Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour) | Oireachtas source

The relationship between students and the recently closed English language colleges such as MEC - Modern Educational Centre - is based on a private contract between the student and the provider; therefore, there is no obligation on my Department or the State to provide refunds or pay for alternative provision. For that reason, one of the key objectives of the task force I established jointly with the Minister for Justice and Equality to assist affected students was to develop solutions that could provide alternative courses at a significantly discounted rate for students impacted on by the closures who were not covered by learner protection arrangements. The MEI offer to provide course places at a fee of €60 per week continues to be available to genuinely displaced students. This fee which was calculated on a cost provision basis represents a significant discount of 70% on the standard fees for an MEI school in acknowledgement that a fee has already been paid to the closed college. Furthermore, individual MEI schools have facilitated displaced students by allowing them to make weekly payments instead of requiring the total course fee on enrolment to provide further support in managing the payment.

My two priorities, in introducing the reforms to the international education sector, have been to protect the students who come to study in Ireland and to protect our national reputation for offering high quality education. These reforms will deliver on both of these important priorities. As one of the reforms is a student protection scheme, when students pay money, that money is protected and cannot be taken away by the person to whom they have paid it.

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