POLYTECHNICS (Recruitment of foreign students by

Mr Thomas Thomas asked the Minister for Education (a) if he is aware that polytechnics use "agents" to recruit foreign students; and (b) what steps are taken to prevent abuse.

The Senior Minister of State for Education (Mr Peter Chen) (for the Minister for Education): Sir, all our four polytechnics have actively sought to create a more vibrant learning environment by recruiting good foreign students. Polytechnics have taken more pro-active marketing measures to recruit foreign students. And polytechnic staff have made visits to foreign countries for direct recruitment.

However, my Ministry is aware that there are recruitment agencies that provide assistance, on a fee-paying basis, to foreign students who wish to apply to Singapore polytechnics. But the point is that our polytechnics do not engage these recruitment agents.

And the most important point to remember is that admission into our polytechnics is by merit and applications submitted by these agents are assessed in the same manner as all other student applications.

Our polytechnics have from time to time explained to potential students that the polytechnics do not employ agents. Students and their parents should exercise due caution in dealing with recruitment agents purportedly representing our polytechnics.

Mr Thomas Thomas (Nominated Member): Mr Speaker, Sir, if the polytechnics do not employ these agents and the polytechnics tell the parents to be careful, then why are the polytechnics recruiting students through these agents? What is the role of these agents?

Mr Peter Chen: Probably, the best example of such agents is a Government body called the China Service Centre for Scholarly Exchange. This body would put up advertisements on polytechnic education opportunities. These are dissemination of information, and all polytechnics have used this in connection with their recruitment, but they do not employ the agents. The fees are not paid by the polytechnics. And I wish to reiterate the point that the admission to our polytechnics, like many things else in Singapore, is purely by merit.

Mr Thomas Thomas: Is there some process to ensure that the fees that these agents charge are not excessive or exploitative?

Mr Peter Chen: We cannot prevent people from paying what they wish to pay. But our understanding is that the fees charged by this particular body are in the region of 2,100 renminbi, which is about $400, and they are charged only for the successful applications. I wish to remind once more that success depends entirely on merit and any tests taken by these students and candidates are brought back to Singapore and assessed overall. They are not done on the spot.

Mr Thomas Thomas: Could the Minister also enlighten us on the processes that the other bodies use for other countries other than China?

Mr Peter Chen: There are some countries which are better established. China is in a sense new. Our second largest number of students is from Malaysia. So it is quite well established. In fact, applications are available on the Net, and there are a lot of applications as well.