THE Advanced Technology College in Dublin, which told its staff on Wednesday that it would be going into examinership, announced yesterday that it was being wound up. Some 30 students occupied the college's premises in Merrion Square overnight.
A brief company statement said: "Following a meeting of the directors of Advanced Technology College Ltd and its advisers, it was resolved that the necessary steps be taken to wind up the company.
It continued: "The college has traded profitably for the last number of years. However, cash flow difficulties were incurred in the current academic year due to a large number of students being unable to pay fees because of a change in bank student-lending policy.
The college's owner and principal, Mr John Thewlis, was not available for comment yesterday.
A solicitor acting for some students' parents said last night that Mr Thewlis had told them he, would be holding a creditors meeting on March 18th to put the company into voluntary liquidation. He added that Mr Thewlis had told them he proposed to go to the High Court today to seek an order for vacant possession of the Merrion Square building. A solicitor and barrister acting for the students occupying the building was on standby.
Students who talked to The Irish Times yesterday were mystified by the statement about a change in bank student-lending policy. A college document advising students how to pay their fees in monthly instalments tells them to send their applications to a company called Hogg and Associates.
One student said he had received a letter from Hogg and Associates in December, turning down his application for assistance to pay the fees in instalments through them because of high student demand. Hogg and Associates are not listed in any Irish telephone, directory.
A number of suppliers told The Irish Times yesterday they had not received payment for services to the college. Mr Joe King, of Broadcast Technical Services Ltd, said he was owed £20,000 for a radio broadcast studio. A spokesman for Aquaflow said it had installed a pump for the building's water supply last week but the college's cheque had been stopped.
The Department of Education said in a statement that the Advanced Technology College, as a private commercial college, did not come "under the aegis of the
Department". None of its courses were validated by the National Council for Educational Awards.
The Union of Students in Ireland president, Mr Colman Byrne, said this "catastrophe" for the college's 500 students resulted from "the lack of a financial bond for students and inadequate regulation of the private sector of higher education.
He said USI had called for these improvements in a submission to a Department of Education working group more than a year ago. "The Minister's failure to react to USI's proposals has now allowed a third private college to close without any action on her part."
The Progressive Democrats Education spokeswoman, Ms Helen Keogh, said the Government had given a "clear commitment" to new laws to regulate private education in 1995 but no such legislation had yet been published.