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As many as 243 Bangladeshi students who paid substantial tuition fees after securing admission to South Korea’s Shingyeongju University but failed to obtain visas have been left in uncertainty, with many of them reportedly from Sylhet division.
The students have now filed claims seeking refunds of their tuition fees at a rehabilitation court in South Korea.
The claims were filed at the Daegu Rehabilitation Court on Friday (28 August) by Bangladeshi lawyer Advocate Saiful Islam in collaboration with a local South Korean lawyer.
Speaking to the media on Saturday afternoon, Advocate Saiful Islam confirmed the development.
“An official claim has been filed at the Korean Rehabilitation Court so that the affected students can recover the money they deposited. We are pursuing the legal case on behalf of all 243 students,” he said.
Saiful Islam travelled from Bangladesh to South Korea with the support of We Care Education and the relevant ministry to help the students recover their money. He filed the claims at the Daegu Rehabilitation Court on 28 August with the assistance of a local Korean lawyer.
According to sources familiar with the matter, preparations were initially made to seek tuition refunds on behalf of 225 students who had enrolled at Shingyeongju University.
The necessary documents, including students’ papers and powers of attorney, were prepared for filing claims at a bankruptcy court.
However, on 25 August, the university authorities applied to the Daegu Rehabilitation Court to enter rehabilitation proceedings instead of bankruptcy proceedings.
The university authorities argued that they had sufficient assets and that the institution could be restructured through the sale or proper management of those assets.
After the court accepted the application, the legal strategy was changed. On the advice of the Korean lawyer, it was decided that the claims should be filed directly with the Rehabilitation Court instead of the bankruptcy court.
To assess the situation, Saiful Islam and Zahid Hasan, manager of education consultancy firm We Care, visited the Bangladesh Embassy in Seoul on 27 August.
They discussed the overall legal situation with relevant embassy officials, who also advised them to submit the students’ claims to the Rehabilitation Court.
The previously prepared documents were subsequently amended and claims were filed on 28 August on behalf of the original 225 students, along with 18 additional students, bringing the total to 243.
The claims were filed online, while five sets of hard copies were also submitted in accordance with the court’s requirements.
According to the lawyers, the matter will now proceed under the rehabilitation process prescribed by South Korean law.
The court will review the submitted documents and set a date for a subsequent hearing.
The university reportedly has multiple financial liabilities and outstanding loans. Claims from teachers, officials, employees and other creditors will also be considered by the court.
As a result, the process of recovering the students’ tuition fees may take some time, those involved in the matter said.
Saiful Islam said filing the claims within the prescribed timeframe had been the biggest challenge.
“We have submitted claims on behalf of 243 students. There is no way to bypass the court process. However, we remain hopeful and will take all legal steps necessary to recover the students’ legitimate dues,” he said.
He added that students and their guardians would be informed of every development in the court proceedings.
As the legal process is expected to take time, those involved have urged the students and their families to remain patient and not pay heed to rumours.