Private education act
OVERVIEW
The Committee for Private Education (CPE) was appointed by SkillsFuture Singapore (SSG) Board in October 2016 to carry out its functions and powers relating to private education under the Private Education Act. The CPE is supported by a team of dedicated staff from SSG to regulate the sector, provide student services, consumer education and facilitate capability development efforts to uplift standards in the local private education industry.More information on the CPE can be found on https://www.ssg-wsg.gov.sg/.
In March 2011, LASALLE was registered as a Private Education Institution under the Enhanced Registration Framework for a 4-year period. The registration was renewed in March 2015 and subsequently in March 2019.
EDUTRUST
EduTrust is a quality assurance scheme administered by the CPE, and distinguishes the high quality education providers from within Singapore’s private education industry.
LASALLE obtained a four-year EduTrust certification with the CPE in October 2011, and was awarded the EduTrust Star during its renewal in 2015 and subsequently in 2019. The EduTrust Star award is given to private education institutions who have attained a commendable level of performance in managing their institution. The EduTrust Star award demonstrates a symbol of recognition for outstanding achievement, and it has a validity of 4 years.
The EduTrust Certification Scheme upholds seven criteria:
- Management commitment and responsibilities
- Corporate governance and administration
- External recruitment agents
- Student protection and support services
- Academic processes and student assessment
- Achievement of student and graduate outcomes
- Quality assurance, monitoring and results
LASALLE recognises the importance of the EduTrust Certification Scheme and all legislations enacted by the CPE.
LASALLE College of the Arts is registered with the Committee for Private Education (CPE).
The Committee for Private Education is part of SkillsFuture Singapore (SSG).
Registration No.: 199202950W Validity: 25/03/2019 - 24/03/2023
Student Contract
LASALLE adopts the Committee for Private Education (CPE) standard PEI-Student Contract. You can refer to the SSG website for more information on the Student Contract.
As part of the enhancement of the Singapore private educational landscape, the Singapore Private Education Act stipulates that all private educational institutions must sign a student contract with students enrolled. More information can be found in www.ssg.gov.sg/cpe/pei.html.
To accept the offer for admission, students are required to complete and return signed copies of the LASALLE-Student Contract in order to be enrolled with the College.
View sample of PEI Student Contract
REFUND POLICY
The PEI will notify the Student within three (3) working days upon knowledge of any of
the following:
(i) It does not commence the Course on the Course Commencement Date;
(ii) It terminates the Course before the Course Commencement Date;
(iii) It does not complete the Course by the Course Completion Date;
(iv) It terminates the Course before the Course Completion Date;
(v) It has not ensured that the Student meets the course entry or matriculation
requirement as set by the organisation stated in Schedule A* within any stipulated
timeline set by CPE; or
(vi) The Student’s Pass application is rejected by Immigration and Checkpoints
Authority (ICA).
The Student should be informed in writing of alternative study arrangements (if any),
and also be entitled to a refund of the entire Course Fees and Miscellaneous Fees
already paid should the Student decide to withdraw, within seven (7) working days of
the above notice.
* Schedule can be found in the Student Contract upon receiving the offer from LASALLE.
Refund for Withdrawal Due to Other Reasons:
If the Student withdraws from the Course for any reason other than those stated in Clause 2.1, the PEI will, within seven (7) working days of receiving the Student’s written notice of withdrawal, refund to the Student an amount based on the table in Schedule D*.
* Schedule can be found in the Student Contract upon receiving the offer from LASALLE.
The PEI will provide the Student with a cooling-off period of seven (7) working days after the date that the Contract has been signed by both parties. The Student will be refunded the highest percentage (stated in Schedule D*) of the fees already paid if the Student submits a written notice of withdrawal to the PEI within the cooling-off period, regardless of whether the Student has started the course or not.
* Schedule can be found in the Student Contract upon receiving the offer from LASALLE.
Programme withdrawal/transfer
A new student who wishes to withdraw from the programme of study after an acceptance of offer but before programme commencement is required to notify the College via an email indicating his/her intention to withdraw to the Admissions Office. Should the notice of withdrawal fall within the cooling-off period of seven working days from signing the student contract, the Maximum Refund as stipulated in the contract applies. Otherwise, the College’s refund policy will apply.
A student who withdraws after programme commencement is required to submit relevant withdrawal forms and seek approval from the College in accordance with the College’s withdrawal procedures (details are available on the College’s Learning Portal). For an international student, the Student Pass will be cancelled upon approval. Any refunds will be processed in accordance with the College’s refund policy.
Transferring from a programme to another is deemed as a withdrawal from the current course.
A new student who has accepted an offer in a programme but wishes to change programme prior to the programme commencement date is required to notify the College and re-apply for admission into the new programme.
Fee protection scheme (FPS)
FPS serves to protect students’ fees in the event a Private Education Institution (PEI) is unable to continue operations due to insolvency, and/or regulatory closure. The FPS also protects students when the PEI fails to pay penalties or refund fees to the students arising from judgements made against it by the Singapore courts.
As an EduTrust-certified PEI, LASALLE is required to adopt the FPS to ensure full protection to all fees paid by their students. Therefore, the FPS is compulsory for ALL local and international students who are taking BA(Hons), MA, and English programmes at LASALLE.
Diploma programmes offered by LASALLE are funded by the Ministry of Education and therefore all fees are exempted from the Student FPS under the EduTrust requirements of the Committee for Private Education (CPE).
Why does EduTrust maintain a need of FPS for ALL students at LASALLE (BA(Hons), MA and Certificate Programmes)?
As student fees form a substantial financial income of the Private Education Institutions (PEI), the need to protect the funds is crucial to compensate students when the PEI faces any financial difficulties and is unable to continue to offer their courses. Under such circumstances, students can look forward to the refund of any unconsumed payments made.
How much does the student need to pay for FPS?
LASALLE has engaged Lonpac Insurance Bhd (one of the CPE-appointed insurance companies) to provide coverage for FPS.
Students who are enrolled under BA(Hons), MA or Certificate programmes are required to pay a premium of 0.45% of the fees paid per semester. FPS fee is subject to the prevailing premiums charged by the Insurers, and are subjected to change on an annual basis.
How and where do students pay their FPS?
Students can make payment at Finance Payment Counter located at Block E level 2. The operation hours are from Mondays to Fridays, 9am to 3pm.
Students may pay for their FPS premiums via these modes of payment: Cash, Cheque, NETS or Credit Cards. International students must bear the bank charges if they wish to do a telegraphic transfer.
A copy of the student insurance certificate will be emailed to students upon request.
Where can students find out more about FPS and/or address their complaints?
Students may visit the SSG website for further information on FPS.
Alternatively, students may contact and approach the CPE Student Services Centre, located at:
1 Orchard Road (YMCA Building), #01-01
Singapore 238824
Nearest MRT: Dhoby Ghaut (Exit A)
Telephone: (+65) 6592 2108
Facsimile: (+65) 6337 1584
Email: [email protected]
Student complaint resolution
The College has an established student complaint policy and procedure to handle complaints from students. Every reasonable effort will be made to deal promptly and efficiently with all complaints, to investigate them thoroughly and objectively and to seek to resolve them satisfactorily.