Council for Private Education

Please refer to the following link for the latest information on the Enhanced Registration Framework and Edutrust certification scheme.

Overview

The private education sector plays a complementary role to our public education sector in developing human capital, by providing opportunities for Singaporeans who wish to upgrade themselves, including those who aspire to pursue programmes leading to degrees. An improved private education sector will also strengthen Singapore’s position as a global education hub and bring in economic benefits, including the creation of jobs and revenue growth in the education industry.

The Private Education Act was gazetted in October 2009 to provide for the establishment of the Council for Private Education with the legislative powers to regulate the private education sector more effectively and improve its quality

Council for Private Education

The Council for Private Education (CPE) was officially set-up as a statutory board of the Ministry of Education on 1 December 2009. The CPE Board is chaired by Mr Lin Cheng Ton, CEO of Nanyang Polytechnic International, and comprises experienced individuals from the fields of education, quality assurance, business, as well as economic agencies overseeing the promotion of the private education sector. The Chief Executive Officer of the CPE, who also heads its Secretariat, is Mr Henry Heng, who has held senior appointments in the public, private and education sectors.

Vision, Mission and Strategic Thrusts

The CPE envisaged “a trusted and well-regarded private education sector” for Singapore. Its mission is “to raise standards in the private education sector through effective regulation, industry development and consumer education”.

To achieve its vision, the Pro-tem Council will oversee the following three strategic thrusts:

• Implement effective regulatory and quality assurance frameworks and measures to uplift industry standards;
• Provide public education and student support; and
• Facilitate industry development and promotion.

The New Regulatory Regime

Private Education Institutions (PEIs) which are considered to have significant impact on the Singapore education brand will be required to be registered with the CPE under the new regulatory regime. These PEIs fall under the following categories:

1. PEIs offering education leading to the award of a diploma or degree, or full-time post-secondary education leading to the award of a certificate;
2. PEIs offering full-time preparatory courses for entrance / placement tests for joining MOE mainstream schools, or for external examinations; and
3. Foreign System Schools (FSS) offering full-time primary or secondary education wholly or substantially in accordance with a foreign or international curriculum.
4. Privately-funded special education schools.

To raise the quality and standards of the industry, a mandatory registration tier will be implemented which will see an enhancement in the standards that private education providers will need to adhere to. Beyond this registration tier, a voluntary quality assurance framework — EduTrust — will be introduced to provide a quality differentiation mechanism. These measures will provide for a baseline of quality in the industry and additional quality tiers to distinguish the better players from the rest.

Beyond its regulatory functions, the CPE will promote consumer awareness through public education initiatives; provide student services and support channels that prospective and current students of PEIs could turn to for assistance; and facilitate industry development and promotion. These additional roles will ensure that a balanced and holistic approach is taken towards developing a quality private education sector that benefits students and raises standards in the industry.

Public Consultation

The CPE recently conducted a public consultation on the Private Education (PE) Regulations, which sets out the requirements private education institutions (PEIs) must meet in order to be registered and to operate under the mandatory Enhanced Registration Framework (ERF). Members of the public and stakeholders in the private education sector were invited to send in their feedback. The summary of responses to the feedback and comments received from the public consultation exercise is now available for download.

MOE had previously conducted the following two public consultation exercises:

1. Key Features on Proposed Regulatory Regime for the PE Sector, from 11 March to 6 May 2009
2. Draft Private Education Bill, from 1 – 21 July 2009.

Council for Private Education

• Mr Lin Cheng Ton
  Chief Executive Officer, Nanyang Polytechnic International
• Mr Choe Peng Sum
  Chief Executive Officer, Frasers Hospitality Pte Ltd
• Mr John Gregory Conceicao
  Director, Strategic Planning, Singapore Tourism Board
• Ms Choy Sauw Kook
  Assistant Chief Executive (Research, Capabilities and Planning), SPRING Singapore
• Mr Khoo Chin Hean
  Deputy Chairman, National Institute of Education Council
• Mr Edmond Khoo
  Deputy Principal, Temasek Polytechnic
• Mr Leong Keng Thai
  Deputy CE & Director-General (Telecoms), Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore
• Mr Andrew Lim
  Senior Partner & Co-Head of Corporate Mergers and Acquisitions, Allen and Gledhill
• Professor Lim Mong King
  Senior Advisor on Globalisation, Nanyang Technological University
• Ms Tan Gee Keow
  Director, Higher Education, Ministry of Education
• Mr Teo Eng Cheong
  Chief Executive, Competition Commission of Singapore
• Mr Toh Wee Khiang
  Executive Director, Human Capital and Professional Services, Economic Development Board
• Dr Gary Willmott
  Executive Director, Institute for Adult Learning, Workforce Development Agency
• Mr Zainudin Nordin
  Mayor, Central Singapore District, and Executive Secretary, Education Services Union
• Mr Henry Heng
  Chief Executive Officer, Council for Private Education