DUBAI: Australia's International Islamic College is suing Saudi Arabia for $2 million in unpaid school fees, the AustralianGold Coast college said. The unpaid fees had forced the school to take out bank loans in order to keep it functioning as the unpaid fees left the college with major economic shortfalls, school officials were reported saying. According to goldcoast.com.au, the Islamic College filed papers last week demanding the Saudi government pay the money promised in scholarships to study at Australian universities. To obtain a study visa to Australia, families and scholarship providers are required to guarantee there are funds available to pay school fees of dependent children. Keysar Trad, chief executive of the Brisbane-based school, which opened a campus at Carrara in 2010, said the school had tried for three years to secure the money it was owed. “We hope to be successful in the courts because we are able to prove this debt,” Trad was quoted as saying. “It's really a move borne out of necessity; we don't have the money to forget about it. It would be unconscionable for the Government not to pay.” The school has now been forced to make Saudi families pay fees up-front. Former student and educator in Dubai, Amir Hassan Abdelaziz, told Bikyamasr.com that he hoped the Saudi government would pay the back fees “because the experience I had in Australia was amazing and pushed me into the jobs I have had since.” He continued to say that “if the school closes its doors to Saudi students, they will be shut off from the outside world even more and the conservatives in the country will win. This is an important decision they must take.” For now, however, despite the lawsuit, the Saudi government has not responded to the claims and a quick recuperation of funds may not be so easy. BM ShortURL: http://goo.gl/uNDkn Tags: Australia, Islamic College, Lawsuit Section: Culture, Latest News, Oceana, Saudi Arabia
