PRIVATE SCHOOLS AND SPECIAL EDUCATION CENTRES

PRIVATE SCHOOLS AND SPECIAL EDUCATION CENTRES:

(Registration criteria): 10.

Ms Denise Phua Lay Peng asked the Minister for Education (a) what are the registration criteria for private schools and special needs education centres; and (b) what can be done by the Ministry to clarify to consumers that registration does not equate to endorsement or recommendation.

The Minister of State for Education (Mr Gan Kim Yong) (for the Minister for Education): Mr Speaker, Sir, private schools in general must be registered with MOE before they are allowed to operate. To do so, they must meet certain basic requirements including building and fire safety standards, and have appropriate facilities and qualified teachers.

As pointed out by Ms Denise Phua, registration by MOE is not tantamount to endorsement, accreditation or recommendation of the school or its programmes by the Ministry. MOE has stated this clearly on its website. MOE's website further advises prospective students to find out more about the private school, the quality of its courses and the terms of the programme before they make a decision.

Special education schools run by voluntary welfare organisations (VWOs) are subject to additional oversight to ensure accountability for the use of public funds as they receive funding from MOE and the National Council of Social Service (NCSS). MOE also provides support to these schools in areas such as curriculum development and teacher training. There are 21 such schools and they are all listed on MOE's website. They publish brochures which provide details of their programmes and fees.

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All other private schools offering special education programmes, except these 21 listed on MOE's website, are only subject to the normal basic registration requirements and MOE registration does not equate to nor imply endorsement or recommendation by the Ministry.

Ms Denise Phua Lay Peng: Sir, when MOE registers private schools and special needs education centres, the requirements are very basic. But when these centres start to advertise that they are MOE registered centres, then it gives the public the perception that they are endorsed by MOE and the quality is assured, because of the positive MOE branding. My question to the Minister of State is: if MOE is not willing to do more due diligence on these centres, may I ask MOE to consider not permitting these centres to use the term "MOE registered centre" in the publicity materials to the public, especially to the parents?

My second question: may I also request MOE for the sake of the children and the students to publish a set of education practice guidelines, very much like the clinical practice guidelines in the health sector? I believe the Government has the moral authority to enhance the quality of these centres for the sake of the children.

Mr Gan Kim Yong: Mr Speaker, Sir, I thank Ms Denise Phua for bringing up this issue. In fact, MOE is currently looking at ways to enhance the regulation as well as the supervision of the private education sector. The study will be completed soon and we will announce the details in due course.