MOE bans school for selling fake degrees
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MOE cancels registration of Brookes Business School
SINGAPORE: Singapore’s Education Ministry (MOE) has cancelled the registration of a private school that has been investigated for offering fake degrees from a well—known Australian university.
It is the first case this year of a school being stripped of its registration by the ministry.
MOE said this follows investigations by the secretariat of the pro—tem Council for Private Education (CPE) on Brookes Business School for contraventions of the Education Act.
The school has been accused by its students of peddling fake degrees from the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology for as little as S$12,000.
MOE told Channel NewsAsia some 400 local and overseas students are affected by the closure. Some have already paid more than S$10,000 in deposits.
Most of the students whom Channel NewsAsia spoke to refused to appear on camera, but several of them said they already had doubts over the school’s credibility.
Jonathan Ong, student at Brookes Business School, said: "I’m not surprised. Ever since I signed up with this school, there’ve been a lot of changes to their policies and the programme structures."
This is despite the fact that the school was registered with MOE and had Casetrust accreditation from the Consumers Association of Singapore (CASE).
Casetrust—endorsed schools receive certification for having good student welfare/protection practices and standards, such as clear fee policies, well—defined student redress practices and systems, a declared commitment to quality, and well—trained personnel.
According to CASE’s website, the certification does not represent endorsement or accreditation of the quality of the courses offered.
Thevanathan Pillay, assistant director, CASE, said: "For those students who have completed their course and feel they’ve been given a fake certificate, they should actually go to court and sue the business."
MOE said the secretariat of the pro—tem CPE is working with various agencies and private education industry players to put in place measures to ensure that affected students have other avenues to complete their studies.
Students may approach the Association of Private Schools and Colleges (APSC) to be placed in another private education institution. For this purpose, students should be prepared to show proof that they are currently enrolled students of Brookes Business School.
They should also bring along the following documents:
i) student contracts;
ii) payment receipts;
iii) course schedules and assignments completed;
iv) any past tests scripts and results.The APSC helpline is 6252—3192 or 6252—6134.
MOE said prior to approaching APSC, international students holding student passes issued by the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) should first approach CASE to get advice on fee returns under the Student Protection Scheme.
CASE’s helpline is 6463—1811. Students may also contact pro—tem CPE via the MOE Customer Service at [email protected] or 6872—2220.
— CNA/so
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the owner should also be charged as well for deterence sake!!!
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28 students of Brookes Business School file complaints with CASE to get refund
Consumer watchdog CASE has received 28 complaints from students affected by the closure of Brookes Business School.
The students are seeking a refund on tuition fees paid out to the school, which can cost up to $12,000 for a one-year specialist diploma.
As Brookes Business School is CaseTrust accredited, most of the students are covered by the Student Protection Scheme and the Standard Student Contract.
Executive Director of CASE, Seah Seng Choon, said the more than 200 foreign students are covered and will receive insurance payouts from NTUC Income.
However, the Student Protection Scheme is optional for local students.
For those who opted out of the scheme, CASE advises that students approach the Small Claims Tribunal.
"They can go to the Small Claims Tribunal to get a judgment, and with that judgment, they can file a claim with the company. So if they need our assistance on this, they can come to our office and our officers can advise them on how to proceed to the SCT and the manner in which they can file a claim."
Mr Seah also said that affected students can approach the Association of Private Schools and Colleges to be placed in another private education institution.
The Ministry of Education de-registered Brookes Business School after it was found to have offered fake degrees from well-known schools such as the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology.
About 400 students were enrolled in the school when it closed.
--938Live
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my heart goes to those students and grad from that school.
Money gone as well waste of time. Some still need to service the loan.. The school should be charge.. with heavy penalty. Maybe some help from the govt to assist those kena cheated.. let them enrol to another new Uni, w or without additional school fee in discount bah.. if not really very sad for them. haiz...
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How come got people so stupid go and sell fake certs. Sure will get caught..
