Education in Singapore

More tightening of regulations on private education

2011-12-29T19:54:00.001-08:00

Only 353 private schools are left after the last round of flushing. The number of schools left standing in another round of qualification checks and tightening will see the number shrinks to about 100. For the moment, 200 of the schools are only operating under a one year provisional license issued by the Council of Private Education and they have to satisfy more stringent criteria if their licenses are to be extended.

The stage is set for the number of private schools to go down. And this is not a bad thing really as those that survived the cut will be stronger and more credible operators, with better management and finances. Foreign students could feel safer to register in private schools here by next year and have lesser fear of being thrown out of their classes midway for all the bad reasons.

The restructuring and strict regulations will be for the better of everyone. This is what Singapore stood for. The deregulation craze to allow shady characters to do as they pleased was an uncalled for exuberance that Singapore had to pay a high price for it. Hope this crazy deregulation thing will be tighten across other industries as well. When people are left on their own to make money at all costs, the real thugs beneath the thin façade of civility will surface quickly to the demise of the industry, but not after leaving behind a carnage of victims.

Another private school closes

2011-12-14T23:16:00.001-08:00

Tyndale Institute, run by a Guo Qiao Li, is closing and Guo Qiao Li will be facing charges of breaking private education regulations. She had operated two other schools that were also in trouble. The school was conducting first degree course linked to University of Sunderland in England. In 2008, her other school, Shines College also ran foul of the regulations and she and her managers were charged in court.

About 200 students were affected and efforts are being made to transfer them to other private schools. Half of the students are foreigners and have paid fees of $10,000 to $20,000 each. The tightening of regulations and enforcement had helped in a big way to protect the tuition fees of these students and to minimize disruption in their studies. It could have been worst for the students if the system is not in place for such failures.

At its peak there were more than 1,000 private schools operating here. The stringent regulations introduced to curb unreliable operators have shrunk the number of private schools to 350 today. The state of private schools in the island has stabilized somewhat but it will take more time to weed out all the weak operators and provide students with a more reliable education environment here.

Reputable private school goes under

2011-10-02T22:15:00.001-07:00

It had good reputation, accredited with the Singapore Quality Class, which means good business practices. It was profitable. The boss also helped other foreign students in their paying their fees, gave places in the school to students when their schools folded.

Cambridge Institute, better known for English Language classes, is folding up when it ran up hundreds of thousands in debt and unable to pay its teachers. The affected students are being transferred to Bristol Business School and Coleman College, both have EduTrust certificates and are authorized to take in foreign students.

While it is good that private students’ welfare and well being are now better handled, the repeated failures of private school is something to worry about if the Singapore brand as an Educational Hub is worth protecting. It cannot go on like this. As it is, the number of foreign students coming here is already declining. It will affect the business for sure.

3 more universities in town

2011-09-14T21:36:00.001-07:00

By next April, 2012, the Singapore University of Technology and Design will commence teaching with up to 500 students. This is a joint project with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology(MIT) where the top 5% of students will spend a semester in MIT itself.

Course fee for Singaporeans is $44k for a eight semesters 3 ½ year Bachelor of Engineering course. A 10 semester Master’s course of 4 ½ years with a major in Architecture and Design will cost $55k.

Two other universities will open their doors in 2013. The Yale-NUS College for humanities will initially have an intake of 150 students. It will offer the Philosophy, Political Science and Economics programme modeled after Oxford University of UK. Course fee has yet to be announced.

The Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine will also commence with an intake of 50 and eventually going up to 150 students. The School is in collaboration with the Imperial College of London and will award a joint NTU-Imperial College degree. Course fee has yet to be announced.

Singapore undergraduates will be in a comfortable position with more choices of renowned universities setting up schools here. The advantage of homeground and lower fees will be a big draw for these students.

Top rankings for Singapore Universities

2011-09-05T21:09:00.000-07:00

NUS is ranked the 28th top university by the London based Quacquarelli report. NTU is ranked 58th best. Soon Singaporeans do not need to travel to the US or UK to received world best university education when world best education is available at their door step.

At the rate Singapore universities are moving up the ranking ladder, soon they will be in the company of Cambridge, Oxford, MTI and Harvard and other American and British Ivy League colleges.

Only 328 left

2011-07-08T06:42:00.000-07:00

After an 18 month time frame for all private schools to meet the stringent criteria laid out by the Council for Private Education and to register with the Council, only 328 met the deadline on 20 June 2011. This is a shrinkage from about 1000 private schools. Some merged with bigger schools and some simply folded up.

The 328 left are schools that are much well organised and reliable to take on the role of providing good private educations to students who are paying good money and a high expectation that the money and time will be well spent.

Going forward, the private schools are expected to stabilise and with lesser upheavals or risk of closing down though such an eventuality cannot be totally ruled out. Private school students could now study in peace knowing that the govt is there to ensure that the schools are up to it to deliver what they set out to.

Students who have problems can always approach the CPE and various other govt agencies for assistance.

CPE flexing its muscles

2011-07-01T19:08:00.000-07:00

The newly founded Council for Private Education, a statutory board, has started to flex its muscles to rein in the misconducts and malpractices in the industry. It has hauled up Cambridge Business School to court for running a pre masters course without its written consent. As reported in the ST, 'Former managers Dennis Tan Cheng Hoe, Sunny Tan Cheng San and Guo Qiaoli are accused of failing to keep proper records.'

After years of lawlessness, the CPE has been given powers to impose fines and penalties to private schools for flouting its rules or failing to maintain minimum standards for courses. At stake is the reputation of Singapore as an international education hub and the country's reputation as a safe and reliable place for all enterprises.

With this start, more trespassers of its regulations can be expected to meet the same fate and possible closure. Cambridge apparently has closed its doors. Local and international students can now feel more at ease that those allowed to continue operating are less likely to leave them in a lurch.

The CPE is something waiting to happen while the govt experimented with the idea that the players can self regulate and set a high standard for themselves. It has now been proven that a business enterprise where profit is the main motivating factor cannot be left alone on its own device. Profit crazy organisations will throw caution to the wind and strive for the bottom line at all costs, often forgetting the missions of their organisations. This is the ugly side of human greed.

The CPE is something late than never.

One more private school closed by CPE

2011-06-17T19:33:00.000-07:00

CPE, the Council for Private Education was set up by the govt to regulate private schools in Singapore after a spate of unpleasant events which led to private students being left in the lurch when some of the badly run schools run foul of the law or were closed prematurely.

ALG Education Centre located in the private schools district of North Bridge Road and Middle Road area was closed for failing to disclosed relevant information affecting the school. The school withheld information that its partnership with an external degree programme provider, New York's Daeman College, was terminated. ALG also did not submit student records and contracts to CPE as required for registration as a private school. There were also two civil proceedings against ALG that was not reported.

Private schools are required to be registered with CPE and to satisfy certain requirements for accreditation under the Enhanced Registration Framework which required them to have independent examination boards, transparency of finances and qualified teachers. Schools that want to recruit foreign students are required to obtain the EduTrust Certificate which has more stringent criteria to meet.

As of end of April 2011, 274 private schools have been registerd with ERF and 63 awarded the EduTrust Certificates. Foreign students seeking further education in private schools here should enquire for such qualifications from the private schools for their own good. The Private Education Act enacted in December 2009 required all private schools to be registered with the CPE. This should provide the first level of safeguards for foreign students studying in Singapore.

An aberration in the education of Indians

2011-06-16T23:37:00.001-07:00

Sinda is concerned that one in four Indian students scored less than a C grade in PSLE examination. They are reviewing the teaching methods to correct this anomaly.

I think they should not be unduly alarmed by the slightly underperformance at primary level. From the performance of adult Indians, the reverse is true, that Indians are great in mathematics and numbers. They are producing a lot of world class programmers and IT professionals in a field where mathematics and logical thinking are a must. Then all the top finance professionals in the island are Indians, from the Finance Minister, CEO of MAS, CEO of DBS, Citigroup and many other finance institutions are Indians. Their ability for mathematics cannot be bad.

What this proof is that the Indians may be slower in developing their mathematical prowess. But they will catch up in no time to be the best of the best. There is not much cause to worry about. They will all end up well and surpass the national average. Unless of course the gene pool has been changed or degraded. This is unlikely to be so as Tharman has noted, ‘the Indian community had made “significant progress” in the past 20 years,….’ They can only get better.

Early Childhood Education in Singapore

2011-04-07T20:03:00.000-07:00

Members of the New Zealand High Commission, Massey University and the Ministry of Education, Singapore.

Early Childhood Education in Singapore

gets a boost from New Zealand

4 April 2011, Singapore – Singapore’s Principals Academy Inc (PAI) today signed a Memorandum of Agreement with New Zealand’s Massey University to offer the Massey University Bachelor of Education (Early Childhood Focus) programme here in Singapore.

Massey University's Bachelor of Education (Early Childhood Focus) degree is one of New Zealand's longest-standing and most respected professional qualifications for teachers and educators. The programme aims to develop knowledge, skills, and practices within early childhood education settings that will prepare its graduates for roles in leadership and management in the teaching profession.

Another private school closed down

2011-03-31T00:32:00.000-07:00

The MOE is investigating the sudden closing down of a private school offering degree courses from the University of Wales. The Turning Point Business School offered degree courses including MBAs in strategic supply chain management, Islamic banking and finance and risk management. The fees could be as high as $20,000.

The University of Wales has since terminated its partnership with the school. Its owner, a Manish Brahmbhatt is uncontactable and is believed to have left Singapore.
Students who have enrolled in the school were experiencing earlier signs of trouble when classes were often postponed. They are now trying to recover the fees paid to the school. Potential students to private schools better beware that any signs of irregularities should be seen as a warning to them.

The MOE has since set up a Council for Private Education(CPE) to oversee private schools in Singapore. All private schools have to register with the CPE by this June. Only about a quarter have done which is a sign that many would not make it for reasons of compliance to the higher requirements of the CPE.

The heat is on private schools

2010-10-23T21:16:00.001-07:00

By June 2011, more than 50% of private schools would have to close down. The spate of closures and badly run private schools have damaged the clinically clean image of Singapore as a no nonsense city state where quality is its hallmark. The Singapore Trademark is as good as gold. So it was till it was tarnished by the problems caused by failed private schools and the torment and pain it caused to the students, both local and foreign, who paid good money and invested time and effort only to be at the wrong end of a scam.

The Education Ministry has finally kicked in to clean up the mess. A Council for Private Education(CPE) has been set up to evaluate private schools and those not up to mark will have to go to protect the interest of the students and Singapore's squeaky clean reputation.

Private schools meeting the stringent criteria will be accreditted with the EduTrust Award. At the top is the EduTrust Star. Those who got through would be given the EduTrust Award. The minumum standard is the EduTrust Provisional Award.

Private students should look out for this accreditation before enrolling to any private schools. This is the least they should look out for and the least that the Ministry could do.

Going forward we will have to see if the new rulings come with teeth or things as per normal with poorly managed private schools still operating and closing like the weather.

Sudden closure of Private School

2010-10-21T22:37:00.000-07:00

School of Applied Studies, a small private school, closed suddenly due to financial difficulties. 300 students, both locals and foreigners, were left stranded. The fees for a diploma course by the School ranged from $13,500 to $36,000 for a degree.

