ID :
70401
Tue, 07/14/2009 - 21:36
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://oananews.org//node/70401
The shortlink copeid
S'PORE CLOSES COLLEGE OFFERING FAKE AUSTRALIAN DEGREE
By Zakaria Abdul Wahab
SINGAPORE, July 14 (Bernama) - Singapore Tuesday closed down a local private
college after it was found to be offering a fake Australian business degree.
The Education Ministry said it cancelled the registration of Brookes
Business School from today after investigations by the secretariat of the
pro-tem Council for Private Education found the college had contravened the
Education Act.
In a statement, the ministry said the secretariat was now working with
various agencies and the private education industry players to put in place
measures to help the affected students to complete their studies.
It was reported last month that hundreds of students had signed-on for a
one-year course for the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT) Bachelor
of Business degree.
The students said that they paid between $12,000 and $18,000 for the course,
believing the programme was bona fide.
RMIT then had revealed it was alerted about the college misrepresenting the
institute on its website in April 2007 and took immediate legal action against
Brookes and also informed the Singaporean authorities about the
misrepresentation.
RMIT demanded and obtained a written undertaking from Brookes in which the
school agreed to remove all references to RMIT on its website and documentation
then.
But last month, RMIT discovered that Brookes breached the legal undertakings
by continuing to deliver and misrepresent RMIT through their college in
Singapore, and following that the Education Ministry sprang into action.
The ministry said all affected students may approach the Association of
Private Schools and Colleges (APSC) to seek assistance to be emplaced in another
private education institution.
Prior to approaching APSC, international students holding Student Passes
issued by the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority should first approach the
Consumers Association of Singapore (CASE) to get advice on the return of fees
under the Student Protection Scheme.
-- BERNAMA
SINGAPORE, July 14 (Bernama) - Singapore Tuesday closed down a local private
college after it was found to be offering a fake Australian business degree.
The Education Ministry said it cancelled the registration of Brookes
Business School from today after investigations by the secretariat of the
pro-tem Council for Private Education found the college had contravened the
Education Act.
In a statement, the ministry said the secretariat was now working with
various agencies and the private education industry players to put in place
measures to help the affected students to complete their studies.
It was reported last month that hundreds of students had signed-on for a
one-year course for the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT) Bachelor
of Business degree.
The students said that they paid between $12,000 and $18,000 for the course,
believing the programme was bona fide.
RMIT then had revealed it was alerted about the college misrepresenting the
institute on its website in April 2007 and took immediate legal action against
Brookes and also informed the Singaporean authorities about the
misrepresentation.
RMIT demanded and obtained a written undertaking from Brookes in which the
school agreed to remove all references to RMIT on its website and documentation
then.
But last month, RMIT discovered that Brookes breached the legal undertakings
by continuing to deliver and misrepresent RMIT through their college in
Singapore, and following that the Education Ministry sprang into action.
The ministry said all affected students may approach the Association of
Private Schools and Colleges (APSC) to seek assistance to be emplaced in another
private education institution.
Prior to approaching APSC, international students holding Student Passes
issued by the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority should first approach the
Consumers Association of Singapore (CASE) to get advice on the return of fees
under the Student Protection Scheme.
-- BERNAMA