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OHHHHH!!!
my fren used to work there!!
luckily i never sign up for any course there lor..
asshole, want to cheat my money!!
i dun noe if he is stil working there cos no more in contact.
but he was earning good, comm came from the fee..
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I hope potential students go to the bigger and reputable commercial institutions like SIM & MDIS, PSB, TMC etc.
dun go to those unknown quality institutions. if you do, you are asking for trouble if the company fold up.
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Originally posted by marcteng:
I hope potential students go to the bigger and reputable commercial institutions like SIM & MDIS, PSB, TMC etc.
dun go to those unknown quality institutions. if you do, you are asking for trouble if the company fold up.
u think TMC is good?my sis graduated frm there but she say not very good..
dun noe why..
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if a degree course sounded too easy, then something must be wrong, neh ? ... I mean ... degree in 12 months ? ....
even with full exceptions, people would still typically have to spend two full time years in a uni overseas and three locally .....
what were the people who signed up thinking ? ... you reap what you sow, you get what you put in ... and I'm not talking about money here ....
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can refund with a real degree mah?
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Originally posted by Fatum:
if a degree course sounded too easy, then something must be wrong, neh ? ... I mean ... degree in 12 months ? ....
even with full exceptions, people would still typically have to spend two full time years in a uni overseas and three locally .....
what were the people who signed up thinking ? ... you reap what you sow, you get what you put in ... and I'm not talking about money here ....
MDIS have a course that require 12 months to complete for a BBA.
but require a amount of working experience... emmm
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Originally posted by Cool-gal:
u think TMC is good?my sis graduated frm there but she say not very good..
dun noe why..
TMC may not be the best, but its much better than studying at schools such as Brookes.
SIM I think should be the best among the commercial schools, in terms of facilities. they even have a canteen and megabites restuarant there. They even have UniSIM. study there better.
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Originally posted by duanyuqiao:
MDIS have a course that require 12 months to complete for a BBA.
but require a amount of working experience... emmm
employers do look at your transcripts and what not too nowadays ... how many modules can one take in a year ? ....
so when they ask for your uni transcript, you're gonna produce a two page print out and "nah ! the rest of my degree is part of my working experience" .... hmmmmmm ... you know ... those online degree mills, also confer their "degrees" based on "work experience" too .....
of course, if it's just to have that "B something something" beneath one's name card ... by all means ....
I know quite a few friends who got their degree part time through private institutions, some sweated blood and went through hell to get their degrees, some didn't even appeared to need to have studied for anything at all .... which is worth more ? everyone can draw their own conclusions ...
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study in commercial institutions and studying in a university, there are many differences.
1) universities have professors, AP, Doctors as lecturers and tutors as full time. commercial schools mostly have masters or MBAs and some have doctorate degree. they usually worked part time and have a day time job.
2) facilities and classrooms/auditoriums. no need to say much, as universities owned commercial schools.
3) library. university have a much bigger catalogue of books for all disciplines.
4) students. students in university are full time whereas the students in commercial schools study part time, usually in the evenings.
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MDIS library suck!
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i think there are too many of these small-scale private schools around, and not everyone truly understands the quality of education they can deliver.
I really doubt that there are any use in getting a degree from unheard of universities like the university of ohio, etc. are these institutions even reliable enough? and are they recognised degrees?
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Second school to close
A SECOND private school run by a man who peddled fake degrees has been ordered to close.
In a statement yesterday, the Education Ministry (MOE) said it had revoked the registration of Stamford Global Learning Centre, which has about 40 students and is also operated by Benny Yap Chee Mun.
The order came a day after another school owned by Mr Yap, Brookes Business School, was ordered to close.
As was the case with Brookes, Stamford Global's licence was taken away because it contravened the Education Act.
MOE did not give any details.
But according to a former Brookes staff member who requested anonymity, both schools handed out the same bogus qualifications from brand-name institutions in Australia and Britain such as the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology.