The parents were angry, the students were lost and shocked. The staff has not collected their pay for two months. Many lives and aspirations were ruined. Never mind about the education hub status of the island. The students paid the money, went to study, in the hope of getting a qualification that will see them through their lives, to a job or profession. Now it is all uncertainty. Efforts are now being made to help the students to continue their studies in other institutions.

Is private education just another business and it success or failure something to live with? I think not. There is a heavy duty and responsibility to prevent young people from being caught in such a mess as it is their future that is at stake.

Badly constituted schools, fly by night schools, can do serious harm to the innocent youth. It is not simply another business, about profit and loss. There are social obligations, moral responsibility and human decency to prevent the young from being ripped off by unscrupulous operators whose main aim is to make money.

Schools, private or public, must be carefully regulated to prevent fraud and mismanagement. Schools that are churning out degrees and diplomas that are not recognized by the govt should not be allowed to operate here. If we know it is crap, we cannot allow it to operate. It is highly irresponsible to take the position that it is a willing buyer willing seller arrangement, caveat emptor.

Live up to your moral righteousness and duty to provide good, decent and credible education to anyone who seeks an education here. Eyes wide shut are unacceptable. It is very cruel and shameful to allow young people to invest their time and money only to end up with a piece of worthless paper, and all because responsible people chose to turn a blind eye.

Regulating the quality of private education

2010-05-20T21:19:00.000-07:00

62 private institutions have been approved by Council for Private Education
By Shafiq Alkhatib | Posted: 20 May 2010 1709 hrs

SINGAPORE: Students of 62 private education institutions have been given the assurance that they're on a quality academic path.

Their schools have registered under a new regulatory framework, prescribed by the Council for Private Education (CPE). Among these, six have been awarded a certification called EduTrust....

The above is from Channel News Asia Online. More than 300 private institutions applied and less than one third were approved. There is an urgent effort to regulate the quality of private education institutions to protect the reputation of Singapore as an Education Hub.

Student Services Centre replaces CASE

2010-04-22T18:26:00.000-07:00

Below is an article from The Straits Times.

A ONE-STOP centre for students to seek information on private schools, file complaints or seek redress opened yesterday.

The Student Services Centre (SSC), which aims to raise awareness of students' private education options and thus protect them from unscrupulous private school owners, signals the Government's determination to raise private education standards....

The SSC, located in the YMCA Singapore building along Orchard Road, was set up by the Council for Private Education (CPE), a five-month-old Ministry of Education statutory board.

Its staff will dispense information on, for instance, the quality and cost of courses and which schools would best meet a student's needs.

The centre will also stock brochures and handbooks and run outreach programmes, talks and campaigns.

Racket selling fake student passes

2010-04-11T19:16:00.000-07:00

Student passes for sales to foreign students for $7,000 a year (ST 12 Apr)

A RACKET involving student passes for sale by two men, who claimed to be from a private school here, has caught the attention of the Council for Private Education (CPE).

A spokesman for the CPE told The Straits Times that the council would be conducting checks on the school’s processes.

These checks, part of the evaluation process for the school’s application under the Enhanced Registration Framework for private education institutions, would include how the school monitors its students’ attendance.

The Straits Times learnt that ‘recruiters’ claiming to be employees of Arium School of Management and Technology at Upper Boon Keng Road are offering foreigners a valid student pass for $7,000 a year – without them having to attend a day of school.

An additional $11,000, the recruiters claim, can get foreigners a package deal comprising a pass valid for a year, perfect attendance records, transcripts and a degree – all without them having to spend any significant time in classes.

The student passes, which allow foreign students to stay here for the entire duration of their studies, can be abused and the culprits usually end up working illegally instead of studying.

When contacted, the school said it had no idea who the recruiters were – even though they met prospective clients on its premises.

Mr Dennis Tan, Arium’s executive director, said such recruiters ‘have no authority whatsoever to represent us or to recruit any students on our behalf’.

He added that the school’s marketing manager, Mr Loh Ben-ni, lodged a police report against the recruiters last Thursday.

A police spokesman confirmed a report had been made....

The above is part of an article published in the Straits Times.

Govt Universities raising fees

2010-03-24T18:16:00.000-07:00

SINGAPORE: Singapore three public universities, NUS, NTU and SMU are raising tuition fees for the incoming cohort of students in August.

The increase will be sharper for permanent residents and foreign students, compared to Singapore citizens.

Universities said this is in line with the government’s policy of reflecting the responsibilities and privileges of citizenship.

Undergraduate fees for freshmen at SMU will go up by three per cent.

Singaporeans enrolling into NUS will pay four per cent more.

But those doing Architecture, Business, Law and Pharmacy will see an increase of between seven and ten per cent.

For Permanent Residents, it will go up by between S$720 and S$2,810 with foreign students paying more between S$800 and S$3,120 more.

Over at NTU, Singapore citizens will pay 1.6 per cent more, annualised over four years for non—business programmes to hit S$6,890.

For business programmes, it will be 3.4 per cent up, annualised over three years to hit $7,490.

PRs and foreign students will pay more.

For NTU, all PRs for the incoming cohort receiving tuition grants will be charged 20 per cent more than Singapore Citizens, up from the current 10 per cent.

International Students will be charged 60 per cent more, up from the current 50 per cent....
The above is part of an article from CNA posted on Mar 19.

Changes in school fees for non citizens

2009-12-21T18:03:00.001-08:00

New school fees for public schools in Singapore

The following are the fee changes that will come into effect in year 2011.

Primary Level 2009 2011 2012 (Annual fees in S$)
Singapore citizen 132 132 132
Permanent resident 174 396 612
Intl student(Asean) 1752 2352 2952
Intl student(others) 1872 3072 4272

Secondary Level
Singapore citizen 252 252 252
Permanent resident 264 552 852
Intl student(Asean) 2532 3312 4092
Intl student(others) 2712 4272 5832

Junior college/CI
Singapore citizen 336 336 336
Permanent resident 348 780 1224
Intl student(Asean) 4224 5424 6624
Intl student(others) 4464 6864 9264

The Singapore American school fees for primary and intermediate levels are $22,100 per year.

The article is copied from Asian Correspondent.

Bloggers score big!

2009-12-20T16:23:00.001-08:00

The bloggers have scored their first major victory over the issue of citizenship privileges over non citizens in school fees. Bloggers have cried foul on behalf of all citizens that they were treated no better than PRs and non citizens, and in many instances it is better and more advantages to be PRs and non citizens than citizens. Today the Ministry of Education has announced sweeping changes in school registrations and school fees to differentiate between citizens and non citizens.

These changes will take effect in year 2011 and 2012. Children of citizens will now get an additional ballot slip to boost their chances for enrolment in their preferred schools. The meaty part is the hike in school fees which will see children of PRs paying up to 2 times in year 2011 or 4 times in 2012. Non resident children or international students will also see comparative hikes in their school fees up to junior colleges.

Would these changes have come about if there were no bloggers to whine about or kpkb in cyberspace? Would the main media do the necessary and bring about the changes by reporting the grouses of the citizens the way the bloggers have done? I think credit must be given to all bloggers who have played their painful and unrecognised role in this matter. Some injustice to the citizens have now been squared.

This is the first step towards recognising the citizens and rewarding them for the huge sacrifices and responsibilities they shouldered for the country. The next targets should be hospitalisation fees and housing. More restrictions should be placed on PRs buying public flats even if they have bought them from the open market to prevent speculative activities. The same levies should be imposed on them, including a number of years before they are allowed to resell.

More needs to be done to enhance the value of citizenship and give dignity to the citizens in other areas. Bloggers must continue to play their roles to champion the cause of the citizens.

The article is copied from Asian Correspondent.

Blogger in defamation suit

2009-12-10T16:34:00.000-08:00

Jayne Goh, the founder of the Association of Bloggers of Singapore which does not represent the majority of bloggers except a few founding members, has been judged by the High Court to have defamed a teacher, Janet Wong, for being corrupt. In her blog she 'alleged that Mrs Wong accepted bribes in return for allowing foreign students admission into her school. Jayne alleged in her blog that Mrs Wong demanded 'a $3,000 cash donation for each student placed in the school...and that entrance tests for such students were fixed'.

The case is now pending appeal or Jayne Goh would have to pay damages for failing to remove the article as demanded by Janet Wong.

What is important to bloggers is that the internet and blogging give bloggers a lot of freedom to write and express their views. But bloggers should be careful not to exceed the limitations of such rights to encroach into other people's rights. And posting scandulous or defamatory articles could bring about lawsuits which are very costly. Bloggers should feel free to express their views on issues and differences or disagreements are fair game. Comments that may be interpreted as personal attacks or affecting the integrity and reputation of individuals should be tackled sensitively and diplomatically.

We will have more news of this case since it is the first major case involving bloggers here.

The article is copied from Asian Correspondent.

Taking a different dig at the private education scene

2009-12-09T17:24:00.000-08:00

The editorial of the Straits Times applauded the new measures to protect students from premature closure of private schools. The additional requirements by the MOE will give students some peace of mind, at least they would not lose all their money, and there is an option of placement in other private schools. What was not addressed is the time and effort lost while being a student of fly by night schools or con shops. The other good things are Singapore's reputation as an education hub and the Singapore Brand which will be protected in some ways.

Looking at the other side, a lot of people will lose their jobs or income. The ST editorial says it is a good thing to let the weaker private schools close shop. When that happens, the teaching staff and administrative staff will lose their jobs if more private schools find it difficult to operate here. The landlords will not be able to let out their office space, and all the people in the supporting industry will be affected. The value of commercial properties will go down as well. That is bad for those who have plonked their money in such properties.

What will happen is that with more controls it will restrain the entrepreneur spirit of the businessmen to make a quick buck. Don't forget that this is one of the secrets of our success story. Entrepreneurship will be curtailed. This is bad too as we are promoting entrepreneurship for those who have lost their jobs. Making money opportunities will also be limited. This is contrary to what private education is all about. The private educationist and entrepreneurs will disagree with this. They will definitely insist that private education is about education. Is it or it isn't is subjective. I concede that the good private schools are doing a good job in providing the opportunities for students to get their education when the public schools could not offer them. This is a very good cause and reason for private schools.

We have a conflict of interest don't we? We want to provide education and also make money but we can't have it all with more restrictions on the entrepreneurs or cheats. A possible solution to have the cake and eat it is to have two kinds of private schools. One will have full govt endorsement and abide by all the good regulations. In another sector, let it be free for all, no regulations and students beware, caveat emptor hor. And I think many would love that, including some special groups of students, and the cheat operators of course. There is a market for bogus schools, really, no bluffing. Not a bad suggestion isn't it? Catering for the good, the bad and the ugly. And we will have a very vibrant education scene and more foreign students will come to our shore.

Protecting fees of private schools students

2009-12-07T17:21:00.000-08:00

The Ministry of Education has come up with new regulations under the Private Education Act to protect students from losing their tuition fees paid in case of the schools closing down. The change means that private schools can now collect only two months of fees in advance or 6 months if they purchasing a fee protection insurance. With these changes private students can at worst lose a few months of their fees. What a big help. Is money the only thing that needs protection? What about the wasted time, the anguish, and the psychological consequences of a young student being caught in such a dilemma? Hehe, we can only think of money. Money is our culture.

Then students were told to be vigilant. It is still caveat emptor! Does the authority think that the culprits or cheats that caused the mess need to be punished as well? Where is the big stick? They should have learnt from the stock exchange where little human mistakes of a few hundred dollars can result in thousands of dollars of fines. Mind you, it is human error and not fraud or bad intention. The punitive penalties have struck fear in the remisiers for making mistakes. But mistakes they will make as they are not demigods or immortals. And they will be very very careful.

