NewsBite

Exclusive

‘Stressed’ students claim they’re being exploited by Lawson College

A Victorian training college is being probed over claims international students are being charged exorbitant fees and threatened with deportation.

IInternational students Reegan Imperial, Dave Pepito, John Deere Acosta, Bejamin Ayong and Dexter Ysikhave say they have been ‘expolited’ by staff at Lawson College. Picture: Tony Gough
IInternational students Reegan Imperial, Dave Pepito, John Deere Acosta, Bejamin Ayong and Dexter Ysikhave say they have been ‘expolited’ by staff at Lawson College. Picture: Tony Gough

International students attending a Dandenong training college say they have been “exploited” by staff after being hit with exorbitant fees and threatened with deportation.

Five Lawson College students, who come from the Philippines, told the Sunday Herald Sun that they were afraid of being deported and had continuing “emotional mental stress”.

It comes after the Herald Sun first revealed similar allegations from international students in 2020, including threats of deportation, exorbitant fees and poor facilities.

The Sunday Herald Sun can also reveal the Overseas Students Ombudsman is investigating the allegations.

And Australian Skills Quality Authority also conducted a performance assessment of the college in June last year, with findings of non-compliance.

The students have each signed statutory declarations, seen by the Sunday Herald Sun, detailing the claims.

The Dandenong college is being investigated by the Overseas Students Ombudsman. Picture: Tony Gough
The Dandenong college is being investigated by the Overseas Students Ombudsman. Picture: Tony Gough

Dave Pepito, 21, who came from the Philippines to Melbourne in January this year, said his experience with the college had been “unlawful” and had left him psychologically distressed.

Mr Pepito says the college demanded double payment for a course after he deferred due to Covid.

“I was given a letter of offer by the college to study Certificate 4 in Ageing Support back in June 2020 and I paid $5743 as the initial payment, but I deferred at the time due to Covid,” he said.

“On December 14, before I flew to Australia on a temporary visa, the college sent me a new letter of offer which asked me to pay another new initial payment of $5032.

“I don’t know why they would send me a new letter of offer, it’s unlawful because I had deferred.

“When I arrived in Australia, I was made to sign a new payment plan which I signed under duress and I was threatened by a college staff member that I would be ‘breaching my student visa’ if I didn’t sign the payment plan.”

Signed affidavits by other former students detail a litany of allegations.

A spokesman for the Commonwealth Ombudsman confirmed it had received complaints about Lawson College.

“We confirm the Office has received complaints about Lawson College in Dandenong, Victoria, over several years,” the spokesman said.

“However, as we investigate in private, we are not able to provide details of the number or outcome of those complaints,” the spokesperson said.

Lawson College compliance co-ordinator Jenny Tuer said: “Lawson strongly denies the allegations.

“We are unaware which students have made them and we have not been notified of any such complaints by the students or any complaints body.”

Original URL: https://www.heraldsun.com.au/education-victoria/tertiary/stressed-students-claim-theyre-being-exploited-by-lawson-college/news-story/9c1f95c1fcbd84c8528248c8af03c783