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 CaseTrust for Education was launched by the Consumers Association of Singapore (CASE), for Private Education Organizations (PEOs).
After 1st September 2005, only PEOs who have obtained the CaseTrust for Education status will be able to offer placement for international students in their programmes in Singapore.
The scheme has been customized specifically by CASE for the education industry in Singapore. This ensures that the PEOs have fulfilled all the mandatory regulatory requirements that allow them to continue enrolling international students into their programmes and courses.
A PEO that achieves CaseTrust for Education is certified as an organization that possesses the foundation for good quality student welfare/protection practices and standards. The PEO will have the following mechanisms in place:
- Clear fee policies
- Well-defined student redress practice and systems
- Disclosure of the PEO's commitment of quality
- Well-trained personnel
This will give international students and their parents, added assurance that the PEOs have put in place proper systems and practices to look after the welfare and interest of students in Singapore. The implementation of CaseTrust for Education will ensure that PEOs will offer the highest possible standards of academic, organizational and student protection and welfare practices.
To achieve the CaseTrust for Education certification, PEOs have to fulfil two conditions,
1) The Student Protection Scheme and 2) Development of a standard contract.
- Student Protection Scheme (SPS)
The SPS serves to protect the international students' tuition fees. The following are two schemes under the SPS that the PEOs can choose from:
- Student Tuition Fee Account (Escrow) run by DBS Bank and HSBC
Tuition fees paid by the students to the PEOs will have to be left in the custody of a third party, in this case the CASE-endorsed banks, DBS Bank and HSBC, participating in the Student Tuition Fee Account (Escrow) scheme. When specified conditions for its release have been met, the bank will disburse the tuition fees on a regular basis to the PEO.
The disbursement will stop if the PEO is unable to continue operations due to insolvency and/or regulatory closure, or if the PEO fails to pay penalties or to return fees to students arising from judgements made against it by the Singapore courts.
- Student Tuition Fee Insurance run by NTUC Income
The Student Tuition Fee Insurance indemnifies students for their tuition fees paid in advance to the PEO for the following events:
- When the PEO is unable to continue operations due to insolvency and/or regulatory closure, or if the PEO fails to pay penalties or to return fees to students arising from judgements made against it by the Singapore courts, or
- Upon death or total permanent disability of the student
- Standard Contract
All PEOs need to prepare standard contracts to provide more transparency for enrolling international students, detailing information such as course fees, start and end date of course, facilities provided by the schools and recourse in the event of the need for fee refund etc.
As part of the ongoing efforts to achieve the highest standards possible across the education industry, the relevant authorities are also working on additional measures that will strengthen our framework for education excellence. In addition to the CaseTrust for Education scheme, PEOs are also encouraged to attain the Singapore Quality Class for Private Education Organizations (SQC-PEO), administered by Spring Singapore.
Please click here for a list of PEOs who have attained CaseTrust for Education and/or Singapore Quality Class for Private Education Organizations (SQC-PEO).
You may also contact:
CASE
170 Ghim Moh Road, #05-01
Ulu Pandan Community Building
Singapore 279621
Tel: (65) 6463 1811
Fax: (65) 6467 9055
E-mail: complaints@case.org.sg
Website: www.case.org.sg
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| Last updated on 5 December 2006. |