The MOE should adopt a similar policy and strike fear among the fraudsters and cheats in the private education industry. Make the punishment punitive and fearful enough to keep them away. Here we are talking about crimes and bad intention and these must surely deserve more severe punishment than pure human errors. Without such punishment, the lure of easy money from innocent and vulnerable foreign students will be too attractive for the cheats to continue what they are doing. The MOE must send out a strong signal that they mean business and has the resolve to want to clean up the industry of such pests.

The above article is copied from Asian Correspondent.

1 D and 2 ungraded subjects for A level

2009-12-05T17:08:00.000-08:00

A blogger from UK posted a comment in www.mysingaporenews.blogspot.com that a student with the above grades was admitted for a degree course in management by a 'university'. He could not confirmed the name but thought it was unlikely to be SIM or SMU. He did mentioned something like SUM.

Would there be any university or 'university' in Singapore admitting students with such grades? The fact that this piece of news travelled all the way to UK speaks a lot about the going on's in the education scene here. And it cannot be good news. People are starting to raise the red flag, questioning the quality of our education hub.

The Singapore Education Brand - Does anyone bother?

2009-12-04T17:03:00.001-08:00

This guy handed me his name card and it read, Dr Boh Tak Cheh, CEO, Karanguni Enterprise. He gave me that big and confident smile, telling me that he had arrived. He owned a very big and successful business in collecting old and secondhand goods and resell them for profits. He had done well. He told me that his good friend, the headman of Sungei Road Thief Market, as it was well known for selling secondhand and stolen goods, has also acquired a doctorate from a foreign university which he did not know where. Many successful Singaporeans are now flashing their doctorates in their name cards. For these new towkays, they have done exceedingly well in their businesses. I always tell them that they don't need that stupid degree to be respectable. When Dr Boh Tak Cheh parks his Mercedes 400 at the entrance of the hotel, the doormen will all rush to open his car door. I have to quietly sneak in myself without anyone noticing that I have been there.

People like Dr Boh would probably be directors of several companies and chairmans of many social and business organisations. We should salute such men and women who have done well and contribute to society in their own ways.

What is troublesome is that there are many unaccredited colleges that claim to be universities and setting up shops here to issue degrees to the point that Singapore has appear in the infamous list of unaccredited institutions and degree mills of the Oregon's Office of Degree Authorisation. The six Singaporean institutions named in Sandra Davie's article in the ST are Cranston University, Templeton University, Trident University of Technology, Vancouver University Worldwide, Westmore University and the last one, with the gumption to call itself Lee Community College, also set up business here.

For several years since the liberalisation and the ambition plan to turn Singapore into an education hub, the education scene is like no man's land. Quite a number of private schools have failed and left students, both foreign and locals, stranded, wasted their time and money cheated. As if these were not enough signals to warrant some kind of enforcement, things seems to go on as per normal. Nothing happen leh.

Other than the diminishing value and credibility in the Singapore Education Brand, the saddest part is that innocent students came to be swindled off their hard earned money, and some wasted years all for nothing. Anyone feeling guilty or responsible? In a hotel when there is no ownership and everyone only thinks about his big bonus and holidays, such neglect is a likely outcome. When will god get angry?

Despite the setbacks, there are many honorable people who have came into the education scene and have filled a gap for the hungry students who wanted to further their studies. They have done a noble job to provide the opportunities that are otherwise not there, for students to chase their dreams for a better education and a better life. The works of these honorable people in providing education to those who needed them could be tarnished and negatively affected by the sheer lack of enforcement to ensure that the black sheep are weeded out.

When education is not about education but making money, indiscretion and fraud are bound to be occur. This is not restricted just to this industry. Medical health, insurance, legal services, the financial industry etc etc, are also victims to this profit making mindset, when making money supercedes all considerations, even ethics and morality.

How long will the Singapore Brand be battered before it goes into the gutters? Who is responsible?

2009-11-27T17:06:00.000-08:00

Singapore on list of ‘degree mill’ countries

SINGAPORE, Nov 26 — Degree mills that churn out ‘graduates’ at the drop of a hat are the sort of dodgy outfits we link with shadier parts of the world, but the problem is a lot closer to home and threatens to harm Singapore’s name as an education centre.

Small as it is, the country appears six times on a list compiled by Oregon’s Office of Degree Authorisation (ODA).

The American state has strict laws regarding the use of qualifications from unaccredited institutions and those dubbed “degree mills” or “degree suppliers”.

It requires that a person’s business cards, CV and letterhead declare if his degree is from an unaccredited university.

The term — degree or diploma mill — has been used in the United States and around the world to refer to “substandard or fraudulent colleges that offer potential students degrees with little or no serious work”.

They range from those which are simple frauds — an address to which people send money in exchange for a degree — to those that require some nominal work from the student but do not require the college-level study normally required for a degree.

Oregon’s laws make its list one of the most comprehensive compiled by a state government body in the United States.

It names six institutions here as offering unaccredited qualifications: Cranston University, Templeton University, Trident University of Technology, Vancouver University Worldwide, Westmore University and Lee Community College.

Names of institutions go on the list if there are queries made by members of the public. Checks are carried out on the status of the university both in the US and with foreign governments before they are put on the list.

Checks by The Straits Times found that Westmore University’s website is hosted by a company operating out of Science Park.

Vancouver University Worldwide, which was ordered to be shut by the Canadian government two years ago, had offered its courses here for a few years.

Several insurance industry professionals have MBAs, while some even have doctorates, from the university.

A few Singaporeans were also found to have degrees from Cranston University and Templeton University. Both are listed as online universities, based in Singapore and possibly Nevada.

The Palin School of Arts and Design in Bras Basah lists Trident University of Technology degrees, but Palin officials say that currently they are not offering the degree programme in advertising and design.

ODA’s list says Trident was denied approval by the state of Wisconsin and it was never legal in New Jersey as claimed.

But what was surprising was the presence on the list of Lee Community College. The private school has a CaseTrust for Education quality mark and is popular for its diploma courses in counselling and psychology.

The Straits Times found that the school, in Maxwell Road, also offers a degree from the American University for Humanities (AUH), which a staff member said is accredited by the American Academy for Liberal Education.

ODA’s website has this to say about the American university: “New name for American University of Hawaii, which was closed by court order. Operations claiming accreditation from The American Academy for Liberal Education in Lebanon do not meet Oregon legal requirements and degrees are not valid here. Degrees issued from Delaware are not valid in Oregon.”

Although the school has been offering degree courses for years, a check with the Ministry of Education (MOE) revealed that Lee Community College is not approved to offer any external degree programmes.

An MOE spokesman said the matter would be investigated.

It warned that new regulations require all private schools to seek permission from the new statutory board, the Council for Private Education (CPE) before offering external degree programmes, including online programmes.

Non-compliance may lead to deregistration of the private school and prosecution of its officials.

Lee Community College’s chief executive, Dr Frederick Toke, said the school spent over US$100,000 (RM338,000) to seek accreditation for the degree programme, which was from the American University for Humanities in Tbilisi, Georgia.

It was accredited by the American Academy for Liberal Education, a recognised accrediting agency in the US for liberal arts institutions, but was rejected by the MOE.

Toke did not explain why the school continued to offer the degree despite the MOE rejection. He would only say that the school is now seeking MOE approval to run other degree programmes from the US.

Alan Contreras, the administrator for Oregon’s ODA, said Singapore never used to feature on the ODA’s list.

“The problem Singapore has is that it opened the door to private post-secondary education without establishing a serious governmental oversight process to make those providers prove that they are legitimate,” he said.

“In effect, your government has allowed its name to be used inappropriately because only government authorised colleges can issue genuine degrees.”

Contreras also warned: “Without enforcement of standards by the government, anything goes. This is why the reputation of degrees issued in Singapore is falling.”

The MOE said that under the new laws that will come into effect by the end of the year, the Council for Private Education will run checks on these claimed partnerships.

“These measures will help ensure that dubious programmes offered by degree mills will not be permitted by CPE to be offered in Singapore,” said the spokesman.

But the new laws have come too late for a 26-year-old who attended evening classes and did course work for over three years for an AUH degree from Lee Community College.

The administrative manager hopes the new laws for private schools will ensure that only valid degrees are offered here.

“I took up the degree because I was interested in a counselling career. I spent more than US$20,000 of my hard-earned money to study for the degree. Now I find out that it is worthless.” — The Straits Times

The above article was posted in Malaysian Insider on 28 Nov 09. It tells the story of complacency and neglect in policing, or at best a tidia apa attitude and hiding behind caveat emptor while innocent students fall prey to dubious degree mills. Singapore cannot afford such lax attitude as it has a reputation to maintain as an education hub. But with no ownership, with everyone looking for someone to carry the can, it is like no man's land. And this thing has been going on for too long and will only do harm to the island's aspiration as an education hub for quality education and the Singapore Brand.

But they is still hope. Wait for LKY to say something and things will get moving.

Top PSLE students

2009-11-27T03:57:00.000-08:00

The below article is copied from the Straits Times

Nov 26, 2009 The Straits Times
Top PSLE girl from China
By Jennani Durai

THIS year's top student in the Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE) could barely speak any English when she moved here from China in 2006 with her family.

Qiu Biqing, 13, from Qifa Primary School, achieved an aggregate score of 290, with four A*s and a Distinction in Higher Chinese.

Her father, Mr Qiu Guo Hua, 45, is a research fellow at the National University of Singapore, and her mother, Madam Xie Xiaojin, 42, is a research assistant there. They both work in a physiology lab.

The top Indian pupil this year is Muhammad Saad Siddiqui from Anglo-Chinese School (Primary), and the top Malay pupil is Syafiqah Nabilah Bte Shamshera from Raffles Girls' Primary School.

Biqing said that she improved her English by reading a lot, and not being afraid to speak aloud even if she made mistakes.

She has a place in Raffles Girls' School through the Direct Schools Admission process and hopes to become a lawyer or a novelist.

Education for the real world

2009-11-20T18:26:00.000-08:00

Below is an interesting article on what the education scene will be in Singapore down the road. We are reinventing education in more ways than the advanced countries of the West. We are hitting new grounds and carving out a niche for ourselves in education in our own ways. We are edupreneurs.

Saturday November 21, 2009
Education for the real world
INSIGHT: DOWN SOUTH
By SEAH CHIANG NEE

Government plans call for developing school pupils in other than academic pursuits, with less emphasis on exams, to equip young people better for life. But some parents still baulk at the change.

FOR years, Singapore’s schools have been steering a bit away from their traditional teaching towards a 21st century “ideas” economy. The pursuit, however, has been sporadic rather than countrywide. But come 2016, an institutional transformation will take place in all primary schools.

The revamp, announced last week, is aimed at making pupils adept at not only Science and English, but also at thinking and communicating.

In seven years’ time – when enough buildings and teachers are in place – all Singapore primary schools (attended by thousands of foreigners) will introduce full-day sessions.

More importantly, they will do away with mid- and end-year exams in Primary One and Two, and only graduates would be allowed to teach.

The future classroom will introduce 7- and 8-year-olds to outdoor education, where music and visual arts will be given as much importance as traditional subjects.

“For kids of this age, exams will not figure at all,” one official said. They will be replaced by assessments of a student’s progress.

