A Richmond career college has been shut down for racking up a shopping list of violations and failing to meet basic education standards.
Walton College on Buswell Street at Cook Road had its registration pulled last week by the governing body, the Private Career Training Institution Agency (PCTIA) and has been ordered to refrain from offering career training programs or enroll students.
Among the three pages of violations discovered during an audit by the PCTIA were: basic record-keeping; records of marks; tuition fee receipts; student attendance and lack of instructor qualifications.
An inspection of the records kept for seven international students also uncovered the absence of valid study permits.
And a number of violations were noted in the official cancellation of the PCTIA's registration pertaining to discrepancies between courses advertised online by Walton and what it was permitted to deliver.
The college, founded by a Dr. Jacob Lai, claims to offer post-secondary qualifications and has been operating since 1997.
According to its website, it primarily teaches immigrant Asian students and helps them "accomplish their academic goals."
Lai, who claims on the college website to have been an "entrepreneur, a TV producer and a senior journalist in Taiwan," was not available for comment when the News called Tuesday.
However, a staff member in charge of enrollment, who would only identify himself as Peter, said Lai and management were in the process of gathering the paperwork needed to lodge an appeal against the PCTIA's decision.
Walton's doors still appeared to be open for business Tuesday, but Peter claimed the reception desk being staffed belonged to Walton's tenant, The Academy of Learning, which has no connection to the college.
"(Walton College) is not allowed to offer career training programs and is not allowed to enroll any students," said the PCTIA's spokesperson Nadia Stefyn.
Stefyn said Walton can appeal, but if the college continues to try and operate without PCTIA's registration, then it faces court action and a fine of up to $100,000.
The college must turn in all tuition records of monies collected for the coming school year to stand any chance of getting its accreditation returned. Current students should contact the PCTIA on 778-945-0605 for more information.
In the last year, the PCTIA has shut down 13 similar private education centres in B.C.
