KHON KAEN : The Council of State says all courses taught by E-sarn University are invalid, leaving almost 1,600 students in turmoil.
Sumon Sakolchai, a former rector of the university, yesterday met almost 500 students studying bachelor's, master's and graduate courses in teaching at the university to tell them the bad news.
The Education Ministry last October ordered the Khon Kaen-based university to close down after it was found to be selling graduate certificates to students.
The ministry then asked the Council of State, the government's legal arm, to rule on the courses' validity.
The decision means all current and prospective students will now be forced to enrol elsewhere.
The decision affects in total 1,257 students studying master's degrees, 51 studying bachelor's degrees and 257 taking diplomas.An Education Ministry committee set up to take control of the university can do nothing about it, Mr Sumon said.
He also expressed his regrets to the students after efforts by all parties involved failed to solve the issue.
The best solution would be to transfer the students to other universities, Mr Sumon said. They would have to meet their own fees.
About 16 education institutes have been approached to accept the students, he added.
Students at the meeting were reported to be traumatised by the announcement.