Thirdly, children will be encouraged to take up co-curricular activities (CCAs) from Primary 1.

On the longer hours, a senior official said: “We are not adding on academic content to make it a burden to students; we’re trying to build their life skills as well as values, … rebalancing the focus of our system.”

Education Minister Dr Ng Eng Hen said: “We want to have caring citizens ... and students to be independent learners and confident (people).”

These changes, to be extended later to secondary schools, will in part end a system inherited from the British that emphasised exams and rote learning.

It proved successful in producing an educated, disciplined workforce that turned Singapore into a developed nation. Besides, the secondary schools are regularly ranked the world’s top three in Science and Maths.

But in a world in which nations compete with ideas and technical skills, Singapore’s education system has outlived some of its usefulness.

In my course of reporting in recent years, I have frequently heard executives of multinational corporations complain that our data-skilled workers lack initiative and require hand-holding.

This is what the new education system hopes to rectify. The result so far has been impressive.

One neighbourhood primary school has infused robotics into its science teaching, with students designing simple robots and learning about their inner workings.

Thousands of students at another school are taught not only to identify a healthy, nutritious meal, but also to cook it.

Others require their pupils to write compositions on a tablet PC, using PowerPoint for images and colour fonts.

At Hougang Primary, seven-year-olds share their classrooms with an assortment of insects, plants and skeleton frames.

The secondary schools are even more into the game, including practising entrepreneurship.

At a premium school they ran an art gallery carnival, drawing up proposals for manpower costing, concept plans and profit margins.

These experiments are not confined to the top schools. Many “unbranded” ones also excel in them.

One of them has allowed students to operate a general store that sells products and services (like photocopying) to other students. In Jurong Junior College and Fuchun Primary, students can buy shares in businesses in their schools.

Junior college students have met to tackle Singapore’s declining birth rates, while polytechnic youths created a new fragrance and began marketing it to romancing couples – and invented a health-food chocolate for sale to the public.

The strategy is to develop students who are not academically inclined but skilled in other areas like IT, music, sports or designing.

Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew said Singapore’s economy needs all kinds of talented people.

“We now have to try and bring up people who do not necessarily do well in the universities, but who will do well in life,” he said.

On the weaknesses of the current system, one blogger said it successfully produced many A-grade students who were unable to put knowledge to good use “like starting a business.”

Not everyone believes this change can be achieved soon, at least not until the government relaxes its control on this regulated society.

Some do not think it can be – or need be – done at all. Parents who have a fixation on exams and high marks are among the biggest stumbling blocks.

A prominent blogger quoted from a speech given by Sir Ken Robinson, an expert in creative and cultural education, who said children had no need to be taught to be creative.

The reason: they already are creative, and often it is the schools that are educating them out of their creative capabilities, he said.

On the subject of feared failure, Sir Ken said: “Kids will take a chance. If they don’t know, they’ll have a go. They’re not frightened of being wrong ...

“By the time they get to be adults, most kids have lost that capacity. They have become frightened of being wrong. And we run our companies this way. We stigmatise mistakes,” he added.

The determination of Singapore’s mothers to fight for their children’s high grades has played a major role in the nation’s education.

With the new strategy, it could prove negative for their kids when they fail to re-adapt.

Be flexible in teaching Chinese: MM Lee

2009-11-18T18:57:00.000-08:00

Wed, Nov 18, 2009
my paper

By Kenny Chee

CHINESE LANGUAGE teachers need to embrace innovative ways of teaching young people the centuries- old language, Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew said yesterday.

They need to interest their students, through the use of drama, information technology or other activities that youths are passionate about, he said.

They should also focus on honing their students' ability to comprehend and speak the language, rather than on writing skills, which are more difficult to master, he added.

He had this message for them: 'This is the way you are going to go. Use IT, use drama, use every possible method to capture the interest of the children. It doesn't matter what level you teach.'....

The above extract is from www.asianone.com

Bouquet for NorthLight School

2009-11-12T22:40:00.000-08:00

Mrs Chang Wai Leng wrote to the Straits Times.

My son Chang Shu Ren was featured in Monday's report on NorthLight School, 'Success on their "last chance". He had always struggled academically and was going nowhere in his studies. So it was a joy to me when NorthLight was set up in 2007.

I asked the principal, Mrs Chua Yen Ching, to make an exception and admit him. I had faith that a school with a mission to give a second chance to the academically weak and equip them with the right skills and attitude to succeed in life was the best place for my child.

And our family has been richly rewarded by the growth in confidence and maturity of our son. If there is one word that best describes NorthLight, it is 'heart'. Everything is done for the good of its students and their families.

This heart thing is quite losing its existence in a materialistic city like ours. Good to hear that heart is still around.

Can students assume that all is ok?

2009-07-25T19:23:00.001-07:00

With the closing of Brookes Business School and its subsidiary school, can students attending classes in all the existing private schools feel secure that they will not get into the same problem as those from these two schools?

Case's Executive Director Seah Seng Choon has explained that CaseTrust is just about protecting the fees students paid and welfare practices. The role of ensuring academic excellence is the responsibility of Spring Singapore.

In 2004, EDB's press statement said that an accreditation council was supposed to be set up. This somehow did not materialise. Can we assume that all the private schools thus did not go through a screening process to ensure that what they claimed were genuine and that all of them are sound and proper?

A new regime will be set up under EduTrust to regulate private schools and the quality of the services they are providing. Until then, Case is stepping up to check on private schools to see that all is in order. There is a lapse of 5 years of free enterprise when everything goes. 5 years of caveat emptor while the foul smell was floating around and with several other incidents and several schools closed down.

What a pathetic state of affair that was allowed go on for so long without any body stepping in to protect the students and the image of a reliable and world class education hub that we are building.

Can students assume that everything is ok now?

A summary of the education scene by Seah Chiang Nee

2009-07-24T22:34:00.000-07:00

Saturday July 25, 2009, The Star Online
From head start to headache
Insight Down South by SEAH CHEANG NEE

SINGAPORE’S bid to turn the dream of millions of Asians for a 21st century education into a big business has run into a snag.

Two news headlines last week explained part of it: the first read, “Business school shut down for selling fake degrees”, and then a day later, “A second case of bogus certificates”.

Hundreds of students found their higher studies rudely interrupted when the two rogue schools were ordered to close, forcing them to scramble for alternatives or drop their study pursuits.

The larger of the two, Brookes Business School, saw 400 students (half of them foreigners) in the horns of a dilemma.

It also delivered a blow to Singapore’s image as a reliable hub for higher education, which now caters to an estimated 100,000 foreign students from 20 countries.

Privately-run Brookes had handed out fake degrees from top universities in Britain and Australia, including the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, which has lodged a police report.

In the other case, 40 students, all from abroad, suffered the same fate.

The closures came as a shock to the students, some of whom only found out when they arrived to find the doors locked.

They are the latest in a series of scandals in recent years committed by rogue merchants “who cashed in on people’s dreams” (as one critic put it).

The victims, from Singapore, China, India and countries in South-east Asia, were duped into paying S$12,000 to S$18,000 a year for a worthless piece of paper.

They came because of Singapore’s reputation for high standards, believing that any school that registered with the government must be reliable.

After the news broke, several Singaporeans who graduated from Brookes Business School with fake RMIT degrees resigned from their jobs before they were found out.

In the past four years, about a dozen reported cases of bogus degrees or misleading claims about the mushrooming private schools have left thousands of foreigners stranded.

These samples of news headlines indicate the scope of it:

> Feb 25, 2009: “Four Private Schools Closed — Be Careful!”. Altogether 11 have failed in the past year due to poor enrolments, with many students losing their money.

> Oct 24, 2008: “Fancy Setting, Worthless Degrees”; 76 people graduate with worthless papers from an unaccredited university known as a degree supplier.

> Sept 15, 2008: “Stop These Degree Courses, School Told”; Ministry of Education revokes approval for University of Northern Virginia courses; 270 students were affected.

> June 9, 2007: “Froebel Shuts Its Doors To Angry Students”. Mostly students from China, they protested against the non-issuing of certificates and no refunds, while lecturers were not paid for work.

> Sept 20, 2006: “Two China students Sue IT School” saying they had paid S$80,500 for a “misrepresented” Masters course. A check by reporters found its premises vacated.

> Sept 2, 2005: “900 Students Hit By School’s Closure”. The affected were mostly foreigners, having to leave AIT Academy when it failed to meet government standards.

In perspective, these make up only a fraction of the nation’s 1,200 private — mostly small — schools. So is the proportion of rogue merchants that cash in on people’s dreams.

The black mark does not affect the majority of education ventures in Singapore — particularly the mainstream universities and official institutions — which provide high quality courses.

However limited in number, these few high-profile scams are spreading far and wide across frontiers that could hurt the city’s image as a reliable, distinctive hub.

As a victim from China said: “If people in China hears about this, fewer of them will come to Singapore.”

The government is worried that the cheating cases could undermine the country’s fast-growing, US$8bil a year education hub.

It plans to enact a new Private Education Bill later this year to impose tougher penalties on commercial ventures (including hefty fines and imprisonment) that misrepresent themselves and leave students in the lurch.

Until then, it is tightening supervision on them; last year it took measures to protect students from unfairly losing their fee money.

Critics blame it partly on the government for allowing these schools to proliferate so quickly that it makes screening or supervision almost impossible.

One of them blogged: “The question is, how could something so good go so bad and so fast in this efficient city?”

Some of them are calling for a scale-back of plans to have 150,000 foreign students here by 2015 — a 50% increase from current figures.

Their rationale is this already over-crowded city will not be able to cope with it.

People’s Action Party backbencher Inderjit Singh said: “I don’t think numbers are important. We should get in (a few) respectable names first.”

It is unlikely to be heeded though, with Singapore’s other hub activities likely to remain weak in the coming years.

“Education is the most resilient of all the hubs, and it has survived the recession relatively unscathed,” said a private tutor. He is getting more classes to teach.

Not all foreigners who end up with a worthless degree or diploma are con victims.

Some of them, who lack the minimum qualifications to be accepted for a mainstream institution (many hardly speak English), or are too poor to afford to afford it, are willing participants in the scam.

For them, a fake degree will help get them a job back home — which, of course, spells more trouble for Singapore.

Unless it is under control, a day may arrive when global companies start looking at a Singapore-issued degrees through a magnifying glass.

Would Singapore become another Mexico?

2009-07-15T17:25:00.001-07:00

Brookes Business School was ordered to close by the MOE for issuing fake degrees. Now its subsidiary, Stamford Global Learning is also ordered to close. The former had 400 students while Stamford Global has 40. How would this affect Singapore's reputation as a world class education centre?

Would Singapore be avoided like Mexico from the H1N1 flu, in this case, fake degree flu? To quote an affected China student, 'If people in China hear about this, fewer of them will come to Singapore.'

This is not the first time such things happened. Is it so difficult to avoid such a mess? Just a few phone calls to the universities concerned will do the trick. Maybe it is too troublesome, too big a job. Maybe it is nobody's responsibility. Oh, free market, self regulations, caveat emptor.

Now I am wondering how serious is this fake degree flu and how far it is going to spread. Totally irresponsible.

Would Singapore become another Mexico?

2009-07-15T17:23:00.000-07:00

2009-07-14T22:39:00.000-07:00

July 15, 2009
Fake-degree school closes 10 min-->
MOE revokes Brookes' registration; students turn up to find door closed, no staff around
By Jermyn Chow of The Straits Times

Students who turned up at Brookes' premises in Beach Road on Tuesday found an MOE closure notice stuck to the door. -- ST PHOTO: ALPHONSUS CHERN

BROOKES Business School, which peddled fake degrees and diplomas to hundreds of students, has been ordered to shut down.

