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www.edencollege.ie

Hundreds of students left with questions after Eden College closes its doors in Dublin city centre

The English language school had lost its state accreditation in February.

HUNDREDS OF INTERNATIONAL students have been left with questions to be answered after an English language school in Dublin city centre closed its doors.

Eden College on Burgh Quay in Dublin told students today that it had ceased trading with immediate effect.

The school lost its state accreditation in February of this year after it was found to be non-compliant with standards of English language teaching.

The school is believed to have had at least 400 students, while some 40 staff members were told on Friday that they were being made redundant.

Former Minister for Education Batt O’Keeffe resigned as president of the school earlier this month.

The Eden College website has been taken down and replaced with a message saying:

“The Board of Eden College regrets that Eden College Dublin has ceased trading with immediate effect”.

The College has made a number of arrangements with other colleges for the continued provision for the majority of courses without any additional fees for tuition.
Please note, though, students are required to contact the student review group in INIS [the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service] to finalise the transition.

Students were asked to report to the school’s reception this week for further details.

Some students on Facebook and Twitter were unhappy with the sudden closure of the school. “I want to study. Simple as that,” Lua Bilhalva wrote on the school’s Facebook page.

Another said that she had gone to the school today but said there was no-one there to answer her questions. “We don’t know anything about certificate, attendance or which new schools the students are going,” wrote Camila Cirne. “Please, we need to know who is going to support us about those details”.

The Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service is deliberating over how to deal with the non-EU students at the school who are in Ireland on visas, but has said there is “no immediate threat to students’ immigration status”.

“All current permissions remain intact,” the INIS said this afternoon.

The INIS, which falls under the Department of Justice, has advised students not to pay any money or to enrol with another college without first contacting them.

Read: Damien Kiberd: Teachers do, literally, run the country > 

Read: Ireland’s primary school principals are at breaking point, says INTO > 

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52 Comments
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    Mute Monkey Boy
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    Sep 19th 2013, 6:34 PM

    If a pre school is short 1 plaster in a box of 10,thats an automatic fail in 1st aid compliance on the report,the current report will just say 1st aid fail,it does say its because its short of a plaster. Thats hardly fair,i hope the new reports actuly report the proper issues discovered in pre schools that are not up to proper standards. Will the new laws assist the low paid staff with proper working hours,pay and entitlements ??

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    Mute Poppy
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    Sep 19th 2013, 7:20 PM

    Couldn’t agree more. I personally know of a case where the preschool inspector complained there were too many varieties of plasters & dressings. All the new regulations will not prevent nasty people who don’t like children been mean to them like we saw on the Prime Time programme.

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    Mute chalk8down
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    Sep 19th 2013, 6:40 PM

    New legislation is all well & good. Maintaining appropriate carer:child ratios, training staff properly & paying them a credible wage is more paramount, imo…

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    Mute CAM
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    Sep 19th 2013, 6:45 PM

    Perhaps some regulation for childminders too, who look after children in their own home. I have come across many wonderful childminders who treat the children they look after impeccably, however they are not all the same. This is a largely unregulated area and I feel there should be some sort of inspections/reports similar to the UK.

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    Mute David Taylor
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    Sep 19th 2013, 7:40 PM

    No one cares for a
    Child better that his or her parent but unfortunately during the credit tiger we lost the run of ourselves and required 2
    Parents working to support ridiculous mortgages and the introduction of the chain crèche with high running costs etc
    The whole country needs an overhaul not just childcare and plenty of crèche’s who pay staff fairly and treat children well they are just harder to find because the pull of the larger crèche with the so called reputation is a greater pull ….inspectors need to inspect what’s really important not tick a flip board actually sit in the crèche for few days to observe properly

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    Mute Sheelagh Reid
    Favourite Sheelagh Reid
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    Sep 19th 2013, 7:55 PM

    Creche or preschool?

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