In the midst of Oxford’s prestigious universities, a small for-profit college emerged, with a name that echoed the grandeur of one of the world’s most revered academic institutions. But it was not affiliated with that Oxford. Instead, it was a little-known entity that, as it turns out, was making millions from recruiting immigrants into its diploma programs.
Oxford Business College and others like it operate under a veil of opacity that is hard to penetrate. But as the scrutiny grows, and the questions arise, the more it seems like the college’s meteoric rise is less of a fairytale, and more of a calculated game.
It all started when Oxford Business College’s founders, Lawrence Daubney and John Goyns, noticed a gap in the booming British education market. The country was experiencing a surge in foreign student enrollment, and with a visa that allowed non-European Union students to work part-time, many saw it as a path to gainful employment and permanent residency.
Daubney and Goyns capitalized on this trend and started to aggressively recruit students from countries like Nigeria, India, and China, promising them a diploma that would set them on a path towards a successful career. But behind this facade of academic rigor was a maze of deception and exploitation.
Many students were promised part-time jobs, but ended up working far more than the 20 hours per week allowed by their visa, leaving them vulnerable to abuse and exploitation. Others were left in limbo, unable to finish their diploma, and uncertain of their future.
And yet, Oxford Business College kept churning out diplomas and making millions, all while operating in a legal gray zone that is hard to hold accountable.
The rise of Oxford Business College is a cautionary tale of how greed and exploitation can lurk behind the shroud of academic aspiration. As we strive to make our education system more accessible and inclusive, we must not forget that there are those who seek to profit from it, and that the pursuit of profit should never come at the expense of the vulnerable and marginalized.
Let us hope that in shining a light on institutions like Oxford Business College, we can strive for a better education system, one that is rooted in equity, justice, and opportunity for all.
