when really work 40 hours a week.
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