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Wednesday 11 February 2009
New rules for private schools
The private education sector will come under closer scrutiny once the Private Education Bill, to be moved in the second half of this year, is passed by Parliament.
The private education sector will come under closer scrutiny once the Private Education Bill, to be moved in the second half of this year, is passed by Parliament.
Updating the House on the latest developments to provide powers to better regulate private institutions, Education Minister Ng Eng Hen said that if the Bill is passed, a pro-tem council formed last year to oversee preparatory work for the transition to the new regime will have a ‘multi-faceted’ role.
The independent council, chaired by Nanyang Polytechnic International chief executive Lin Cheng Ton, will facilitate self-regulation by the industry and provide more information about the quality of the programmes and degrees offered by private schools here.
‘It will also look into initiatives to help the industry grow and develop. And if needed, it can take punitive action against errant and irresponsible providers,’ said Dr Ng.
About 1,000 private institutions will be covered under the regime - and 30 per cent of them are expected to opt for the EduTrust certification, a new quality assurance scheme that a school must have if it wants to enrol foreign students.
This certificate - which will replace the CaseTrust for Education mark - will make private schools accountable for maintaining standards of student welfare and academic standards across the board.
Senior Minister of State for Education Lui Tuck Yew said that the regime would be ‘disclosure-based’ as it will compel private schools to make public information about teachers, courses and facilities, so that consumers can better decide which school suits them best.
RAdm Lui said that the most common complaint against student agents involves false or misleading information about private schools. The new Bill will impose corrective measures for anyone - not just student agents - who publishes false or misleading advertisements or promotional material relating to private schools and the courses they offer, he said.
The Ministry of Education will also put in place additional penalties such as fines for private education providers who flout the rules. Deregistration is the only penalty under the present rules.
RAdm Lui said that that ultimately, students should do their part by checking the track records of student agents they engage, as well as the authenticity of the private schools they represent.
The number of private schools in Singapore has grown from just 305 in 1997 to 1,200 in 2007. The number of foreign students enrolled has risen four-fold to 37,000 in 2007 from 9,000 in 1997.
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New rules for private schools
Business Times
11 February 2009
The private education sector will come under closer scrutiny once the Private Education Bill, to be moved in the second half of this year, is passed by Parliament.
Updating the House on the latest developments to provide powers to better regulate private institutions, Education Minister Ng Eng Hen said that if the Bill is passed, a pro-tem council formed last year to oversee preparatory work for the transition to the new regime will have a ‘multi-faceted’ role.
The independent council, chaired by Nanyang Polytechnic International chief executive Lin Cheng Ton, will facilitate self-regulation by the industry and provide more information about the quality of the programmes and degrees offered by private schools here.
‘It will also look into initiatives to help the industry grow and develop. And if needed, it can take punitive action against errant and irresponsible providers,’ said Dr Ng.
About 1,000 private institutions will be covered under the regime - and 30 per cent of them are expected to opt for the EduTrust certification, a new quality assurance scheme that a school must have if it wants to enrol foreign students.
This certificate - which will replace the CaseTrust for Education mark - will make private schools accountable for maintaining standards of student welfare and academic standards across the board.
Senior Minister of State for Education Lui Tuck Yew said that the regime would be ‘disclosure-based’ as it will compel private schools to make public information about teachers, courses and facilities, so that consumers can better decide which school suits them best.
RAdm Lui said that the most common complaint against student agents involves false or misleading information about private schools. The new Bill will impose corrective measures for anyone - not just student agents - who publishes false or misleading advertisements or promotional material relating to private schools and the courses they offer, he said.
The Ministry of Education will also put in place additional penalties such as fines for private education providers who flout the rules. Deregistration is the only penalty under the present rules.
RAdm Lui said that that ultimately, students should do their part by checking the track records of student agents they engage, as well as the authenticity of the private schools they represent.
The number of private schools in Singapore has grown from just 305 in 1997 to 1,200 in 2007. The number of foreign students enrolled has risen four-fold to 37,000 in 2007 from 9,000 in 1997.
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