2026-07-02

Student Campus college in Limerick suddenly closed last week, leaving hundreds of international students and staff in limbo. I was contacted by people in Limerick to raise this issue. Approximately 250 students were already studying in the school, with reports that over 300 additional students had paid fees before travelling to Ireland. Students were left with uncertainty regarding their education, tuition fees and immigration status. Student Campus college on the interim list of eligible programmes, ILEP, approved providers list. This list is provided by the Minister for justice for approved programmes. The school stated it had learner protection through an academy-plus arrangement with the trade organisation Progressive College Network. This is a type of insurance that if the school fails to offer courses, alternative arrangements will be made. There have been reports indicating that a plan is under way for the school to reopen under new ownership or management, with the aim of allowing students to finish the courses they have paid for. I do not know if the Minister of State has clarity on this. The school lost its PON status in June and no learner protection has been issued since May. It is unclear, going forward, how that will operate under new ownership. It is simply being stated that there is an emergency fund that existed from previous owners and a reliance on insurers doing the right thing. Teaching staff have reportedly been offered their positions back if they teach under the temporary arrangements. Already, there are unpaid wages owed to teachers since the closure and there is a distrust from teachers about this school, with teachers saying they do not trust the organisation. There is still no clarity on the reopening date either, and whether all students will be accommodated or what options will exist for students seeking refunds and transfers. There are broader issues here. Oversight of English language schools has been an issue for a long time, particularly regarding the adequacy of the learner protection arrangements and the safeguards for international students. These types of schools are invariably privately owned, with a lack of regulation in the sector. In May, 250 students in Monaghan were still asking for refunds from one of those schools after their reapplications for visas were rejected. What immediate steps is the Government taking to protect the students affected by the closure in Limerick? How exactly will the Government improve the English language school sector to ensure that international students are protected? The issue is not about this being a back door, which the Minister made a statement about recently. The implication was that some use the language schools to get visas. It is about ensuring that international students can be protected. God knows, many of their families will have scrimped and saved for them to come here to learn English and improve their lives. What about the staff working in these schools? I know Unite The Union was making attempts to unionise staff following on from a previous closure. I would certainly encourage all workers to get involved in a union so that they have protection. What is the Government doing to stop this uncertainty for students and staff happening in the future?

I thank the Deputy for her question. The students, prospective students and teachers are in a very difficult situation. What is really important now is that we have a clear information stream going to the students so they know what is going on. The Department is aware of the current issues regarding Student Campus college in Limerick. Officials in my Department and the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science are monitoring the ongoing and evolving situation. They will provide information in relation to the status of any affected students' immigration permissions in due course. I can advise the Deputy that in order for a non-EEA national student to register for a stamp 2 immigration permission, they must enrol in and commence a course of study from the interim list of eligible programmes. Education providers such as Student Campus college are required to have met certain standards and requirements to have their programmes included on the ILEP and be accredited by recognised Irish awarding bodies. All providers must remain in compliance with the relevant criteria to retain a listing on the ILEP. Instances of non-compliance may, and have, resulted in the removal of schools from the ILEP. When a provider is listed on the ILEP, they are required to notify my Department of matters such as, but not limited to, any changes to the ownership of the school, any change in locations or additional centres, changes to their academic management or teachers, and student capacity numbers. It should be noted that the relationship between a student or agent and any education provider is private and contractual. My Department has no function in relation to disputes between students, agents and their education providers in seeking refunds, course transfers or other rebates. Having said that, I understand that the Department of further education is very much aware of the situation and I note from the Deputy's contribution that the standard of English-language courses and our reputation as a provider of such courses is of concern. Additionally, I can inform the Deputy that the ILEP is being superseded by TrustEd Ireland, the international education mark launched in September 2024 by Quality and Qualifications Ireland and our colleagues in the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science. TrustEd Ireland is a new statutory quality mark and part of a suite of legislative measures designed to further protect international learners. Once the ILEP is discontinued, only education providers granted authorisation to use the TrustEd Ireland mark will be eligible to recruit students from outside the EEA to English-language programmes, foundation programmes and higher education programmes leading to awards within the national framework of qualifications. The new mark will be awarded to higher education and English-language education providers that have demonstrated that they meet national standards. This will ensure a quality experience for international learners from pre-enrolment through to the completion of their programme of education and training. Applications are currently being reviewed for the first application cycle and we expect decisions to issue in the coming months.

Maybe it is time that the State get involved in this rather than leaving it to any private individual or private company to set up a language school, take money off desperate people who want to come here and learn English, and then just go away with that money. The Minister of State has said there is no function for the Department here. I only got this answer handed to me as the Minister of State started reading it. It really would be helpful if we could get these replies in advance. People were happy to take fees from international students and the moneys international students bring here, which is a significant amount. They pay rent and so on. However, there does not seem to be any checks of whether these schools have reserves of funds - for example, to pay staff wages - or whether there is something like a sinking fund. Are there no checks and balances that can be done? This is not the first time. Student Campus college is not a new offender. There was a report that an Algerian man is owed €2,137, has been waiting 14 months and still has not gotten it back. What does the Minister of State's Department do when complaints like that are made? The school is allowed to continue to operate and advertise itself as a provider. As the Minister just said, Ireland has this great reputation for English-language tuition. There seems to be light-touch regulation again and again by this Government. The way the system is structured is leading to this as well because we know people have to register at a school and then apply for the visa. There is an incentive there. I am not saying this is the case with Student Campus college, by the way, to quickly clarify that. However, people who are not honest brokers could set up a business, get money from people and then exploit them.

I note the Deputy's points. We cannot allow profiteering on foot of students whose families have made huge sacrifices to send them to Ireland to learn English. The new TrustEd Ireland quality mark will hopefully provide a better regulated environment for providers so that when people are coming to Ireland they will be able to come here with the assurance that their college will be well accredited and from that will flow the stamp 2 visas in the correct format. Obviously, my Department has responsibility for immigration matters solely. Any sort of contractual disputes in relation to providers would have to be dealt with in a different forum. I fully appreciate that any students affected are seeking certainty at what is undoubtedly, especially for students already in Ireland, a very difficult time. I assure the Deputy that my Department is continuing to monitor the situation closely. As I have outlined, all education providers with programmes listed on the ILEP are required to have learner protection insurance arrangements in place as part of their criteria for inclusion on the list. These arrangements are intended to provide protections for learners where a provider is unable to deliver a programme as planned. More broadly, the transition from ILEP to TrustEd Ireland represents a significant strengthening of the quality framework for international education in Ireland. As this new framework is implemented over the coming months, it will further strengthen confidence in Ireland's international education sector while ensuring that students can continue to choose Ireland knowing that appropriate quality assurance and learner protection measures are in place. I thank the Deputy again for raising this matter today.