In March revealed Dagens Næringsliv that Westerdals between 2002-2012 demanded 70 million more in tuition fees from their students than they had allowed. According to the newspaper paid more students than twice as much as allowed in tuition.
Now say Westerdals that they will offer a refund of over 50 million – 60 percent of what they have paid too much.
– If you had asked the lawyer he would say that we are very generous, says Tine Widerøe, principal at Westerdals.
can waive the right to propose new requirements
Tine Widerøe, principal at Westerdals Oslo ACT. – We have to ensure a proper economy for current and future students, says Widerøe.
Photo: Screen Capture / NRK
the amount offered each student varies in the range of up to 62,000 for a treading of study, informs Westerdals.
– We have found that we can push ourselves to a limit of up to 50 million. There are approximately 1,300 former students who receive this offer. They have until May 12 to accept the offer, says Widerøe.
If the students they accept, waive the right to promote new claims against the school.
– Why pay you back only 60 percent?
– There are very many legal perspectives on this issue. Now we have decided to focus on the ethical by the school. We want to show that we want to clean up and regret what happened at the previous school.
– Our lawyer will say that students do not have any obvious legal issue, but we still want to offer settlement, says Widerøe.
– Offers us 40 percent
Former student Erling Løken Andersen, representative of 800 former Westerdals students say they have started to analyze the offer.
– In reality, they offer us 40 percent of what we have demanded a refund, says Erling Løken Andresen told NRK.
According to Loken Andresen not include Westerdals offer interest payments to the Loan Fund, which the students have paid in the past ten years.
Several students Loken Andresen has been in contact with are still positive that it at all came an offer.
– at the same time we feel the wording of the provision is small constructive. The school still takes no responsibility for what has happened, he says to NRK.
Partner Harald Strømstad in DLA Piper represents 400 of the former students from Westerdals which has brought a case against the school.
– I think it is positive that there is an offer on the table from the school, but I have not been looked at it closely and with it came this afternoon. Therefore, it is too early to conclude anything right now, he said.
– Need more time
Earlier Westerdals-student Bjorn Glestad.
Photo: Petter Summer / NRK
– This is a step in the right direction. That’s my first reaction, says former Westerdals-student Bjorn Glestad NRK.
He has not had time to familiarize themselves with exactly what the offer is about.
Most of students want to resolve this as quickly as possible, but we are still in negotiations although they have received an offer.
– we need more time to go through the offer before we decide what we should do next, says Glestad.
Students who accept the offer will receive money in the account within four weeks, writes Westerdals in a statement.
Students have submitted claims to have 83 million back.
Photo: Boe, Torstein / NTB scanpix
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