2 days ago
Mother-of-two from Nottingham 'shocked' after college closed due to student loan fraud allegations
Sandra Naktiniene said the decision to remove financial support for students at Oxford Business College was not fair on those honestly working towards a degree, Peter Bearne reports
A mother-of-two has spoken of her "huge shock" after her college was forced to close, as the government raised concerns about student loan fraud.
Sandra Naktiniene, from Daybrook in Nottingham, is one such student from Oxford Business College who will have to find a new place to study, with just one term to go for her Business Management degree.
It is after Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson raised concerns about the "management of recruitment and attendance" of students at the college, which has a campus in Nottingham.
Amid allegations that vast sums in student loans are going to people with no plans to study, she announced in April the Department for Education would no longer provide financial support for new students at the college.
Ms Naktiniene said one day, out of the blue, she received an email telling her the college was closing down: "I was absolutely devastated. A very big, huge shock. We were studying. Days were as normal.
"We were coming in. We were submitting assignments, and then from nowhere this bombshell dropped."
"I was absolutely devastated"
She said the blanket decision to remove support for students was not fair on those honestly working towards a degree.
She added: "I felt attacked. Why are you targeting me? Why are you putting all of the students in the same batch?
"And just saying all of you are frauds. None of you can speak English.
"We are here. We want to provide back to the community. We want to get this degree, and we want to build up our career."
Students like Sandra are being helped to find a place where they can complete their studies. She still hopes to pass her degree and pursue a career in Human Resources.
The Education Secretary said in April: "the investigation has not been able to provide me with assurance that students' prior attainment, including their competence in the English Language, has been adequately assessed, or that their attendance on their courses has been adequately monitored."
She said she wanted to "stamp out any abuse of the student support system".
Oxford Business College opened its Nottingham campus on Carlton Road in St. Ann's in 2021. It offers degree courses on behalf of some English universities.
ITV News Central understands that two-thirds of the staff have left the college.
Oxford Business College said that it takes any concerns about student finance fraud with the utmost seriousness. And upholds the highest standards of integrity, compliance and academic excellence.
