Students relocated post GEOS collapse

Fifteen English language schools in Perth have collectively ensured that students caught up in the collapse early this year of GEOS have secured alternative positions.

More than 1,000 international students in Perth were affected when Japanese-owned GEOS was placed in administration in January, leading to the closure of its St Mark’s English Language School in Highgate and similar colleges interstate.

Using the industry’s Tuition Assurance Scheme, alternative arrangements were put in place to cover the 8,000 weeks of tuition worth $2.4 million owed to the students.

Ninety per cent of affected students have been relocated to other international English language schools across Perth.

These include UWA’s Centre for English Language Teaching, Cambridge International College, Milner International College and the Australian College of English, which is an arm of listed education company Navitas.

Phoenix Academy will provide the largest amount of tuition, offering 735 weeks between its Fremantle and Perth city campuses.

The majority of schools offering tuition are members of the industry peak bodies, the WA Private Education and Training Industry Association (WAPETIA) and the WA branch of English Australia.

WAPETIA employed its Tuition Assurance Scheme, developed in 1989 after recognising the gap in WA for insuring the education that international students had paid for.

The scheme has been used to support the reallocation of GEOS students across Perth, and ensured the relocation was done free of charge.

The scheme was last activated when a small number of students were relocated in 2001.

WAPETIA chairperson Janelle Dawson said “all students who had wished to be relocated have now been offered places, with more than 6,000 weeks of English language tuition valued at around $1.8 million pledged by WAPETIA and EA member schools”.

Ms Dawson indicated there had been fears the closure of the school would harm Perth’s reputation as an international English language-learning hub.

But Ms Dawson said she “believes the efficient way the students have been relocated speaks volumes for the reputation of the education sector in WA”.