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Several hundred international students have been left in the lurch after the sudden closure of the Collège supérieur de Montréal and its sister campus the Collège supérieur de Sherbrooke late last week.
At a march in Montreal Monday morning, students gathered in front of the shuttered school, clamouring for solutions that would allow them to continue their studies.
Manel Mahious, one of the organizers, said the closures came during final exams with many students set to graduate or start their internships.
“We have no answers,” she said, adding the school hasn’t communicated with them other than to say it was closing after the education ministry refused to renew its permit.
Mahious says the uncertainty has created a lot of stress for students, who find themselves, from one day to the next, unable to study.
“Students shouldn’t be sacrificed,” said Babacar Mar, another protester. He was hoping the government would reconsider and re-open the school.
WATCH | Students feel stuck in limbo after school shuts down:
Collège Supérieur de Montréal students protest against sudden school shutdown
Students were a week away from graduating from the Collège Supérieur de Montréal, when the school lost its permit and shut down. The shutdown leaves hundreds of international students scrambling.
Quebec Education Ministry spokesperson Bryan St-Louis confirmed that decision on Monday. St-Louis said the move was made because the college had failed to meet certain requirements.
“Our priority remains ensuring the protection and well-being of students, the quality of educational services, and the continuity of their academic path,” St-Louis said.
St-Louis shared a letter with CBC News addressed to students outlining the province’s transition plan.
The document states the government will waive tuition fees for students transferring to designated public school boards to finish their diplomas.
In the communication sent to students by the college last week, administrators said they strongly disagreed with the education ministry’s decision.
“We believe that neither the reality of our institution nor the numerous efforts we have made to meet the ministry’s requirement are reflected in this decision,” the letter states.
Opposition party urges province to do more
The private college, subsidized by the Quebec government, caters to international students and offers technical and vocational programs.
Several private colleges in Quebec have closed in recent years, after coming under scrutiny for their governance and teaching conditions. In a statement, Québec Solidaire urged the Quebec government to do more to help the affected students.
“These students followed the rules, paid their tuition fees, and built their futures in Quebec,” the statement says. “Many were just days or weeks away from completing their studies. They cannot be abandoned overnight due to their institution’s failings.”