Khaberni - Dozens of professors working at the Antonine College for learning English in Amman faced a financial crisis, which consisted of not being paid for many months after the sudden closure of the college and all its branches, with news of the owner fleeing the country.
Professors working at the college told "Jordanian Labor Observatory" that about 140 professors have not received their salaries for several months, and some have not received their salary for a full year, which has put them under severe financial pressure, especially since most of them have financial and family obligations.
They explained that the crisis did not only affect the professors, but also involved about 1000 students who paid tuition fees ranging from 1000 to 3000 dinars per student, and were unable to complete their education due to the sudden closure of the college, which led the students and their families and the professors to file legal lawsuits against the college, to claim their financial rights.
They clarified that the college administration was pressuring the professors to continue working without pay, under the pretext of the financial crisis it was going through, as they were forced to sign a promissory note for 10,000 dinars before employment, under the guise of protecting the intellectual property rights of the teaching method to students.
They pointed out that some professors were forced to resign, while others had to apologize to the students after the situation became clear, wondering how the owner of the college could flee in light of the legal lawsuits filed against him.
Information obtained by the "Labor Observatory" from some employees indicates that the owner of the college, who holds American citizenship, fled out of the country after the lawsuits against him were filed, creating a significant administrative vacuum and damaging hundreds of professors and students, leading to the loss of their financial rights.
One of the professors said during his talk to the "Labor Observatory": "The situation has become unbearable; we hoped that the college administration would take immediate steps to resolve the crisis, but the owner's escape out of the country after the lawsuits against him left the college with no clear management, and we do not know how long this situation will continue."
The affected professors and students confirm that legal cases have been filed in Jordanian courts to claim their financial and academic rights, and they intend to continue the legal proceedings in an attempt to recover their rights.
Meanwhile, the Jordanian Labor Observatory urged the relevant authorities, including the Ministries of Labor and Education, to immediately investigate the case, ensure the payment of the professors' salaries, and retrieve the students' tuition fees.
The Observatory emphasized the need to activate monitoring mechanisms on private educational institutions and take the necessary legal measures to prevent such violations from recurring.
In turn, the college issued a clarifying statement about the case, stating that the company is currently going through a phase characterized by operational and financial challenges, like many institutions, which has reflected on some aspects of the work.
The company affirmed in the statement that it has not and will not deliberately breach any of its commitments, and that it continues to exert ongoing efforts to address all raised concerns, and to resolve them in accordance with related legal and regulatory frameworks.
It also confirmed its continuation in performing its educational mission, striving to address the existing challenges to balance the rights of all parties, as stipulated by law.
