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Students of defunct institute move court

DUBAI - The overseas students of Business and Technologies Education Institute (BTECH) who have been in a lurch, since the centre closed down abruptly last year, will file a case against the management.

A legal notice has been already sent to the management yesterday demanding a refund of the tuition fees and a compensation of US$10,000 each.

According to Shamsudheen Karunagappilly of Al Kaaban Advocates, the students approached him to file a case against the management.

“We sent a legal notice yesterday to the management and if they fail to respond within the 10-day deadline, they would face criminal charges,” he said.

“Initially, three students approached me for filing the lawsuit. Later, one more student decided to file a case. One of the students who arrived in 2003 is currently working in a jewellery shop in Sharjah. He could not return home after the closure of the institute because he had pledged his land, in India, to a bank as collateral for a fee loan,” he said.

According to the students they had no option left except to initiate legal action against the institute.

“We all took bank loans to pay our fees. For the past two years, we have been in a lurch and we don’t see any possibility of being able to clear our bank loans. We want BTECH to refund the fees and give us a compensation of US$10,000 each,” said a student. The students paid a huge tuition fees to the institute ranging between US$8,000 to US$19,000 for an 18-month study course.

The Institute. located in Dubai Knowledge Village, has enrolled a large number of students from the UAE and overseas, mostly from India, offering the courses of Salem University in the US and the City and Guilds Institute, London.

The students alleged that the institute failed to conduct regular classes and examinations. All the overseas students except two were brought into the country on a visit visa rather than a students visa as the institute had assured.

Speaking to Khaleej Times, Herman D’crouz, BTECH managing director, earlier claimed that the institute failed to provide the student visas because Knowledge Village had changed its policy in this regard.

“We will help the students in completing their course. If we fail to do so, we will refund the fees,” he said.

Interestingly, it is learnt, that all students enrolled locally in the Emirates have already been refunded their course fee by the BTECH management.

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