Stamford was much smaller than Brookes, however: It had an enrolment of about 40, while its counterpart had 400.
When The Straits Times called the school yesterday, a staff member said lessons had been suspended.
Mr Yap could not be contacted yesterday. Calls to his mobile phone were met with an automated message saying the number was no longer in use.
A police spokesman confirmed that reports have been filed against both Mr Yap and Brookes. She said investigations had begun, but did not want to comment on what offences were being looked into.
--ST
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Haiz...I feel sorry for the students...
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Time, hardwork and money are wasted.
CASE at most can only help the students to get back the school fees but the students' time and hardwork are all gone.
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CASE to help students of Brookes and Stamford recover school fees
SINGAPORE: Within the past two days, 264 students have turned to the Consumers Association of Singapore (CASE) for help in seeking compensation from Brookes Business School and Stamford Global Learning Centre.
CASE said it will help the current students of the schools to recover the remaining school fees in the next two weeks.
The Association has also advised those who have graduated and those who wants to be compensated to seek legal help.
CASE said it will have to seek the help of insurance companies to help compensate the students as the owner, who owns both schools, is missing.
The Ministry of Education had ordered Brookes and Stamford to close earlier in the week after they were found to have offered fake degrees from well-known schools such as the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology.
Brookes had an enrolment of about 400, while Stamford had around 40 students.
- CNA/yb -
the students poor thing luh. feel for them.
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Originally posted by Seowlah:
Time, hardwork and money are wasted.
CASE at most can only help the students to get back the school fees but the students' time and hardwork are all gone.
They certainly need lots of time to get the confidence and optimisim back.
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Local Brookes students did not know they could buy insurance
SINGAPORE: Singapore students who enrolled in Brookes Business School said that they did not know they could buy insurance to protect themselves.
More than 400 students were left in the lurch after the school was forced to shut down by the Education Ministry for peddling fake degrees.
Foreign students at Brookes Business School may get some of their fees back as the private school was registered under CaseTrust, which requires schools to buy insurance for all foreign students.
For local students, buying insurance was an option.
The Consumers Association of Singapore (CASE) said it did not make buying insurance policies compulsory for local students as there had been mixed reactions when it was first introduced.
Said Seah Seng Choon, the executive director of CASE: "There were some quarters who feel that the students may not want this because of the fact that they were local and some were paying on a term basis, not like the foreign students who pay one lump sum."
The insurance policy, which is stipulated under the Student Protection Scheme, assures students that they will get back the remainder of their tuition fees should a school close down.
Alternatively under the Scheme, schools have to deposit their students' fees into a separate bank account, which will release the money in instalments until the course is completed.
However, a student from Brookes Business School said that local students said they were not told they could tap into the scheme too.
Said Mike, a former student of Brookes Business School: "No, the school did not offer it and I must say I didn't know about it."
"Mike", who declined to reveal his real name, told Channel NewsAsia's Talking Point that he paid between S$18,000 and S$20,000 for his degree.
Now, he and more than 50 students are looking at taking legal action against the Principal of the private school, Benny Yap.
Another group of foreign students - all from China - are looking at doing the same.
Said Leonard Loo, managing partner of Leonard Loo & Company: "Most of my clients who are the students are very anxious to get their money back and they chose not to go to the other options which are to claim on the insurance money or to CASE because those procedures may take some time.
"Furthermore, a majority of these students have actually paid premium for their insurance to the school to protect their school fees, but some of them discovered that they don't have the policies or when they check with the insurers they are actually not covered, so there's the question of where their premiums went to."
- CNA/yb -
Originally posted by QX179R:
MOE cancels registration of Brookes Business School
SINGAPORE: Singapore’s Education Ministry (MOE) has cancelled the registration of a private school that has been investigated for offering fake degrees from a well—known Australian university.
It is the first case this year of a school being stripped of its registration by the ministry.
