A Nepalese-owned and operated college in Melbourne has become another vocational college in the country to face closure. The news has come as another shock to the Nepalese community and students in Australia after one of the biggest vocational education provider, Careers Australia, sought voluntary administration. A large number of Nepalese students are studying in both of these Australian institutions. Royal Gurkhas Institute of Technology (RGIT) got its registration cancelled by the regulator, the Australian Skills Quality Authority (ASQA) on May 26, 2017, The Australian reported.
Registration cancellation happens after a series of the audit regarding college revenue increments by more than 100,000 percent in one year through government-funded VET FEE-HELP loans scheme, the newspaper report adds. In 2013, RGIT was found to have received $5,558,412 from the scheme while in 2012 college it was entitled only $5342 under the VET FEE-HELP scheme.The fastest growing user of the program failed in a 2015 audit by ASQA. However, RGIT was allowed to continue its operations under strict conditions imposed by the regulator to demonstrate compliance. The Australian reports, ‘However a follow-up audit last year found a raft of problems including insufficient resources, facilities and assessment practices and enrollment processes that did not take account of students’ abilities’.The RGIT college has four campuses in Australia, located Melbourne, Hobart and Sydney. It offers courses up to advanced diploma level in business, management, health, hospitality, English language and information technology as per its website states.
RGIT Chief Executive Officer, Chandra Bahadur Yonzon, holds another position as the Consul General of Nepal. He sold levels 1-8 covering 1825 sq m of strata office space at 28 Elizabeth Street for $12.75 million situated near Flinders Street Station on March 13, 2017.
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