The private education sector in Singapore has grown over the past 10 years. The government has taken determined steps on regulatory control and governance to ensure that there is a balanced and holistic approach in regulating the industry so as to benefit students and raise standards over time. The implementation of a new regime for private education institutions (PEIs) under the Council for Private Education (CPE) in 2009 is a timely move towards enhancing the standards and quality of the sector, to bolster the Republic’s position as a global education hub. On 1 December 2009, the CPE was constituted as a statutory board under the new Private Education Art to regulate and oversee the standards and development of the local PEIs. As a sectoral regulator, the CPE has implemented two (2) schemes – a mandatory Enhanced Registration Framework (ERF) and a voluntary quality assurance scheme called the EduTrust Certification Scheme. They are aimed at tightening the regulatory framework for the private education sector and raising standards of the PEIs operating in the local industry respectively.
The ERF requires that the PEIs meet stipulated requirements in areas of corporate governance academic rigour and information transparency, in order to be registered with the CPE and operate their businesses. The EduTrust Certification Scheme, on the other hand, imposes a set of higher standards, to provide a trusted mark of quality differentiation among the PEIs. A PEI that wishes to be EduTrust certified has to put in place robust systems and processes on corporate governance, academic systems and processes, financial health, provision of student protection and support services.
Successful PEIs can be awarded either the EduTrust Star, EduTrust, or EduTrust Provisional certificates, depending on their level of attainment. EduTrust cerfication is also stipulated by the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority as a pre-requisite for PEIs to enroll international students on student passes.
In addition to its regulatory role, the CPE also plays a key role in the development of consumer education and student support services, as well as in charting the industry blueprint or capability upgrading infrastructural development and promotion of the private education sector.
Mr. Henry Heng, Chief Executive Officer of CPE, in sharing his insight into achieving the CPE’s vision of a trusted and well-regarded private education sector, said “In addition to regulation and enforcement, the CPE adopts a holistic approach to uplift the overall quality of the private education sector in Singapore by helping private schools improve themselves through industry development initiatives and promoting consumer education. In the long run, this helps to safeguard students’ interest by ensuring that growth in the private education sector is built on sustainable capacity development in our private schools and complemented by increasing market savviness of our consumers.
“One of the key drivers behind CPE’s work is to reinforce student protection, which has always been foremost in our minds.”
To help step up the efforts in consumer education and student support services, the CPE has set up a one-stop CPE Student Services Centre at One Orchard Road, in the heart of tow, to facilitate outreach and promote consumer awareness on private education in Singapore. The Centre which was officially launched in April 2010, is well stocked with information and internet facilities for students. There are also trained and friendly staffs to provide objective information on PEIs and courses, and advice on issues that relate to studying and living in Singapore.
EduTrust Certification is the Mark of Quality for a PEI
The EduTrust certification administered by the CPE is a voluntary quality trust mark that affirms a PEI’s status on financial health, and high standards in management and provision of education services, based on a comprehensive set of criteria. A PEI needs to be EduTrust certified to enroll international students. This is one of the pre-requisites stipulated by the immigration and Checkpoints Authority in Singapore for the issuance of student passes.
A prospective student who is interested to pursue higher education in Singapore MUST make informed decision about his/her choice PEI’s EduTrust certification will help prospective students:
1. A PEI that gets the EduTrust seal of approval from CPE is ascertained to have attained stipulated quality standards in areas such as academics, financial and administrative processes and student welfare matters, before being allowed to enroll foreign students.
2. The benefits of studying in an EduTrust certified PEI are multi-fold:
a. There are processes in place to ensure that courses are of high quality and relevance to both student and industry;
b. Students’ progress are assessed and monitored, to achieve desired outcomes;
c. The PEI selects and recruits the most appropriate teaching staff to deliver the courses and achieve its education goals.
d. The PEI takes care of their students in support services, has a conducive learning environment, and provides compulsory medical insurance coverage for all their students on hospitalization throughout the course period;
e. The PEI has proper management of resources, facilities, and infrastructure that promotes learning in its environment;
f. The PEI is proactive in managing its recruitment agents to ensure quality and ethical services in presentation and engagement with external parties;
g. The PEI provides a Free Protection Scheme for students via escrow bank account or insurance scheme, sets clear and fair refund policies for transfers and withdrawals, and is transparent on all terms and conditions in the contract agreement with its students; and
h. The PEI is of reasonable financial health and credit rating.
3. Under EduTrust certification, a PEI must ensure that all terms and conditions in its PEI-Student Contract are clearly spelt out, prominently displayed, and available as public information at all times.
4. An EduTrust certified PEI is required to provide pre-course counseling to prospective students prior to enrolment. It is expected to be explicit in proving information about tuition, administrative and other miscellaneous costs that are chargeable, the Fee Protection Scheme adopted, payment mode and schedule for the students to pay their fees, course modules and outlines, opportunities available for further education and career prospects after graduation, as well as policies and procedures for refunds, transfers and withdrawals from courses, at a pre-course counseling session.
More information about EduTrust certification, such as the status of a PEI’s application under the scheme, or types of EduTrust certification, is available at www.cpe.gov.sg
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