09 March 2006

Private education: Students should conduct prudent checks before enrolling

1. We thank John Tan Liang-Joo (“‘MOE-certified’. What does it really mean?”, ST Forum, 1 March), Ken Tai Meng Kian (“‘MOE-registered’ does not mean ‘NIE-trained’”, ST Forum, 6 March), and Lau Chin Loong (“Check out private school before enrolling”, ST Forum, 6 March) for alerting the public to the checks they need to make before enrolling in private schools.
2. Under the Education Act, private schools have to be registered with the Ministry of Education (MOE) before they can operate.  As part of the registration process, these schools have to comply with statutory requirements on building and fire safety; an acceptable curriculum; and whether the teachers have basic academic qualifications for the courses offered.
3. MOE will permit suitable teachers to teach in private schools by checking that they possess educational qualifications beyond the levels proposed for them to teach, and that they have the knowledge related to the subject areas to be taught. As the private education industry is a diverse and growing one, we agree with Mr Tai and Mr Lau that members of the public are encouraged to carry out prudent checks on the private schools, their facilities and teaching staff before signing up for their courses.
4. Registration with MOE is not tantamount to accreditation or endorsement of the quality of the private schools or their teaching staff.  We believe in letting the market decide on the quality and usefulness of the courses offered, and allowing the private education providers to work with agencies such as SPRING Singapore, and Consumers Association of Singapore (CASE) to ensure better standards and protect the interests of the students.

Lim Chee Hwee
Director, Higher Education