In a bid to hold on to the distance education financial aid from the US Department of Education, the California officials have declared the establishment of a comprehensive complaint procedure for thousands of distance-learning students.
The confederate rule of law, imposed on Jul 22, necessitated the state to instigate a rigorous procedure for filing complaints from students residing in California and pursuing distance education online courses of certificate training programs from nonprofit institutes. The absence of such a foolproof process will result in students no longer having access to financial grants and loans.
Trump administration unsuccessful defying the ruling
Although the rule was imposed in 2016, during the Obama administration, the California Department of Consumer Affairs did not pay much heed, until Apr 2019, when a judge ruled against the attempted hold-ups in the matter.
With failed attempts from the Trump administration to rescind the law, the department of education ultimately decided to put the plan into action.
As a result, the Consumer Services and Housing Agency has now announced the launch of extensive information campaign, starting Monday, that guides students on registering complaints when needed.
Complaint procedure put in place
According to Russ Heimerich, the deputy secretary of communications, the students attaining education from outside the state can record their complaints on the official website of consumer affairs, https://www.dca.ca.gov or get in touch through toll-free number 833-942-1120.
Such a system will not only address student’s educational or financial problems but also tackle unscrupulous school practices.
Currently, there are, in total, 300,000 students in California enrolled in online educational programs. One-third of them, seek education from out-of-state publicly or privately held colleges.
Thus, a robust grievance procedure will impact a significant number of students who aspire to gain education using the much needed financial assistance from the state.