A degree in a year? It was all a scam
GET a degree from the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT) in a year for just $12,000.This was among the pitches served up to Brookes Business School's prospective students and which The Straits Times exposed in a report last month.
....
The private school handed out bogus qualifications from brand-name institutions in Australia and Britain, including the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT), in a practice which was exposed last month by The Straits Times. The Education Ministry (MOE) said on Tuesday it had revoked the school's registration for contravening the Education Act.
The 400 students enrolled at the school - half of them foreigners - had little warning of the impending action. Many turned up at Brookes' premises in Beach Road on Tuesday morning to find the door closed and an MOE closure notice stuck to it.
Some had been telephoned earlier by a staff member of the school and told that classes would be cancelled for the week, resuming in about a fortnight.
One of them, who gave his name as Thomas, 21, said the caller neither identified herself nor gave a reason for the cancellation. 'It was so strange, so I thought: better to come down and get answers,' said the Chinese national, who is studying for a diploma in tourism and hospitality.
He failed to find any answers though, since staff and lecturers were nowhere to be seen. Neither was the man at the centre of the fiasco, the school's registered owner, Mr Benny Yap Chee Mun, 39.
Students said the last time they saw him was just after news broke of the scam in mid-June, when he called a meeting and assured them that the school's degrees were bona fide, and that it would not close down. He had told The Straits Times that he had been duped by a Vietnamese man, who sold him a 'franchise' to offer RMIT degrees in 2007.
On Tuesday, however, an MOE spokesman said there was 'sufficient evidence' to prove Mr Yap 'is not a fit and proper person to continue to operate the school'. Calls to the school and Mr Yap went unanswered.
Students have been told by MOE to approach the Association of Private Schools and Colleges (APSC), which represents some 40 private schools here, to help with transfers to other schools.
Dr Andrew Chua, its president, said that four receiving schools had been identified. He advised students to seek help at its secretariat at 9, Ah Hood Road, which will be open from 9am to 5pm from Wednesday till Friday. Students seeking fee refunds, which ranged from $9,000 to $12,000 for a one-year specialist diploma, should approach the Consumers Association of Singapore (Case) for advice, said the ministry.

The above is a Straits Times article published on 15 Jul 09.

2009-03-11T01:29:00.000-07:00

More stringent rules for Singapore's private schools soon
By Satish Cheney, Channel NewsAsia Posted: 10 March 2009 2128 hrs

SINGAPORE: There will be more stringent rules and regulations, including advertising, for the private education sector in Singapore soon. Authorities are hoping the new Private Education Bill will be passed in Parliament by July - under which, more than 1,000 private schools must adhere to the new rules. And once the new bill comes into effect within the next two years, a new EduTrust scheme will take over the current CASETrust scheme dealing with private schools. EduTrust will focus on the school's financial health and academic processes, as well as the student's overall happiness and welfare.

While the scheme is voluntary, the Education Ministry believes the some 350 schools currently having the CASETrust status will strive for the EduTrust mark. Chairman of Council for Private Education, Lin Cheng Ton, said: "Those schools that can get the EduTrust certification are the better schools. So in this case, the better schools are able to take foreign students."

Currently, only private institutions (PIs) with the CASETrust status can enrol foreign students. And soon, they must have the EduTrust mark when it comes into effect. CEO of Council for Private Education, Henry Heng, said: "Let's not forget that the new regime is a little different from what it is presently. The new regime has a regulatory enforcement act which requires the managers of the PIs, who are identified by name and in person, that… if they close down, they have to be able to make transitory plans for the students and failing which, it's an offence under the act itself."

The ministry will also step up efforts to check on errant private schools and employ more officers to conduct these checks. In addition, only schools with approved courses will be allowed to advertise them. There will be focus group discussions to get feedback from private education institutions and students. There will also be a public consultation exercise with industry players as well as the public from March 11 till May 6.

The above article is copied from CNA online.

What is happening is that CASETrust did not work the way it wants and the shortfalls in the private education industry are being exposed with more students falling victims to fly by night operators. The new regulations and power of enforcement have been late in coming and should be in force long ago to maintain a high standard of integrity in the education industry. A lot of pain and suffering could have been avoided if actions were taken much earlier.

We can now hope that the Singapore brand has not been tarnished beyond recognition and foreign students and their parents still have faith in our system.

Singapore International Schools doing well

2009-03-08T19:56:00.000-07:00

While some foreign owned international schools are seeing decreasing student intakes, Singapore's own stable of international schools are gaining popularity. However, not all foreign international schools are doing badly. The premium schools like the Singapore American School, Tanglin Trust and United World College are still having very long queues in their waiting lists. The Global Indian International School and Avondale Grammar School were reported to have lost up to 20% of their students due to the economic crisis.

ACS International, Hwa Chong International, SJI International are still expanding their capacities. Nanyang Girls is planning to start a co ed primary schools to include kindergarten classes. These schools are also very popular with the local students. But the fees are relatively stiff, in the S$20k bracket per year.

Singapore is still targetting a 150,000 foreign student population by 2012.

More students, more rooms

2009-03-03T17:33:00.000-08:00

New hostel being built as MDIS aims to double enrolment in five years
Ong Dai Lin dailin@mediacorp.com.sg
DESPITE the tough economic climate, the Management Development Institute of Singapore (MDIS) plans to double its student enrolment in five years and is embarking on a bold $200 million expansion to build a new hostel and develop campus facilities.
.Under the first phase of its development plan, MDIS will build an $80 million hostel with teaching facilities that can house some 1,620 students. To be completed by 2011, it will be the largest hostel for private schools in Singapore.
.The rooms will be air-conditioned and rates are expected to be between $400 and $800 a month, MDIS honorary treasurer Chua Chen How said yesterday at the groundbreaking ceremony for the hostel.
.The other private school here that has a hostel is SIM Global Education. Room rates at the hostel, which can house over 400 students, range from $450 to $750.
.Under the second phase of its plan, MDIS will spend $20 million to build a new six-storey administrative wing by the middle of next year.
.The secretary-general of MDIS,Dr R Theyvendran, told Today that the school had brought forward the development plans to take advantage of the lower construction costs.
.MDIS will draw from its current $104 million in reserves to pay for the first two phases of development.
.After the first two phases are completed, MDIS will submit a proposal to the Urban Redevelopment Authority and Singapore Land Authority for a $100 million project to build three blocks of training rooms for its engineering students, Mr Chua said.
.He estimates that when all three phases of development are completed in five years’ time, MDIS will be able to expand its student population from the present 12,500 to 25,000.
.Currently, around 3,500 of MDIS’ students are foreigners....

The above is an extract of an article in Today Online.

Schools on alert for warning signs of strain

2009-03-03T17:27:00.000-08:00

Their counsellorsand staff keep alookout for students with problems
Lin Yanqin yanqin@mediacorp.com.sg

.WHETHER :Nanyang Technological University (NTU) student David Hartanto Widjaja had felt weighed down by a glitch in his final-year project, or by the loss of his scholarship, his suicide after stabbing his: project supervisor had many abuzz about how stressed tertiary students here are — on occasion, to breaking point.
.:As schools told :Today:, they have measures in place for students’ mental and emotional needs. These including counselling centres on campus, hotlines manned by students, and faculty members who look out for warning signs.:
.:In the case of the Singapore Management University (SMU), such frameworks proved of critical help in at least one instance. “Last year, we had a suicidal student who came to the centre for help,” said SMU university counsellor Timothy Hsi. “At the same time, his professor had noticed that he was missing classes and he also alerted the school administration to alert me to this student.”
.:Counselling helped the undergraduate cope with his problems and stay in school.
.The signs of a student needing help are common — those easy for a faculty member to spot include students skipping classes, and a drop in quality of work, said Ngee Ann Polytechnic student care and counselling manager Ms Ching Pui Fan. “Also, they may become withdrawn, not sleep enough and lose their appetite.”
.In Mr Widjaja’s case, he had reportedly stopped contacting friends the week before he ended his life.
.Yesterday, NTU president Su Guaning said the school would guide professors on detecting worrying signs: “We need to look very much at pastoral care for students, but you need a balance — you need to be caring without being stifling and they need to be learning to fend for themselves, without feeling that they need to take care of all problems by themselves.”
.The National University of Singapore holds workshops for faculty members, administrative staff and hostel resident staff, on identifying students in difficulty.
.
.International students
.Foreign students, in particular, may feel the strain more, with the need to adapt to a new culture and having left friends and family behind, said Mr Hsi. This is particularly so in the first three months of an academic year — when the number of students approaching counsellors tends to rise.
.“This is why in our student hostels for international students, we have resident seniors who are students trained in some basic counselling skills to help,” he said.
.Both the Management Development Institute Of Singapore and Singapore Institute of Management (SIM) also make an extra effort for their international students. SIM, for example, introduced a peer support programme where senior students are on hand to practical and emotional help.
.
.The critical final year
.For students doing their final-year projects, the pressure to meet deadlines can make even the smallest setback hard to take. Mr Bernard Tay, 27, recalled that when working on his final-year project as an engineering student: “The mentality is that after working hardand studying for something like 25 years, to trip at the final hurdle, it would mean a lot.”
.On top of that is the pressure to find a job upon graduation — not easy in theseeconomic times. “Your experiment might not be working out, and then you are not hearing anything from companies after interviews — it can be hard to take,” said Mr Low Yi Guang, 25, a final-year student at NTU.
.NTU associate professor Michael Heng, who teaches management at the School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, said the stress of a final-year project could also be brought on by other factors. “In the past, I had a case of two very upset students because they could not get along.”
.He added: “As professors, we want to bring out the student’s best potential, but you also need to know when to stop pushing.”
.It boils down to friends
.At the polytechnics, each student is assigned a counsellor or mentor for the entire three years at school — as the biggest cause of stress for most students is the transition from secondary school.
.“Our poly has about 15,000 students, 10 times more than a secondary school, the timetable is very different and they may start school without the support of friends,” said Singapore Polytechnic student counsellor Lee Ee Tat.
.SIM University head of programme for counselling Cecilia Soong said adult learners also face work stress and often have families as well. Students have walked out of classes and yelled, to let off steam.
.At NTU, Dr Su said NTU would review its “detection framework”. “We need to reach out a little more, because sometimes (students) don’t reach out at all, and they have a shell around them,” he said, noting that Mr Widjaja’s actions came as a shock even to his closest friends.
.Ultimately, Dr Soong felt, the first safety net should be one’s friends. “Especially during exam period, it’s easy to become oblivious to your friend’s problems, but you should always make time to reach out if you think something is wrong,” she said.
Their counsellorsand staff keep alookout for students with problems
Lin Yanqin yanqin@mediacorp.com.sg

4 more private schools closed - be careful

2009-02-25T21:37:00.000-08:00

For the last one year 11 private schools have closed due to lack of students. Some students are still trying to claim back their tuition fees from the schools. As reported in Today paper,'Two -language scholls Goro Global School and Britannia School of education - have yet to repay their students fees amounting to some $33,000.

Students are warned to make sure that the schools they are enrolling into are Case Trusted. Seah Choon Seng, ED of Case, advised 'students planning to enrol here to ensure their fees are adequately protected. They may choose to leave their fees with the Student Tuition Fee Account or Escrow Scheme, or take up a Student Tuition Fee Insurance.'

