Private Education Act 2009

Under the Private Education Act 2009, a Council for Private Education (www.cpe.gov.sg) was set up in December 2009 to regulate the private education sector in Singapore and raise standards over time. From 21 December 2010, all private education institutions (PEIs) are required to be registered under a new Enhanced Registration Framework (ERF) and comply with the regulations under the Act in order to operate. A voluntary certification scheme, known as EduTrust, has also been introduced to help distinguish higher quality players in Singapore’s private education industry.

School D’Hospitality (SD’H) is registered with Council for Private Education (CPE) under the Enhanced Registration Framework (http://www.cpe.gov.sg/cos/o.x?c=/cpe/peis&ptid=70&func=profile&pid=138) as well as certified under the EduTrust certification scheme.  

In compliance with the new Act and EduTrust certification scheme, we have implemented the following:

Fee Protection Scheme (FPS)

All EduTrust-certified private education institutions (PEI) are required to adopt a Fee Protection Scheme (FPS) to protect all fees paid by all their students, both local and international, via an escrow bank account or insurance scheme. All fees refer to all monies paid by the students to be enrolled in a private education institution, excluding the course application fee, agent commission fee (if applicable), miscellaneous fees (non-compulsory and non-standard fee paid only when necessary or where applicable, for example, the re-exam fee or charges for credit card payment etc,) and GST. More details of the FPS can also be found in the FPS Instruction Manual, available at CPE's website (www.cpe.gov.sg).

Under the FPS, SD’H has in place an insurance arrangement with Lonpac Insurance Bhd, a CPE-appointed insurance provider, to protect the course fees paid by ALL students. The FPS insurance serves to protect the student’s fees in the event that the PEI is unable to continue operations due to insolvency, and/or regulatory closure. In addition, the FPS protects the student if the PEI fails to pay penalties or return fees to the student arising from judgements made against it by the Singapore courts.

Under the FPS insurance scheme, the School is allowed to collect the course fees from the students directly. The School shall purchase insurance on the same day upon receipt of the fees from the student. If the payment is done through e-banking, the School will purchase insurance within 3 working days after the money is credited to the School’s bank account.

The insurance coverage shall commence from the date of payment of the fees (not the course commencement date) till the due date of the next payment or the course end date whichever is earlier.

The FPS Insurance Fees payable for various programmes are shown below:

  • $130 - Certificate in Travel, Tourism and Hospitality Management
  • $150 - Certificate in English as a foreign language
  • $150 - Preparatory Course for Admission to Government Schools
  • $230 - Diploma and Advanced Diploma Programmes
  • $330 - Postgraduate Diploma Programmes
  • $430 - Bachelor's Degree Programmes
  • $530 - Master's Degree Programmes
 
Original COI will be emailed to the student’s email address provided. The School will print and give a copy of COI to the students.
 

The student is required to retain the original copy of COI;

The student can check and monitor the status of his/her protected fees at CPE’s website (www.cpe.gov.sg). A copy of the master insurance agreement between CPE and Lonpac Insurance Bhd (the “Master Insurance Agreement”) and acceded to by the school for the purpose of insuring, among other things, is available here.

Medical Insurance

Under the EduTrust certification scheme, PEIs must provide medical insurance coverage for hospitalisation and related medical treatment for ALL full-time students for the entire course duration. SD’H has put in place a medical insurance scheme provided by HSBC Insurance (Singapore) Pte Ltd for all its students.

The following students can choose to opt out of the medical insurance scheme if they can show that they are already covered by their own medical insurance:

  • Singapore citizens, permanent residents and international students not on the Student's Pass; and
  • Students under corporate sponsorship or corporate agreement signed between the private education institution and the sponsor organisation.

