The Ho Chi Minh City administration has tasked the municipal Department of Education and Training and other relevant agencies with definitively dealing with the Apax Leaders English language center chain's delays in pre-paid tuition fee refunds and reporting the results before Tet, specifically February 10.

The Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee’s Office has issued a statement on vice-chairman Duong Anh Duc’s conclusions regarding the operations of non-public educational institutions, including Apax Leaders.

In particular, Duc asked the Department of Education and Training and other relevant agencies to work with the chain’s leaders and demanded that they fulfill their commitments to students and other individuals involved.

The department was also assigned to coordinate with the Department of Planning and Investment, the Tax Department, the Social Insurance Agency, and other relevant bodies to assess Apax Leaders’ continued operations.

The department will also have to collect information and propose solutions regarding the cooperation of departments, agencies, and districts to handle the case before Tet.

Vice-chairman Duc asked the education agency to call on local residents to remain alert when using services provided by non-public educational institutions.

It will have to review regulations in the management of non-public educational institutions and report those deemed unreasonable to the municipal government.

City authorities have requested the police department to instruct officers in various districts to strengthen security and maintain social order in areas associated with a high risk of social disorder related to Apax Leaders.

Many parents had accused Apax Leaders of having collected tuition fees for long-term courses but failing to arrange classes, while its former employees denounced the chain for failing to pay their salaries.

The chain later repeatedly made commitments to refund pre-paid tuition fees in installments.

However, many parents affirmed that they had yet to receive their refunds. As such, hundreds of parents gathered at Apax Leaders centers in Ho Chi Minh City to demand payment.

They said that they had completely lost trust in promises made by Apax Leaders and requested that designated agencies investigate the case.

Most recently, the chain announced a temporary suspension of in-person teaching activities at its centers in Ho Chi Minh City and its failure to reimburse the tuition fees, citing financial challenges and its inability to deal with disgruntled parents.

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