Dulwich Ordered to Repay Registration Fee
By Kang Shin-who
Staff Reporter
Dulwich College, a British primary and secondary school operator, was recently ordered by a Chinese court to return part of the registration deposit paid by a Korean family that withdrew its two children from the international school's campus in Beijing.
According to Yonhap News Agency, the Beijing People's Court ruled that the school should refund half of the deposit, or some 36,000 yuan ($5,274), to the parents, who decided to take their kids home because they couldn't afford to keep them enrolled due to the weakening Korean won.
Last year, the parents had requested the school to return the deposit, but Dulwich refused, saying that the cancellation request was made too late. In response, the parents filed a lawsuit with the Chinese court.
The court awarded the parents a partial victory, ruling that the school's regulations regarding admissions and registration violate principles of fairness, leaving no room for parents to appeal.
The ruling said Dulwich saw no direct losses from the withdrawal of the students because other students almost immediately filled the vacant spots.
However, the court stated that indirect damage had been caused by the late notice and awarded the parents only half the amount of the deposit.
The ruling is expected to cause other Korean parents in a similar situation to sue the British international school.
Currently, the international school's policy is to refund registration deposits only when parents give notice of their cancellation within 45 days after the school semester begins.
During the global financial crisis last year, many Korean companies had to withdraw from China, causing a number of Koreans working there to return home with their children.
Accordingly, they had to give up prepaid tuition and deposits of $34,000.
The lawyer for the parents said this case sets a precedent for customer protection.
Meanwhile, the British private institute, which is operating three schools in China, plans to open a campus in Seoul accommodating 500 students from kindergarten through grade five in 2010.
The school will administer an English-language and math test along with an IQ test in selecting students, with Korean students accounting for a maximum 25 percent of the student body. It is also seeking to establish middle and high schools here.