In the case of Escrow scheme, the fees will be left in the custody of a third party or Case endorsed banks.

Private universities in Singapore

2009-02-20T06:34:00.000-08:00

Private universities in Singapore attracting more local By Ryan Huang, Channel NewsAsia 18 February 2009 2028 hrs SINGAPORE:

More Singaporeans are turning to private universities to save costs. They can obtain degrees from foreign universities with campuses in Singapore, or those that offer programmes through local institutions, at a fraction of the cost of studying overseas.

22-year-old Willard Tan, an undergraduate at East Asia Institute of Management, saves over S$50,000 a year by not choosing to study abroad.

"For me, I'm saving about five times the amount of money studying here, which can be utilised in this current economy," he said.

"We have seen an increase in local students' applications by more than 50 per cent over the past two years," said Lee Beng Choo, chief operating officer of PSB Academy.

Another advantage is that private universities offer a faster route to obtaining a degree. This is because these institutions give extra credits for previous study or work experience.

Some schools also said there is growing awareness of the value and options they offer and many students are keen to upgrade themselves during the economic downturn.

Andrew Chua, president, Association of Private Schools and Colleges Singapore, said: "Local students also see the advantage of continuing to be able to stay in Singapore. There are obviously some increases as working adults who have been retrenched take private education as an option for now, especially with all the government subsidies."

The TMC Education Group said it has seen a spike in the enrolment of local students from 2006 and most of the students are upgrading to a diploma or higher diploma course.

The upgrading trend is echoed by others such as James Cook University, which offers undergraduate and postgraduate studies.

At the same time, the number of students going overseas for tertiary education appears to be largely unaffected. Student recruitment agencies that Channel NewsAsia spoke to said there is still a strong demand.

The current downturn is one possible reason as the stronger Singapore dollar has made it cheaper for students to study in countries like Australia.

According to data from the US Embassy, student visa applications to the country have been steadily rising over the years. A constant demand is expected as students pursue courses which are not available in Singapore, such as Veterinary Science.

Industry players said they are keeping a close watch on the numbers as they believe the private education sector will only feel the full impact of the downturn in the second or third quarter of the year.

- CNA

Worthless degrees

2008-10-23T19:50:00.000-07:00

Oct 22, 2008
Worthless degrees
76 people graduate from unaccredited university known as a degree supplier
By Sandra Davie and Cassandra Chew

Students of the unaccredited West Coast University, garbed in full academic regalia, celebrating after their graduation ceremony at Old Parliament house on Monday, which even came with an inspiring speech from the university's honorary president.
THE ceremony in the Old Parliament House had all the pomp and circumstance associated with any graduation.
The professors and graduands were in full academic regalia. Speeches flowed in English and Mandarin. And afterwards, a gala dinner at a hotel.

Cash for paper in some cases
THE term 'degree mill' is used widely to refer to institutions that offer degrees to students who do not have to do much work to graduate.Some operate with no more than a mailing address to which people send money in exchange for a piece of paper that looks like a degree. Others require some nominal work to be done but do not require college-level coursework.
... moreAt the ceremony, the university's honorary president, a Professor Bernard Cadet, delivered an inspiring speech, urging graduands to transform the world.
'Believe nothing is impossible. West Coast University (WCU) will be proud of you in the future,' he told the 76 graduands from Singapore, Indonesia and China, before handing them their doctorates, master's and bachelor's degrees.
But this was a ceremony for an unaccredited university based in Panama, not Los Angeles, as its school in Singapore had claimed.
The Asia-Australia School of Management (AASM), a Case-certified school in Middle Road, offers West Coast University programmes here with a related company, Huanyu Training Expert.
At least two American states have outlawed degrees from WCU, describing it as a 'degree supplier' that offers 'fraudulent or substandard degrees'.
The Texas State Higher Education Coordinating Board warns on its website that WCU 'is used by multiple unaccredited entities. The extent to which they are related is unknown, but more than one operator is suspected.'
In some parts of the United States, it is a criminal offence to use degrees from unaccredited institutions.
'Dr' John Huang, one of the owners of AASM and Huanyu, insisted that the university is based in Los Angeles and faxed The Straits Times documents showing West Coast University International registered as a business in California.
But he confirmed that it was not the California-based West Coast University reputed for nursing and health science-related degrees. He admitted that WCU was unaccredited, but said his students had been given the facts.
His doctorate is from Ashwood University, the same degree mill that granted this reporter's pet dog a doctorate for US$599 (S$886) just two months ago.
The guest of honour at Monday's ceremony was MP for Joo Chiat Chan Soo Sen, who delivered a speech in Mandarin and English.
Contacted afterwards, he said he had been invited by a grassroots leader and accepted as he wanted to encourage the habit of life-long learning.
Told that WCU was unaccredited, he said he had not been given any information about it. 'If my presence there had given the university credibility, that was not my intention,' he said.
Several graduates interviewed after Monday's ceremony believed the university was based in Los Angeles and that it was a proper institution.
They had paid between $13,000 and $19,000 in fees to take up bachelor's, master's and doctorate courses lasting one year to 15 months.
Those who took up the doctorate programme said they attended classes two days a month, from 9am to 5pm.
Several said they did not know a university can be registered and yet have no academic accreditation, where it is subject to quality checks by an independent body. It also means employers may not recognise the degrees.
An electronics factory quality controller who paid $13,000 in fees for her bachelor's degree said: 'I was hoping to get a better job in logistics with this degree, but now it may not be possible.'
Ms Ho Fee Men, director of a Chinese medical hall, said she had heard rumours that the university was unaccredited, but continued with her PhD programme anyway. To get her doctorate, she paid $19,000 in fees, attended classes twice a month over 15 months and wrote a 50,000-word thesis.
Two businessmen said they knew their doctorates were worthless but took up the programme to learn about business management.
Mr Chang Chia Sheng, 55, managing director of X.L. Handle, which makes industrial fasteners, said he gained from discussions with other businessmen.
At least 218 people here have been found with degrees from dubious universities such as Preston, Wisconsin International and Kennedy-Western.
Business owners make up one of three groups here who have degrees from unaccredited institutions and degree mills. For many of them, an honorary PhD has become a must-have symbol of success.
Another group comprises consultants and private school lecturers who may have a first degree and some expertise in a particular area, but seek a master's degree or doctorate to bolster their credentials.
And lastly, there are those who pay for undergraduate degrees and transcripts - usually non-graduates who want qualifications to gain jobs or promotions.
sandra@sph.com.sg
casschew@sph.com.sg

Stanfield College versus CASE

2008-10-22T19:55:00.000-07:00

Stansfield wins appeal to have NTUC Income added as 2nd defendant in CASE suit
By Margaret Perry, Channel NewsAsia Posted: 22 October 2008 2213 hrs

SINGAPORE : Stansfield College has successfully appealed to the High Court for NTUC Income to be added as a second defendant in a lawsuit it filed last year against the Consumers Association of Singapore (CASE). Stansfield College is suing CASE for losses suffered after it suspended the college from its CaseTrust for Education scheme in 2006.

The CASE scheme is an accreditation programme which all private schools wishing to enrol international students are required to join. NTUC Income is the only provider of private school fee insurance for foreign students that is recognised by CASE. Stansfield College had earlier applied to add NTUC Income as a second defendant, but its application was disallowed. This was due to an existing arbitration clause in the policy between Stansfield College and NTUC Income.

In a statement, Stansfield said its lawyers had argued in the High Court before Justice Woo Bih Li that NTUC Income should be added as defendants despite the arbitration clause. Their reason was the risk of inconsistent findings if the lawsuit against CASE were to proceed in court while the claim against NTUC Income were to be arbitrated. The exchange of documents between Stansfield and CASE during the pre-trial process also revealed certain correspondence between CASE and NTUC Income.

Responding to Stansfield's statement to the media, CASE said the college's case in court had changed over time and that its latest allegations in its amended statement of claim were without merit, regardless of whether NTUC Income was made party to the suit. The case is expected to go to trial early next year. - CNA/ms

Clearer rules on private schools

2008-10-22T19:52:00.000-07:00

MOE to set clearer rules to curb false, misleading ads by private school
By Channel NewsAsia Posted: 22 October 2008 1412 hrs

SINGAPORE: Clearer rules will be put in place to curb false and misleading advertisements by private schools. The Education Ministry (MOE) said the rules will cover the proper use of quality labels, symbols and trademarks by private schools in advertisements and promotional material. The institutions should also refrain from making untruthful claims about the school and its courses.

Education Minister Ng Eng Hen gave this update on Wednesday in a written reply to questions from Members of Parliament on the regulation and supervision of private schools. This is part of MOE's efforts to strengthen the current regulatory framework for private education.

MOE announced in March it will set up an independent Council for Private Education to enforce the enhanced regulatory regime. Dr Ng said the Council will have the necessary powers to direct corrective measures if private school operators publish misleading advertisements. The Council will also promote a better understanding of private education sector through consumer awareness and public education programmes to help potential students make informed choices when enrolling for private school courses. - CNA/yb

Can you call this a school?

2008-02-25T20:33:00.000-08:00

Below is an article on some problematic private schools in Singapore published in the Straits Times.

