Really would be interested how those contracts exactly look like. Whithout having them seen:
The airlines are cutting their risks and losses by calling for force majeure. And I think it is undue discrimination of the students to impose the cost of airlines risk confinement on them.
Hopefully this is also what a court would rule. However until such a ruling is obataind - one of the companies might have gone tits up, making it a mute point.
The school might be liable as facilitator of the contract. At least from ethical point of view they should not profit from the situation and could do better in facilitating a CPL fATPL.