MOE said this follows investigations by the secretariat of the pro—tem Council for Private Education (CPE) on Brookes Business School for contraventions of the Education Act.
The school has been accused by its students of peddling fake degrees from the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology for as little as S$12,000.
MOE told Channel NewsAsia some 400 local and overseas students are affected by the closure. Some have already paid more than S$10,000 in deposits.
Most of the students whom Channel NewsAsia spoke to refused to appear on camera, but several of them said they already had doubts over the school’s credibility.
Jonathan Ong, student at Brookes Business School, said: "I’m not surprised. Ever since I signed up with this school, there’ve been a lot of changes to their policies and the programme structures."
This is despite the fact that the school was registered with MOE and had Casetrust accreditation from the Consumers Association of Singapore (CASE).
Casetrust—endorsed schools receive certification for having good student welfare/protection practices and standards, such as clear fee policies, well—defined student redress practices and systems, a declared commitment to quality, and well—trained personnel.
According to CASE’s website, the certification does not represent endorsement or accreditation of the quality of the courses offered.
Thevanathan Pillay, assistant director, CASE, said: "For those students who have completed their course and feel they’ve been given a fake certificate, they should actually go to court and sue the business."
MOE said the secretariat of the pro—tem CPE is working with various agencies and private education industry players to put in place measures to ensure that affected students have other avenues to complete their studies.
Students may approach the Association of Private Schools and Colleges (APSC) to be placed in another private education institution. For this purpose, students should be prepared to show proof that they are currently enrolled students of Brookes Business School.
They should also bring along the following documents:
i) student contracts;
ii) payment receipts;
iii) course schedules and assignments completed;
iv) any past tests scripts and results.The APSC helpline is 6252—3192 or 6252—6134.
MOE said prior to approaching APSC, international students holding student passes issued by the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) should first approach CASE to get advice on fee returns under the Student Protection Scheme.
CASE’s helpline is 6463—1811. Students may also contact pro—tem CPE via the MOE Customer Service at [email protected] or 6872—2220.
— CNA/so
What the hell is government doing? Register with MOE and CASE and can still go wrong? That means MOE and CASE never do their job to check on them. Only when something goes wrong then they will realise, is it?Then what is the point of registering with MOE and CASE???
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Top criminal lawyer to act for owner of Brookes Business School
SINGAPORE: The registered owner of the Brookes Business School, Benny Yap, has engaged top criminal lawyer Subhas Anandan to act for him.
Mr Subhas told Channel NewsAsia that he will handle the civil and criminal charges levelled against his client.
Mr Yap faces action from Australian university RMIT for offering degree courses without authorisation. He also faces a civil suit from students trying to recover their fees.
This after the Brookes Business School was ordered to shut down by the Education Ministry for peddling fake degrees.
Mr Subhas said Mr Yap, who has spent more than S$1 million to pay his students, has repaid the school fees of about 50 students. Some students have also been transferred to other study schemes.
Mr Subhas said: “I don’t think it is going to be a long drawn—out battle because the issues are quite clear. It is a matter of looking at the legal positions of some of the students.
"As far as our client is concerned, he does not want any of his students to lose out. If he can’t pay them the money, he’ll try to make alternative arrangements for them to go to some other universities who will take them in."
Meanwhile, one of the students trying to recover the fees said he and a group of 50 others will go ahead with a legal suit against Mr Yap.
"Mike" who came on Channel NewsAsia’s Talking Point said he does not believe Mr Yap is sincere in helping them.
He said: "Of course I will tell them about this but I’m very sure that they will still consider taking legal action because Benny Yap has promised a lot of things which have not materialised so far. He has cheated us many times and we don’t trust him anymore."
Channel NewsAsia understands that some former students of the Brookes Business School who are currently working have had their pay severely cut by employers, because of the fake degrees.
Some who are in managerial positions saw cuts of nearly 50 per cent. Others were demoted or had their services terminated, while some students with the fake degrees resigned before their employers found out.
— CNA/yt