Two Apax Leaders centers reopened without permission

Ho Chi Minh City Apax Leaders announced that two more centers have reopened, but the Department of Education and Training said it has not yet granted permission.

On the morning of May 13, Mr. Ho Tan Minh, Chief of Office of the Department of Education and Training of Ho Chi Minh City, said that currently only one center of Apax Leaders on Phan Xich Long Street, Phu Nhuan District, is allowed to operate. The other 40 facilities of this system have been temporarily suspended since the end of April.

Mr. Minh added that Apax Leaders recently submitted applications for permission to resume operations at two facilities in Him Lam, District 6 and Le Duc Tho, Go Vap District. However, the Department is assessing the conditions of facilities and teachers and has not yet granted permission.

Meanwhile, last night, Apax Leaders sent a notice to parents and students, stating that 33 centers nationwide have reopened. In Ho Chi Minh City, in addition to the facility on Phan Xich Long Street, there are also facilities in Him Lam and Le Duc Tho. Apax Leaders also announced that it will not handle any individual withdrawals during the system consolidation phase.

Apax Leaders parents came to the facility on Phan Xich Long Street to demand a refund of tuition fees in February. Photo: HN

Responding to VnExpress on the morning of May 13, Mr. Nguyen Anh Tuan, CEO of Apax Leaders, said that the three facilities in Ho Chi Minh City are operating in accordance with regulations and have full licenses. As for the facility in Le Duc Tho, this unit is adding a certificate of meeting fire prevention and fighting conditions.

Regarding not resolving individual withdrawal cases, Mr. Tuan said Apax will refund tuition fees to parents from June, according to the commitment minutes.

"However, many parents still come to the centers to demand tuition fees, affecting teaching activities. Some people impersonate Apax Leaders staff and text parents to come to the center to get a refund, affecting our reputation, so we have to clearly announce it," said Mr. Tuan.

Apax Leaders is a chain of English centers for children, licensed since 2016. On the website, the chain says it has 120 centers nationwide, with about 120,000 students. In Ho Chi Minh City, this unit has more than 15,000 students.

Since September 2022, Apax Leaders has been complained by many parents in Ho Chi Minh City, Dak Lak, and Da Nang because the teaching quality is not as committed, "taking the money and abandoning the customers" and demanding a refund of tuition fees. In Ho Chi Minh City, the meetings between Apax Leaders and parents are very tense.

Earlier this month, Apax Leaders offered a tuition refund plan from June 2023 to April 2024 for parents who did not send their children back to school. However, not everyone agreed. They said they had to borrow money and pay interest to pay tuition, their children had been out of school for nearly two years and they did not want to wait any longer.

Le Nguyen

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