Medical insurance is not applicable to part-time students and students taking courses with duration of not more than one month or 50 hours.

a) Please click here for the certificate between SD’H and HSBC Insurance
b) Please click here for the Student Enrich Claim Form
c) Please click here and here for the Student Enrich Product Summary
 

SD’H Refund Policy & Procedure (Extracted from Student Handbook clause 3.7)

3.7 Refund Policy & Procedures

3.7.1 Notification and Arrangement – Requirement under the CPE-Student Contract

SD’H shall inform the student immediately within three (3) working days if:

i) It fails, for any reason, to commence the Course on the Course Commencement Date; (For example, insufficient number of students to commence the course.)

ii) It terminates the Course, for any reason, prior to the Course Commencement Date; (For example, termination of partnership agreement with external education partner.)

iii) It fails, for any reason, to complete the Course by the Course Completion Date. (for example, closure of school.)

iv) It terminates the Course, for any reason, prior to the Course Completion Date; or (for example, closure of school)

v) The Student’s Pass application is rejected by Immigration and Checkpoint Authority (ICA).

3.7.2 SD’H shall refund the student the Industrial Attachment Placement Fee if he/she fails to secure an attachment

SD’H shall, within seven (7) working days after receiving student’s written notice of withdrawal of above circumstances (i) to (iv), provide the student with information and details of the alternative confirmed course arrangement to allow the student to make timely and appropriate decision on the alternative arrangement.

3.7.3 Withdrawal for Cause

The student shall be entitled to immediately withdraw from the Course by giving written notice to the SD’H of his/her intention to do so if SD’H is in breach of any of its obligations under this Agreement or fails to perform its obligation(s) under the circumstances in Clause 3.7.1 (i) to (iv).

3.7.4 Refunds for Withdrawal for Cause

For circumstances under Clause 3.7.1, SD’H shall, within seven (7) working days after notifying the student, refund to the student:

(i) The entire amount of the Course Fees; and

(ii) The Miscellaneous Fees

SD’H shall also, as soon as practicable after receiving the student’s notice of withdrawal under Clause 3.7.3 (and in any event no more than seven (7) working days after receiving such notice) refund to the student the amounts stated in this Clause.

3.7.5 Refunds for Withdrawal without Cause

Where the student withdraws from the course for any reason other than those set out in Clause 3.7.1 SD’H shall as soon as practicable after receiving the student’s written notice of withdrawal (and in any event no more than seven (7) working days after receiving such notice) refund to the student the following sums (less any applicable bank administrative charges properly paid):

  % of Course Fees paid If student’s written notice of withdrawal is received
90%

(“Maximum Refund”) More than 30 days before the Course Commencement Date
50%

Before, but not more than 30 days before the Course Commencement Date
25%

After, but not more than 3 days after the Course Commencement Date
10%

More than 3 days after the Course Commencement Date, but not more than 7 days after the Course Commencement Date

0%

More than 7 days after the Course Commencement Date

 

3.7.6 The following fees are non-refundable

  1. Application Fee
  2. External Examination Fees (if applicable)
  3. Relevant bank charges  paid by SD’H
  4. Fees charged for administrative services (for example, late payment charges,  re-prints of transcripts)
  5. Consumed miscellaneous fees (Refer to Schedule 2.2 in Student Contract)

3.7.7 Cooling-Off Period

SD’H shall provide the student with a cooling-off period of 7 working days after signing the Student Contract. Within these 7 working days and regardless whether the Course Commencement Date has passed, the student can submit written notice of withdrawal to the school and receive the Maximum Refund amount stipulated in Clause 3.7.4 (less any Course Fees consumed by the student if the withdrawal date is later than the Course Commencement Date and the student has started the Course, SD’H administrative charges which are stipulated in the Miscellaneous Fees and any applicable bank administrative charges properly paid). Any dispute in respect of how much Course Fees have been consumed pursuant to this clause shall be referred to mediation at the Singapore Mediation Centre (SMC) or Singapore Institute of Arbitrators (SIArb) through the CPE Student Services Centre, and only in respect of such decision, the decision of the Singapore Mediation Centre (SMC) or Singapore Institute of Arbitrators (SIArb) shall be final and binding on all parties.

Clause 2.5 of the individual Student Contract takes precedence over SD’H’s Refund Policy stated in Clause 3.7.5

Refund Procedure (Withdrawal and Refund Policies and Processes)

Please click here to view the Withdrawal and Refund Policies and Processes.