TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — A well-known English cram school chain in Taoyuan City, English Generation Language Institute, has gone bankrupt with millions in tuition payments outstanding.
This has prompted a city councilor and some of the school's students to go to a local police station to file a complaint. The cram school, which is based in Taoyuan's Zhongli District, reportedly shut its doors without notifying more than 200 students and staff in advance.
Taoyuan City Councilor Wei Yun (魏筠) on Wednesday (Jan. 11) accompanied some students to Zhongli Police Station to accuse the operators of fraud and demand a refund of more than NT$3 million in tuition fees.
In a Facebook post uploaded by Wei on Wednesday, she said the cram school, on Zhongyang East Road, recently notified students the school would be closing down immediately. The students and staff have established a self-help group to take action.
Wei wrote that on Wednesday she went with some of the students to Zhongli Police Station to file a lawsuit against the owners of the company, who are surnamed Liang (梁) and Wu (吳). They demanded the owners provide a refund and Wei's city council office has filed a petition with Taoyuan's Department of Consumer Protection and the Department of Education for assistance.
Students file complaints with police. (Facebook, Wei Yun photo)
The Department of Education said it had received a letter from the school saying that it cannot continue to operate. The department said it would follow up with the school, urge it to follow regulations, and would then approve the closure of business in accordance with regulations.
In addition, after confirming the school had joined the Education Quality Assurance Association, the education department has asked the association to provide a performance guarantee mechanism. The association will assist students from the cram school to receive equivalent services at other cram schools within six months.
The Department of Education and Department of Consumer Protection asked Liang to submit to interviews and administrative investigations, while Wu said she is willing to cooperate. In the future, the Department of Education will also dispatch personnel to accompany parents and students in filing consumer complaints and a coordination meeting will be held in the near future.