By Sandra Davie, Education Correspondent
CRAMPED: Punniya Language and Computer Centre in Peace Centre, which said it ran IT courses, had only three computers in one classroom while another had room for only five students. -- ST PHOTO: LEE PEI QI
View more photos
WHEN Indian student R. Thevan, 19, was considering coming to Singapore to study, he started by looking at the list of schools that had been screened by the Consumers Association of Singapore (Case).
He was surprised when the first school he looked at on the list, Eastwest Education Centre, also advertised Russian women and a dating service on its website.
He thought Camford Business School's website looked more credible - until he checked the lecturers' credentials.
The academic dean, Mr K.C. Wong, had a degree from Paramount University of Technology in Wyoming, which American media had widely reported as a degree mill which gives out degrees to students who do little or no academic work.
Worse, the school in Yangtze Building in Chinatown offers degree courses from the same university to students.
Said Thevan, who has applied to enrol in the Singapore Institute of Management, one of the top-ranked private schools: 'I was surprised. Singapore is known for being strict and assuring high quality. Why are such schools even allowed to exist?'
What the teenager uncovered was only the tip of the iceberg.
A Straits Times random check on the list of 327 Case-accredited private schools here found that at least a dozen have shockingly low standards for their courses, teaching staff and facilities.
Their websites were scrutinised on courses offered, university partners and lecturers' qualifications. Background checks were also done on school owners with the Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority (Acra).
This was followed by visits to the premises.
First, the degree courses.
Besides Camford Business School in Yangtze Building which offers Paramount University of Technology degrees, Boston International School in Cecil Street also runs degree courses from a 'West Coast University'.
A check on Boston International's university partner found that this is not the West Coast University that is accredited by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation in the United States, which is known for its health-care degree programmes, especially in nursing.
Boston International's West Coast University is accredited by an agency located in the South Pacific islands of Wallis and Futuna.
Camford quoted a $16,000 fee for a 18- to 24-month degree course, and Boston International quoted $15,000 for a 12-month degree course.
But first, students have to obtain a diploma and advanced diploma, which will set them back another $10,000.
Most private schools refrain from publicising detailed qualifications of their lecturers, but freely confer titles of 'Dr' and 'Professor' on them.
But a few that did state the qualifications of their lecturers and even 'academic or research deans' were found to have qualifications from degree mills.
Besides Camford academic dean Wong, Cornell Business School, which could not be located at its listed address, has a Dr Alvin Oh who is an 'ecmomic Doctor in Leiqiesite University', which does not seem to exist.
West Business School in Peace Centre displays the credentials of its principal, a Dr Daniel Grayston, who has a PhD from Trinity College and University, which will ship you a degree complete with transcript of your results for under $500.
Some schools provided facilities that were far from adequate.
Punniya Language and Computer Centre in Peace Centre, for example, said it ran IT courses, but its computer room had only three computers.
An adjacent classroom had room for only five students.
Several schools running English language courses, supposedly taught by trained expatriate teachers, could not even get their basics right. Their websites were riddled with grammatical errors.
A check on the owners and officers of the schools also threw up some concerns.
Tie-ups with degree mills
Lecturers with dubious credentials
Website that offers Russian wives
Facilities which are inadequate
Checks done with Acra, which registers businesses, showed that two school owners were also involved in running nightclubs and KTV bars.
This is despite an Education Ministry (MOE) statement on its website that private school operators cannot have 'questionable' backgrounds.
Last year, a private school owner who also owned nightclubs was charged and sentenced to jail for 44 months for forging social visit passes for more than a dozen women from China.
Ng Teck Peng, 34, was sales and marketing manager for Ritz Everton Academy in Peace Centre, which was reported to have about 50 students, mostly Chinese women, taking courses on cooking and English.
Ng's activities came to light when some of the women, caught during police raids on vice-related activities, were found to have forged social visit passes which came from Ritz Everton.
What is surprising is that all these schools had gone through some initial checks when they registered as a private school with MOE and another round of stricter checks to win the CaseTrust award.
To be registered, private schools need to meet building and fire safety requirements, and have qualified teachers, appropriate facilities and a school management committee comprising at least one member.
For the CaseTrust mark, schools are vetted on their marketing brochures as well as their websites to ensure information on school facilities, courses, accreditation, curriculum content and qualifications of teachers is accurate and complete.
But MOE told The Straits Times that registration is not tantamount to accreditation or endorsement of a private school or its courses.
Case said it does several checks to verify information given by schools. It also hires consultants to pose as 'mystery shoppers' seeking information on courses and the school.
But Case director Seah Seng Choon said the CaseTrust scheme is not meant to ensure educational excellence, as that is beyond the association's purview.
Indian student Thevan, who was given a similar reply by Case, said: 'Then, why have such quality schemes? Surely, in the case of schools, it is more important to look at the quality of courses and teaching.'
sandra@sph.com.sg

Private Tertiary Institutions in Singapore

2008-02-13T01:46:00.000-08:00

1. Lasalle College of the Arts www.lasalle.edu.sg
2. Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts www.nafa.edu.sg
3. 3dense Media School http://singapore.3dense.net
4. Singapore Institute of Management www.buildyourown future.info
5. LearningCapital-School of Higher Education
www.learningcapital.com.sg
6. ERC Institute email:info@erc.com.sg
7. APMI Kaplan www.kaplan.com.sg
8. Asia Pacific School of Sports + Business www.apsportsbiz.com
9. BMC Academy www.bmc.edu.sg
10. James Cook University www.jcu.edu.sg
11. Management Development Institute of Singapore www.mdis.edu.sg
12. PSB Academy www.psb-academy.edu.sg
13. Alberton Management Institute www.alberton.edu.sg
14. Centre for American Education www.cae.edu.sg
15. Raffles Campus Business School www.rafflescampus.edu.sg
16. Singapore Accountancy Academy www.saa.org.sg
17. TMC Academy www.tmc.edu.sg
18. SMa School of Management www.sma.edu.sg
19. AEC Business School www.aec.edu.sg
20. School D'Hospitality www.sdh-edu.com
21. Hartford Institute of Singapore www.hartford-institute.edu.sg
22. Melior Business School www.mbs.edu.sg
23. Tourism Management Institute of Singapore email:info@tmis.edu.sg
24. Raffles Education Corporation www.raffles-school-of-psychology.com, www.raffles-school-of-infocomm.com
25. Singapore Education Services Centre www.singaporeedu.gov.sg

2007-06-19T19:16:00.000-07:00

For those who don't understand Chinese, below is a report from the Chinese Education Ministy on Singapore Schools that have run into trouble and been closed down, lost their accreditation or changed management.

留学预警[2006]2号 (总第29期) 教育部教育涉外监管信息网 2006年6月19日 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 据了解，新加坡私立学校RITZ EVERTON ACADEMY（立富登（商务）学院）已暂时关闭，接受警方调查。为此，我驻新加坡大使馆教育处再次提请欲到新加坡私立学校留学的中国学生注意，在选择学校时，一定要确认所申请的学校是否具有中国大使馆教育处的资格认定或是否取得了新加坡标新局（SPRING）的素质资格认证SQC（SINGAPORE QUALITY CALSS）。中华人民共和国教育部教育涉外监管信息网 2004年10月20日 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 新加坡哈德福教育集团(HTI Education Group,私立)近日申请破产，我部分自费留学人员的生活及学习受到严重影响。另据了解，哈德福集团所属的Educational & Management Services (EMS), City Training Center (CTC)和Regent Commercial Institute (RCI)等三所私立学校，现已出售给新的业主。中华人民共和国教育部教育涉外监管信息网 2004年6月1日 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 根据新加坡政府标准、生产力与创新局（SPRING）和经济发展局（EDB）取消私立学校“南洋管理学院（Nanyang Institute of Management）”素质级资格（Singapore Quality Class for Private Education Organizations，简称SQC-PEO），使其不再享有政府对“素质级资格学校”的优惠待遇的决定和新加坡官方披漏的有关信息，我驻新加坡使馆教育处决定从5月26日起取消对“南洋管理学院”招收中国留学生的资格认证（驻新加坡使馆教资认020号）。据悉，2004年7月1日，IPC CORPORATION LTD正式收购南洋管理学院。8月26日新加坡政府标新局（SPRING）已恢复南洋管理学院素质级资格（SQC）。留学预警[2005]3号 (总第26 期)教育部教育涉外监管信息网 2005年9月5日 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 新加坡私立学校AIT ACADEMY (中文名：新加坡澳洲理工学院) 和AIT UNICAMPUS宣布，因学校流动资金不足自9月1日起倒闭。这两所学校现有学生900余名，其中中国学生424名。在各方面的积极努力和协调下，学校现有学生将分别由Informatics College、Learning Vision International 和Nanyang Institute of Management 等私立学校接收。留学预警[2006]5号 (总第32期) 教育部教育涉外监管信息网 2006年12月4日 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 近日，新加坡7所私立学校被新加坡消费者协会取消或暂停消协保证计划资格（CASETRUST）。其中，东方商学院( THE ORIENTAL SCHOOL OF BUSINESS )被新加坡消费者协会取消保证计划资格，新加坡商学院（SINGAPORE INSTITUTE OF COMMERCE）、路易斯·普雷斯顿商学院（LOUIS PRESTON SCHOOL OF BUSINESS）、路易斯·普雷斯顿旅游培训中心（LOUIS PRESTON TRAVEL & TOURISM TRAINING CENTER）、新加坡斯坦菲学院（STANSFIELD COLLEGE）、南洋狮城俱乐部（LIONS CLUB OF SINGAPORE NANYANG）、富饶柏教育学校（FROEBEL SCHOOL OF EDUCATION）等6所私立学校被新加坡消费者协会暂停保证计划资格。据了解，被新加坡消费者协会取消或暂停保证计划资格的学校，将不能再招收外国学生，或须暂停招收外国学生。以上7所私立学校中，被取消保证计划资格的东方商学院( THE ORIENTAL SCHOOL OF BUSINESS )日前已歇业，所有学生已完成学业或转学，其他6所学校正接受进一步调查，目前仍在正常运转，但招收外国留学生的资格已被暂停。

Froebel Academy in trouble

2007-06-05T21:21:00.000-07:00

Students demand certificates from Froebel AcademyBy Satish Cheney, Channel NewsAsia Posted: 05 June 2007 2214 hrs

SINGAPORE: It was a scene of confusion and frustration at a private school on Tuesday afternoon. Students of Froebel Academy gathered at the school in Parkmall at Penang Road, demanding their certificates. Apparently, many have yet to receive their certificates despite graduating six months ago.

The following students did not want to give their names to Channel NewsAsia but agreed to be interviewed. "I just want to upgrade myself, so I pay the money to make myself better. I work very hard to make to make the money right? Now the money I cannot get back and now I cannot get the cert. It has made us very sad," says one angry student. "Now the issue is that as a person who pays for anything I have the right to know what is happening," says a relative of one student.

There was also silence also from the school's elusive principal, who told Channel NewsAsia she was too busy to field questions. However the students stood their ground, leaving the sole school administrator no choice but to arrange a hurried meeting which was closed to the media.

After the meeting, the students were told they would receive their certificates on Friday. Some students are also unhappy they are not going to get a stamp from the East China Normal University. They claim the school told them their certificates would have a stamp if they paid S$7,500. But the school is denying this. Students say without this stamp, their certificate will be useless when they look for jobs in China. "$7,500…but now she says only this school’s chop…it's no use for us and she says that she wants to close after this year so we have no use for the certificate," says a student.

And students were not the only ones affected. One teacher claims the school owes her S$20,000 in unpaid wages. A school administrator told reporters that some of the ex-staff members had absconded with the school's funds recently but refused to give any other details. Some of the courses offered by Froebel Academy are accredited by the Ministry of Education and the Community Development, Youth and Sports Ministry. The school has also received its CASE TRUST status. - CNA/yy

Trouble in the industry

2007-06-05T21:11:00.000-07:00

SINGAPORE: The University of New South Wales (UNSW) will close its campus in Singapore next month. The announcement came less than two months after its grand opening. The school said it was facing a financial shortfall of $15 million a year due to lower-than-anticipated student enrolment numbers. Its target was 300 students in its first semester. But it only got 148 students, 100 of whom are Singaporeans. If it were to continue building its campus in Changi, it would have to borrow $140 million. The school said both factors led to an unsustainable financial burden and it decided to call it quits in Singapore.

Students have already paid their fees, which range between S$26,000 and S$29,000 a year. UNSW says these students will be offered a place at its home campus in Sydney. There will also be scholarships to help with the cost of travel and accommodation.

UNSW has already invested over S$22 million (A$17.5 million) in its Singapore campus. It was invited by Singapore's Economic Development Board in 2004 to establish what would have been the first private comprehensive university in Singapore. The EDB had said the school was expected to contribute at least $500 million a year to the economy in direct spending. The EDB refuses to reveal how much it invested in the school.

The episode is clearly damaging to Singapore's aim to be a global schoolhouse. But the EDB, which drives the global schoolhouse initiatives, believes it will still reach its target of attracting 150,000 international students by 2015. There are currently 80,000 foreign students in Singapore. Aw Kah Peng, EDB's Assistant Managing Director, said: "The learning point is that we have to continue working very hard. Truly, with every institution, it will be different. With each one, we have to put everything we can to think about all these issues of whether we can make it work, how long it will take for us to make it work, what will it take for us to make it work. We will then have to step forward on that basis."

UNSW says it would have stayed on in Singapore if it has been allowed to scale down its student enrolment numbers to 2,000 students by 2012. But this would be quite far from the original bargain with the EDB which had set a target of 15,000 UNSW students by 2020.

