The Enhanced Registration Framework (ERF), as set out under the Private Education Act and the Private Education Regulations, spells out the mandatory registration requirements and legislative obligations which all private education institutions, operating in and from Singapore, must meet.
It is administered by the Council for Private Education, which is the sectoral regulator overseeing the private education sector, as established under the Private Education Act.
The Enhanced Registration Framework aims to enhance the overall quality of private education institutions in Singapore and ensure that they are of a certain acceptable standard in order to protect the interests of the students enrolled in their schools. It does this through measures to enhance the following aspects of the Enhanced Registration Framework:
Registration
The Private Education Act requires all private education institutions to be registered with the Council for Private Education before they are allowed to commence operations.
Unlike the previous Education Act when registration for private education institutions was a one-off exercise, under the new regulatory regime, registration status will have a specified validity period to be determined by the Council for Private Education.
The validity period of a private education institution’e registration status may vary, based on how well the private education institution measures up to the registration criteria. This will provide private education institutions with the incentive to improve their standards in order to attain a longer period of registration.
Corporate Governance
The Private Education Act prescribes a clear line of accountability for the conduct and practices of private education institutions.
To ensure that accountability for any misconduct is placed on the actual persons who exert management influence over the private education institutions, the Private Education Act defines the manager of a private education institution as any director (if the private education institution is a company), or member of its management committee (if the private education institution is a registered society). It also includes owners, partners or any person who has management of the private education institution, so this covers managers of unregistered private education institutions as well.
The Act also requires the managers of a private education institution to fulfil a prescribed set of duties and responsibilities. These include the keeping of proper records, providing for students affected by the closure of private education institutions to complete their enrolled course or a similar one in another private education institution; and furnishing information requested by the Council for Private Education within the stipulated duration. The failure of a manager to fulfill his responsibilities without any reasonable excuse would constitute an offense.
The Council for Private Education has the power to direct any private education institution to suspend or remove any of its managers if they are found to be inadequate in carrying out the responsibilities of managing the school, or are unable to discharge their prescribed duties.
Quality of Provisions
A private education institution is required to set up an Academic Board and an Examinations Board with at least three members each. The Boards are to set up proper academic and examination processes and frameworks respectively.
The onus is on the private education institution to ensure that its teachers deployed have relevant and authentic qualifications and experience that meet the requirements stipulated by the Private Education Act and Regulations.
Private education institutions also have to seek and receive permission from the Council for Private Education before they offer any course, with the exception of certificate-level courses which are less than one month or 50 hours in duration. The requirements for any private education institution applying to offer external degree programmes (EDPs) will be tightened as well.
In processing any private education institution’s application to offer courses, the Council would verify the authenticity of the qualifications it offers, and the standing of the institutions issuing them. For example, the Council for Private Education would examine the track records and profiles of both the private education institution and the foreign university issuing the degrees. Foreign universities would have to make the commitment that the degree programmes offered at the local private education institutions are recognised by the relevant authorities in their home country; are subject to the same academic approval and assurance processes as the programmes offered at their home campuses; and that the graduates here receive equivalent recognition, treatment and privileges as those enrolled in their home campuses.
It would be an offence for private education institutions or any persons to advertise courses not permitted by the Council for Private Education, or to solicit or receive any fee from any student for such courses. Private education institutions found to have committed any of these offences would be liable for its registration period to be shortened, or even for its registration to be suspended or cancelled.
Information Transparency
The Enhanced Registration Framework stipulates requirements for full information disclosure by private education institutions about themselves and the services they provide, such as their registration validity period, courses offered, teachers deployed, fees, facilities and refund policy. All information on private education institutions which is pertinent to prospective and current students is published on the Council for Private Education’s website to enable students to make informed choices in their selection of schools and courses.
Source: http://www.cpe.gov.sg