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NEWS .

Dublin college closes owing €1 million

By Matt Salusbury As well as unpaid wages,
Grafton College, Dublin, which creditors were informed that
closed suddenly on 5 December Grafton College of Management
2018 owing 23 teachers one Science Ltd., which operated
month’s pay, made losses of the Dublin school, also owes
€507,000 in 2017 and had debts an estimated €60,000 to agents IRISH CONGRESS OF TRADE UNIONS
totalling almost €1 million, a in Brazil, and at least €30,000
creditors meeting has been told. payable to other agents and
Although most of the marketing companies.
approximately 470 students at A further €45,000 is owed to a
Grafton had been found places in Mongolian agent. According to
MEI member schools by early January broadcaster RTE, ten Mongolian
2019, a creditors’ meeting later in the students paid fees of €5,300 to
month was told the company still the college in 2018 for courses
owed €194,157 in wages and staff scheduled to start this January.
redundancy payments. The students have since had visas
Bowing to increasing public refused or have visa applications
pressure for teacher protection still pending, the broadcaster “The situation is totally unacceptable,” Patricia King, General
following the schools’ collapse, claimed. Secretary, Irish Congress of Trade Unions, on Grafton College
the Irish government has Grafton Director Saeed
now appointed a mediator to Rehman a British national in 2003 and is owned by a for Grafton College London
explore a collective employment resident in County Dublin, Uzma Saeed, who is resident in were revealed to be involved in
agreement citing the “completely confirmed to RTE that the London. Saeed Rehman is listed suspected student loan fraud.
unacceptable” employment money had been spent, saying, as Director. The BBC approached the owners,
practices at Grafton as a reason “we were short of funds so we Grafton College of who denied any knowledge of the
for the policy change (see page 10 used it”. This is in breach of Management Sciences Ltd. was scam. The company was sold to
for news analysis) regulations requiring schools to incorporated in the UK in 2004, new owners in 2018 and changed
keep fees in holding and the company is now listed as its name to Bridgestone College
dormant. A Mr Saeed Ur Rehman
Ltd. at that time.
UNITE THE UNION fees after visa refusals. was Company Secretary until a notice of a meeting for creditors
accounts and return
The London Gazette published
2012, according to documents
David O’Grady, CEO
of Bridgestone College in August
of schools association
at Companies House, and was a
MEI, told RTE that,
receivers
“people who would shareholder until January 2018. 2018. Such notices are normally
Companies House documents
issued
by
official
do something like this also show the same Saeed Ur following bankruptcy.
should have nothing to Rehamn as also a shareholder An application to have
do with education”. of Grafton College Ltd. London Bridgestone wound up and struck
According to until January 2018, when he off the Companies House registry
documents filed at ceased to have significant control. was suspended on December
Company Registration Grafton College Ltd. also owned 5, 2018, following an objection
in Ireland, Grafton and operated a London college of received by the Registrar. At the
College of Management that name. time of going to press, action to
Unite the Union has been leading Sciences Ltd. was In November 2017, a BBC strike off the company was still
protests at Grafton incorporated in Ireland documentary revealed that agents suspended.
newsinbrief
BRITISH TEACHER DATA RELEASED SOUTH KOREA CENTRAL EUROPEAN LANGUAGE ACTIVISTS
Steve Loryman has by the Russell Group of is to allow state primary UNIVERSITY, in Bangalore, India,
appeared in court in UK universities shows schools to resume Hungary’s highest- have vowed, to “stoutly
Cambodia charged a drop of 3 per cent after-school English ranked institution of oppose” plans by the
with paying for sex with in enrolments from classes for children higher education, is State of Karnataka to
minors. As we go to “other EU” countries in fi rst and second relocating most of its introduce English as a
press, he is in pre-trial for academic year grades, a practice courses and students to medium of instruction
detention. Loryman, 2018-19. Postgraduate banned in 2018. The Vienna. CEU, which offers in 1,000 government
57, a former deputy enrolments from EU move follows demand many English-medium schools. In the 1980s,
headmaster, has been countries are down from parents anxious to courses accredited by US the same group used
working as an English by 9 per cent. The avoid expensive private universities, was forced out direct action to see off
teacher in private downturn is attributed tutoring. Schools are of Budapest in December an attempt to replace
school in Phnom Penh to uncertainty over the still barred from adding by new accreditation Kannada, the state’s fi rst
since 2017. cost of study in the UK English to the curriculum regulations imposed by language, with Hindi in
after Brexit. before Grade 3. Hungary’s prime minister education.
Viktor Orbán.

6 January/February 2019