The UNSW closure does not mean that the EDB will no longer work with the school. The EDB says there are many areas of cooperation between UNSW and Singapore which are mutually beneficial. These include foundation schooling for university entry, research collaborations, University of New South Wales school competitions and joint programmes with Singapore institutions. EDB says it will continue to pursue these areas and strengthen its relationship with UNSW. - CNA/ir

Problems facing international students studying in Singapore

2006-07-13T20:31:00.000-07:00

I had mediated few cases of disputes between China Students and the Private education Schools/Association of xxx xxxx etc. recently.

During the mediation, I realised that :
1) The China Students are paying more than S$13,000 each for a 3 - 4 years course to unheard of private schools or Some So-called Association of XXX XXX.

2) After 2 - 3 years of studies here and about to graduate and yet these students are unable to converse in simple English.

3) A group of students (including Singaporeans) attending a so-called US University conducting degree courses in Singapore. Upon investigations by the "undergraduates", the University does not even have a campus in US. It only has a mail box address in US.

I heard/understand from the mass media that many China Students are being attracted to Singapore to study because of our bilingual policy and they believe that they can get quality education here, epecially to learn English. From my encounters with these students and some private education institutions, I really feel very sad for the China students.

My assessment is that these students are wasting their time and money getting sub-standard education and unrecognised or unheard of qualifications. Now, these cases may look like it concerns only the China students themselves. These private institutions are in fact tarnishing the reputation of our education standard in Singapore in the long run. If nothing is done to see that foreign students are being guided, lead to the correct education school/path.

The above is a comment by a consultant on his experience with China students.

Students who are unfamiliar with the Singapore Education Industry should consult reputable organisations here before committing themselves to any schools/universities. They may contact ACISS, Association of International Students (Singapore) at 96433676 or 97500206 for assistance.

More foreign universities locating in Singapore

2006-03-16T21:41:00.000-08:00

Universities from US, France, Japan, Australia set up operations here but none from UK. Why? By Martin Thompson The Independent.Mar 16, 2006

The writing is on the wall for cash-strapped British universities. If the downward trend in applications from high-paying overseas students continues, they will not be able to rely indefinitely on attracting them in sufficient numbers to plug gaps in their stretched coffers.

Intensifying competition from the US, Europe and Australasia, and the rise of local universities in developing countries, are feeding the problem - as is the high cost of living in the UK.
Some British universities have decided that the solution lies in tapping into the vast Asian market for higher education by opening second campuses in Asia, often in partnership with local institutions.

Nowhere is keener to attract a British university than Singapore.

With aspirations to become a leading education centre for the Asia Pacific region, this tiny, well-ordered island state has been wooing leading foreign universities to go beyond the partnership model and to build and manage their own campus.

The aim is to offer the same degrees and teaching quality as students would receive in university's the country of origin.

Spearheading this strategy is the Singapore government's Economic Development Board (EDB), which hopes to increase the numbers of international students in Singapore from the current annual intake of 70,000 to 150,000 by 2015. Their respected domestic universities are almost full, hence the desire to bring in well-known overseas names.

From the 28th floor of Raffles City Tower, EDB's headquarters, there is a panoramic view of the cluster of British-designed buildings making up the impressive new downtown campus of Singapore Management University, one of three public higher-education institutions catering for domestic demand

Singapore, with its population of just over four million, may be keen to borrow from the best of British in many fields, but it has so far failed to persuade one of our universities to replicate itself in the tropics. ...Other major British universities have reportedly been approached by Singapore to set up campuses, but so far none has leapt at the opportunity, despite the fact that several rivals already have an academic presence on the island, from franchise operations and partnerships to fully-fledged independent campuses. These include MIT, Johns Hopkins University and the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business of the US, INSEAD business school of France and Japan's Waseda University.

Why go to the trouble and expense of setting up a campus halfway across the world, especially as, in the case of Singapore, the government will not fund the main building costs (although they will offer start-up assistance)?

Tan says the promise lies in the potential for greater global exposure and access to a vast pool of talented students from India, China and the burgeoning economies of South-east Asia.
He says the upwardly mobile students of the future will seek a more cosmopolitan, more international educational experience, but one close to home.

Education News

2005-12-18T07:07:00.000-08:00

1. The SP Jain Center of Management (SPJCM) has opened a second campus in Singapore for its Global MBA programme. Students of this one year programme will spend 6 months in Dubai and 6 months in Singapore for a GMBA degree.

SP Jain Center thus joins INSEAD, France, Graduate School of Business-Chicago and University of New South Wales Australia as international institutions approved by the Ministry of Education, Singapore. (dated 5 Dec 05)

2. UniSIM has strengthened its tie up with the Ong Teng Cheong Institute(OTC) to allow graduates of their joint Diploma in Employee Relations to enjoy up to a year of exemption should they pursue a degree course at UniSIM. (dated 9 Jan 06)

School List

2005-12-05T04:58:00.000-08:00

All information on government schools and junior colleges are available in the Ministry of Education website.

A complete list of schools can is also available at: www.answers.com/topic/list-of-schools-in-singapore

2 Singapore operated international secondary schools that are supported by the government are:

1. Anglo Chinese School International www.acsinternational.com.sg
2. Hwa Chong International www.hci.edu.sg

Private International Schools: www.answers.com/topic/list-of-international-schools-in-singapore

University, College, Polytechnic List

2005-12-05T02:43:00.000-08:00

Government Universities

1. Nanyang Technological Universities www.ntu.edu.sg
2. National University of Singapore www.nus,edu.sg
3. Singapore Management University www.smu.edu.sg
4. The SIM University(UniSIM) www.unisim.edu.sg
5. National Institute of Education www.nie.edu.sg

Government Polytechnics
1. Nanyang Polytechnic www.nyp.edu.sg
2. Ngee Ann Polytechnic www.np.edu.sg
3. Republic Polytechnic www.rp.sg
4. Singapore Polytechnic www.sp.edu.sg
5. Temasek Polytechnic www.tp.edu.sg

Foreign Universities
1. Chicago GSB http://ChicagoGSB.edu
2. University of New South Wales www.unsw.edu.au
3. INSEAD www.insead.edu/

Private Schools Offering University Programmes

1. Management Development Institute of Singapore www.mdis.edu.sg
2. Singapore Institute of Management
3. FTMS Global www.ftmsglobal.com
4. Informatics Group (S) Pte www.informaticsgroup.com.sg
5. Ngee Ann Adelaide Education Centre Pte Ltd www.naaec.com.sg
6. Stansfield College www.stansfieldcollege.com
7. TED Huaxia Institute Pte Ltd www.edu.sg
8. Washington Business School
9. Dimension Commercial School Pte Ltd www.dimensions.edu.sg
10. Center For American Education www.cae.edu.sg

College
1. Lasalle SIA College of the Arts www.lasallesia.edu.sg
2. Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts www.nafa.edu.sg

Accommodation, hostels, private flats

2005-12-04T00:23:00.000-08:00

There are several choices of accommodation that are available to foreign students. Students in government universities and some schools are provided with accommodations in their own hostels. These are perhaps the best options available, very well run and managed. But cost wise it is not cheap but not unnecessarily expensive either.

Some private schools also provide their own hostels or have arrangements with private hostels for their students. Then there are the private individuals and families who have a spare room or even whole flats to be let out to students. For these the students would have to take care of themselves. Some provide food as well. In the case of several students sharing a flat, they are all on their own, including laundry and preparing their own food.

Normally in share accommodations, hostels included, two or more students may share a bedroom. Some hostels may provide single occupancy at a higher cost.

The average cost for room sharing varies from S$150 to $300, depending on the type of flats or house, government or private properties and distance from the city.

So far most students find it quite easy to adapt to their new environment in a foreign land. For younger children, most schools would require a guardian to take care of the students. The schools or service providers could recommend guardians for the students and the cost is between S$800 to $1,700 per month. The guardians will normally act as the foster parent of sort to look after the child's needs and to deal with the schools on matters concerning the child.

Food in Singapore is relatively cheap if the student is prepared to eat like the locals in food courts or coffee shops. A meal can be had for between $3 to $5. Those who are able to cook and share the cost will probably make do with lesser cost.

For entertainment, the students can engage in many sports that are freely available or visit the parks. Some may spend more in the sophisticated clubs or movie theatres etc. Many who do not want to spend too much may find people watching people a good way of passing time in the busy orchard road belt or in posh shopping centres.

The life of a student is as interesting as they can make them out to be. And not necessarily to be expensive.

List of Hostels
1. Adage Boarding & Student Services tel: 63455929
2. Balestier Student's Hostel www.bshostel.com
3. Goodman Eduserve tel: 63457536
4. Amsen International Hostel tel: 62356409
5. D Sophia Lodging tel: 63374733
6. Eton Hall Services tel: 62721201
7. International Student Support Centre tel: 68373106
8. Luxury Boarding House tel: 67457129
9. Nanyang Girls Boarding School tel: 64698248
10. Oldham Hall ACS tel: 62528513
11. Sunshine International Student Lodge tel: 63489230
12. Trinity Student Services tel: 64463376
13. Waterloo Hostel tel: 63366555

Foreign student population in Singapore

2005-12-03T23:48:00.000-08:00

As of 1 Dec 2005, the foreign student population is 66,000. This is a 16,000 increase over the last 3 years. Students from China form the biggest group at 33,000, follows by Malaysians and Indonesians at 8,000 each. Vietnam and India are relatively new in this market but their student population have grown rapidly to 4,000 each. Myanmar has about 1,800 and South Korea with 7,000.

The rest of the students in smaller groups come from the Phillippines, Thailand, Kampuchea, Pakistan, Taiwan, Maldives, Madagascar, Nigeria, Mongolia, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan. There are also students coming from Europe and America.

The attraction of Singapore as an education hub is the relatively cheaper cost and quality education provided by reputable local and international universities. For the asian students, many quoted a east west environment as the most important consideration, to be able to learn English in an asian society and in the presence of asian languages like Chinese, Indian, and of course Malay. European or American students see Singapore as a stepping stone to learn Chinese and Chinese culture.

And the presence of top notch universities, and brand name post graduate courses are also important factor for these students.

Then there is the generally safe and peaceful environment where students can move around and socialise freely and feeling very at ease with the local people. Government agencies and support for students also help to make Singapore a choice location for students wanting an international envirionment with English as a medium of instruction.

With more government encouragement, the student population is set to grow and more foreign universities will also open their campus here.

Education Industry

2005-12-03T04:25:00.000-08:00

The education industry for international students has taken off in the last 10 years with many reputable and big name universities setting up branches in Singapore. Courses available include undergraduate and post graduate courses, diploma and professional courses and secondary schools.

The flourishment of the industry in a short span of time has created many opportunities for education and related services to serve an ever increasing population of international students coming from the region as well as Europe, Africa and the USA.

With such a huge gathering of people, teaching professionals and service providers and students, it is expected that there will be problems and difficulties associated with the industry. Some problems are due to unfamiliarities with the industry, people and the rules and regulations of the country. Some are due to negligence, fraudulent practices and unscrupulous service providers.

It is the objective of this blog to provide an avenue for people to share their experiences so that others will not fall into the same mistakes. Also, students and parents who are seeking more information on education in Singapore can seek help and advices from people who are in the know.

I hope everyone can contribute something to the betterment of the industry and the students.