By Amelia Tan

NEW legislation to regulate and improve the quality of the private education sector here is expected to be introduced in the second half of the year.

Senior Minister of State (Education) Lui Tuck Yew disclosed this yesterday in response to MPs who wanted to know what the Education Ministry would do to protect students against private schools that offered bogus degrees and operated with unqualified teachers, among other things.

Mr Lim Biow Chuan (Marine Parade GRC) said the potential for private schools to run 'degree mills and to produce bogus educational qualifications without proper lecturers' would adversely affect Singapore's reputation as a global education hub and affect students conned into paying hefty school fees.

Rear-Admiral (NS) Lui said the legislation being planned will require private educational institutions to conform to clear rules with regard to their premises, courses, managers and advertisements. If they do not comply, the validity of their registration and licences will be affected. These may also not be renewed.

To help consumers make informed choices, such institutions will also be required to disclose relevant information about their teachers, courses and facilities. This is currently not done.

Rear-Adm Lui said if the legislation is passed later this year, 'we can expect to see the quality in the private education sector improve over time. The private education sector can then properly fulfil its complementary role to our public education providers'.

He said a Council for Private Education will be appointed once the legislation has been passed, to oversee the new regulatory framework.

Rear-Adm Lui said that to complement the new regulations, a voluntary certification scheme known as EduTrust will also help students discern the quality of private education institutions.

EduTrust replaces CaseTrust for Education which is currently administered by the Consumers Association of Singapore.

He said feedback on the new regulatory framework will soon be sought from the industry, stakeholders and the public.

This article was first published in The Straits Times on February 11, 2009.