Sudden School Closure: Students and Parents Left in Limbo

May 23, 2024 | News On Japan

AICHI, May 23, 2024 (News On Japan) - Aichi Central Beauty School announced its closure at the end of this month during an emergency parents' meeting on May 9th.

The school, known for its 100% national certification pass rate and small class sizes, currently has 26 on-campus students and 60 correspondence students.

Two companies that had been funding the school's managing association went bankrupt, leading to the closure.

A second-year student at Aichi Central Beauty School, Student A, said, "I couldn't believe it. It was like 'What? This can't be true,' and I was just shocked."

Another second-year student, Student B, added, "I wasn't prepared for this, and being told to decide on the next place to go within less than a month feels like being abandoned. I really hate it."

The school explained that the bankruptcies of the funding companies were discovered in August and September of last year. They delayed the announcement while searching for another sponsor.

A parent expressed frustration, saying, "What do you think of our children's futures?" Another added, "If the companies went bankrupt in August, they shouldn't have accepted new students this year." A third parent said, "If they had told us in April that the school would close, we would have chosen a different beauty school from the start."

First-year students have already paid about 1 million yen in admission and tuition fees, leading to disputes over refunds.

One parent asked, "How much will be refunded?" The school replied, "Approximately 50,000 yen." The parent responded, "Why can't you refund the full amount? Because you've already spent it?"

The school stated that it would coordinate transfers to other schools from June, but this may incur additional admission and tuition fees.

Hasegawa Yoshiaki, Secretary General of the Aichi Prefectural Association of Specialized and Various Schools, commented, "Ideally, the school should take full responsibility. I can't stop thinking about the distressed students. I hope as many students as possible are helped."

Efforts are being made to quickly find alternative schools, but only a few students have secured a new school so far.

Student A also mentioned, "My mother is a beautician, and I have always wanted to become one, watching her since I was a child. I was thrilled to get into this specialized school and wanted to graduate with my classmates and take the national exam together. Now, I'm worried about how this will affect my job prospects."

Source: ANN

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