Police investigate case of international school 'holding' 14 billion in tuition fees suddenly closing

Meanwhile, the British principal who is said to have "held" 14 billion in tuition fees has returned home.

According to research, Choi Xanh International School was established in 2014 and changed its name in 2019 to Choi Xanh School, invested by Choi Xanh VietnamEducation Company Limited.

The school rents land at 414/8/1 Cua Dai Street (Cam Chau Ward, Hoi An City, Quang Nam Province) to serve as a teaching facility. The school is run by Ms. Catherine Clare Mckinley (52 years old, British nationality). The school teaches the British national education program (IPC, IGCSE) and the International Baccalaureate program (IBD and IBDP).

From May to August 2023, the school will organize enrollment from kindergarten to high school for the new school year 2023 - 2024. According to the plan, students will return to school on August 22.

However, on August 8, parents were surprised to receive a notice from Ms. Catherine Clare Mckinley stating that she was no longer running Green Shoots. Students currently studying at the school would be transferred to an international school in Da Nang to continue their studies.

However, when parents contacted the international school in Da Nang, the school said that it did not receive tuition fees from Green Shoots and was therefore not responsible for accepting students. Meanwhile, Choi Xanh International School closed and returned the premises.

According to the Department of Education and Training of Quang Nam province, in the school's notice sent to parents at the end of the school year (July 2023), this company announced its plan to move the school's location to APU-American International School (APU American International School, located in Hoa Hai ward, Ngu Hanh Son district, Da Nang).

The reason why the school in Da Nang does not accept students was confirmed by Ms. Catherine Mckinley (British nationality, investor) that the two sides have not been able to sign a contract due to disagreement on terms.

Green Shoots International School suddenly closed. (Photo: SX)

On the afternoon of September 7, Director of the Department of Education and Training of Quang Nam Province, Thai Viet Tuong, said that the department had inspected the school. The department also reported to the People's Committee of Quang Nam Province to continue handling the case. The school has 95 students, both Vietnamese and foreign.

According to Mr. Tuong, the unit has worked with parents and introduced students to similar schools in time for the new school year.

A parent said the school organizes enrollment for kindergarten and high school. Tuition ranges from 350 to 400 million VND/year, parents can pay monthly or quarterly. This person has paid 100 million VND, according to preliminary statistics, parents have currently paid more than 14 billion VND in tuition.

The school's facilities are no longer available for teaching. (Photo: SX)

Some parents wanted the school to refund their tuition fees. After failing to contact them or get their money back, the parents filed a petition with the authorities.

Continuing investigation following complaints from more than 20 parents

Speaking with VietNamNet on the morning of September 8, Mr. Nguyen Cong Thanh, Deputy Director of the Department of Education and Training of Quang Nam province, said that on September 7, Choi Xanh school reported its resumption of operations to the People's Committee of Quang Nam province and the Department of Education and Training.

The report stated: “Recently, the facilities of the rented location in Hoi An have deteriorated. The school has agreed to rent from APU but has not been able to do so.

Now, with the consensus, attention and facilitation of the People's Committee of Quang Nam province, the Department of Education and Training of Quang Nam province has allowed Choi Xanh School to move its operating location to Victoria Inter-level School - Sentosa City Urban Area, Dien Ngoc Ward, Dien Ban Town from the 2023-2024 school year.

Choi Xanh School respectfully reports to the authorities that the school will resume normal operations from September 11th...".

The school representative's report also explained that the reason for the school's closure was that recently the facilities at the rented location in Hoi An had deteriorated. The school had agreed to rent at APU but it was not implemented.

On the same afternoon, Colonel Nguyen Ha Lai, Deputy Director of Quang Nam Provincial Police, confirmed that he had not yet received official notice of the school reopening and that the parents had not yet withdrawn their complaint.

“ We continue to investigate the complaints of more than 20 parents whose children study at the school. When the parents withdraw their complaints or no signs of crime are found, we will stop verifying,” Mr. Lai affirmed.

While the authorities are urgently verifying and handling the case, many parents are still "sitting on hot coals" because the new school year's tuition has been paid but they still cannot enter school.

Director of the Department of Education and Training of Quang Nam - Mr. Thai Viet Tuong, said that in order to promptly coordinate with the authorities to resolve the situation and help stabilize students' studies, the Department of Education and Training has requested the People's Committee of Quang Nam province to send a document to the British Embassy, ​​requesting Ms. Catherine McKinley to return to Vietnam to coordinate the resolution.

(Source: Vietnamnet)

Source: https://vtc.vn/cong-an-dieu-tra-vu-truong-quoc-te-om-14-ty-dong-hoc-phi-bat-ngo-dong-cua-ar818665.html