'Pay us back': Staff and students protest following Limerick language school closure 

Students who paid tuition fees for courses at the Student Campus school on Patrick Street have not had classes in weeks, while some staff members have also not been paid since April

Students and staff protest following the sudden closure of Student Campus in Limerick City. Pictures: Manon Gilbart.

Teachers and students protested in Limerick City on Friday morning after their language school suddenly closed without explanation.

The Government has been asked to urgently intervene after the Student Campus school on Patrick Street closed down without notice.

While students have not had classes in weeks, some staff members have also not been paid since April. On Thursday, the school sent an email to announce its official closure.

On June 10, management told staff and students the school was closed for maintenance due to water issues, and classes would resume six days later. They were then informed classes would start again on June 19 because they were experiencing internet and electricity issues. Since then, the school has been closed.

The students are concerned about their immigration status, as they need to be transferred to another language school to be eligible to remain in the country.

One of the teachers, Caroline Totton, resigned on June 8 as she was no longer being paid by the school.

“ I'm personally owed about €1,500. I was a part-time worker, so I know that that's not too much, but that's my wages and I have now direct debits coming out for the second time in June that I have no money coming in for, so it's a big deal,” she said.

While about 250 students were attending classes, another 300 were enrolled — but have not moved to Ireland yet. The school employs about 35 staff members, from teachers to marketing professionals.

“There are big issues with visa as well, because the visa is dependent on them attending school. Management are saying nothing, they have absolutely no respect for students or for the staff. It’s scandalous, it really is bad,” Ms Totton added.

Originally from Malaysia, Lau Yi Dong moved to Limerick and started attending classes at Student Campus. He paid a total of €1,600, and is now anxiously waiting for answers.

"I emailed but I didn't get any reply. I got classes but then it suddenly closed down. My last class was three weeks ago. I'm just waiting for answers because I don't know what to do now," he said.

One of the students impacted by the sudden closure, Rafael Arruda, from Brazil, has been trying to get in touch with management — to no avail.

"I renewed my course two weeks before the school started. They didn't give me my documentation, my health insurance, and so I didn't have any class. I paid €900 to renew the course," he said.

In Ireland, learner protection is included in tuition fees in the event of a school closure — and is a legal requirement for all non-EEA visa students. As they are included in the tuition fees paid to the school, the institution has a legal obligation to pay the fee on behalf of students.

Brazilian student Maria Luiza Marcião said she paid €900 to renew the course. She has been told Student Campus has not paid the learner protection fee required.

“I'm just waiting because in this situation, if the owner didn't pay, I don't know what happened. And that's why we are here because we need this. We need to change the school, we need to renew our visa," Ms Marcião said.

Teacher Simon Deevy said some teachers are owed €5,000. 

As part of his MA course at the University of Limerick, Simon Deevy had been interning as a teacher at Student Campus for two months.

"We're just here to be heard today, that's all we can do at the moment. We are unable to get anything from the upper management so we're just here making our voices heard," he said.

Mr Deevy said while he is "only owed" €500 as he has not been at the school long, other teachers are owed €5,000 in wages.

Several students told the Irish Examiner they have been blocked on social media by those in charge of the school, and have not been able to contact them on WhatsApp.

A document from the Companies Registration Office indicates a new director was appointed on May 22. Eshanee Enaz Eva, from Bangladesh, took over from previous director Abul Kalam Azad.

According to students and staff, Ms Enaz Eva is married to another previous director, Yasin Bhuiyan.

The Irish Examiner attempted to contact upper management via emails, messages and calls. Mr Bhuiyan is the only one who picked up, and said he was no longer involved.

Someone gave my number wrongly because I was involved in the company since 2018 to 2025 in June. I left that time, and after that, I don't have involvement in this school," he said.

Mr Bhuiyan said Ms Enaz Eva signed the documents in "good faith". When asked this Friday if he was married to Ms Enaz Eva, he would not answer and referred to the statement sent by the school on Thursday.

A statement from Student Campus indicated Ms Enaz Eva formally took control of Student Campus Limited on June 2, 2026. Signed by Ms Enaz Eva, the statement said the previous director and chief executive Abul Kalam Azad remained in position until the takeover.

"The new management assumed control in good faith with the intention of stabilising and developing the institution for the benefit of students, staff and stakeholders.

"Following the takeover, however, substantial financial liabilities and operational issues were identified that had not been fully disclosed during the acquisition process."

The statement added student learner protection had "historically" been provided through Academy Plus under its agreement with PCN, but the school lost its PCN membership — leading to Academy Plus ceasing to issue the learner protection insurance.

According to the school: "Academy Plus owed insurance-related payments by the previous management at the time of the transition."

Since January 2026, the school has paid about €41,000 to Academy Plus, including settlement of inherited arrears and advance payments for learner protection insurance, read the statement.

It added no learner protection insurance has been reinstated or issued since May 28, 2026.

As a result of the above, the statement said education agents suspended the promotion and sale of the courses.

They said it was "their view" the "actions taken by PCN and Academy Plus" led to the closure of the school — combined with "the lack of practical pathway to resolution".

According to the director's statement, the company is currently seeking legal advice regarding what led to the closure, as well as the "protection of affected students, staff salaries, refunds and other creditor obligations".