Brussels IT School Collapse Strands African Students

Dozens of African students who paid thousands of euros to study at a private IT school in Brussels are now facing an uncertain future after the institution declared bankruptcy on July 30, amid accusations that it deliberately recruited vulnerable international students under false pretenses. An investigation by RTBF has revealed that Ecole IT, located in the European Quarter at Rue du Trône 60 in Ixelles, was operating at a loss since its creation in 2020 and had been flagged by Belgian immigration authorities for suspected irregularities.

A Business Model Built on African Recruitment

Ecole IT was founded in 2020 by two Belgian entrepreneurs, Paul Moreau and Martin Zanchetta, who came from the retail and distribution sector rather than education. The school specialized in IT training programs in development, DevOps, cybersecurity, cloud, data, and AI, charging tuition of 7,500 to 7,900 euros per year—approximately 40,000 euros for a full five-year program.

At the time of the bankruptcy, all 60 students enrolled at the Brussels campus were African, hailing from Cameroon, Senegal, Benin, Congo, Algeria, Tunisia, and Morocco. Scoth, a 29-year-old student from Cameroon who completed his studies but cannot obtain his diploma, told RTBF that the school’s recruitment practices were deliberately targeted. “There were no Belgians. We were all Africans. Intentionally, they were looking for vulnerable students,” he said.

The school’s Belgian diplomas were never recognized by the Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles, and its website carried a disclaimer stating: “Establishment, training courses and diplomas not recognized by the French Community of Belgium.” Despite this, the school conducted aggressive recruitment campaigns across sub-Saharan Africa and the Maghreb, promising students recognized qualifications and career opportunities.

Visa Crackdown and Financial Collapse

In 2025, the Belgian Office des étrangers (immigration office) stopped granting visas to Ecole IT students, suspecting the school of facilitating irregular entry of foreign nationals into Belgian territory. According to France 3 Regions, this decision cut off the school’s primary revenue stream—new international students—making bankruptcy inevitable.

The school’s financial troubles were long-standing. Official accounts show it never made a profit since its inception in 2021, accumulating over 2 million euros in losses. Despite these difficulties, the school continued to open new campuses in France—at Valenciennes, Amiens, and Orléans—where approximately 200 additional students, a majority of them African, were enrolled.

Trainers reported that the school’s management continued collecting tuition payments even as finances deteriorated. Maxime Fauquemberg, an IT professor at the Amiens and Valenciennes campuses who is owed more than 10,000 euros, called the practices “crapuleuses” (crooked). “It’s really a scam! They continued to recruit students in Brussels even though the Belgian Office des étrangers had officially indicated that no more visas would be granted,” he told RTBF.

Students Left in Limbo

For students like Patrice from Cameroon, whose visa expires within days, the situation is dire. “We had a contract with my family. I had two years to succeed in my studies. They spent a lot of money. And now, I don’t have a diploma—it’s as if I came to Belgium for nothing,” he said in the RTBF investigation.

Without school certificates or transcripts, international students cannot renew their residence permits. At the Amiens campus, France 3 Regions reported that a trainer had documented approximately 30 foreign students unable to renew their student visas due to missing documentation. Some face potential deportation orders.

The school’s website continued to accept registrations and promote enrollment for the October and November 2026 intake even after the bankruptcy was declared, as documented by France 3 Regions Valenciennes. Several students reported that monthly tuition payments continued to be deducted from their accounts.

Trainers Unpaid, Legal Action Underway

A collective of approximately 20 trainers is owed around 100,000 euros in unpaid fees. Eight Belgian and French trainers have filed claims totaling 63,900 euros, according to France 3 Regions Centre-Val de Loire. Gaëtan Perruche, a cybersecurity trainer at the Olivet campus near Orléans, is owed 6,500 euros. “The company knew about difficulties, yet they let us give courses until the end of the school year in June. Without ever communicating about the school closures. We feel betrayed,” he told 75 Secondes.

Trainers also revealed that the school had replaced experienced teachers with junior non-salaried trainers and increasingly relied on AI-generated course materials and automated evaluation methods, raising further questions about the quality of education provided.

A Questionable Investment

In June 2025, the Rossel Group—a major Belgian media conglomerate owning Le Soir, La Voix du Nord, and Sud Ouest—announced a strategic investment in Ecole IT. Bernard Marchant, CEO of Rossel, framed the investment as supporting digital education, according to Media Marketing. The investment proved insufficient to save the school, which collapsed just over a year later.

The bankruptcy was officially declared on July 30 by the Tribunal de l’entreprise francophone de Bruxelles and published in the Belgian Official Gazette on August 11, according to FalingAlert.be. Court-appointed curator Alain Henderickx has stated that students have very little chance of recovering their money given the school’s extensive accumulated debts.

What’s Next

Paul Moreau, the school’s Belgian director, has denied allegations of fraud, telling France 3 Regions that “students’ curricula have been validated” and that the case is now before the courts. However, for the students and trainers left behind, the damage is done. As Scoth lamented: “Many parents in Africa placed their hopes, paid astronomical sums to send their children to study in Brussels. For what in the end? Nothing.”

A collective of teachers, students, and parents has been formed at each campus to seek alternative schools or universities willing to help students complete their examinations. For international students, efforts are underway to assist with immigration procedures. The case now rests with the Belgian courts and the appointed curator, who must determine the next steps for the defunct institution’s remaining assets and creditors.