Chan Pig Head: I Kena Conned By My Dog!

[makapaaa]

Lesson for the Papaya running dogs: Dun expect your owners to stand by you when it matters most.

<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR>MP clarifies on report
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<!-- START OF : div id="storytext"--><!-- more than 4 paragraphs -->I REFER to Wednesday's report, 'Fancy setting, worthless degrees'.
I was invited to the ceremony through one of my grassroots leaders who was a graduand. I checked the website of a West Coast University, an institution based in Los Angeles accredited for health-care subjects. I subsequently received an invitation printed on a West Coast University letterhead with a Los Angeles address. I have thus been misled into attending the ceremony on Monday.
I have not been associated with the West Coast University mentioned in the report. Nor was it my intention to lend credibility to its courses and degrees. Chan Soo Sen
Member of Parliament
Joo Chiat Constituency

 

[makapaaa]

<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR>Education hub status must be protected from worthless degrees
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<!-- START OF : div id="storytext"--><!-- more than 4 paragraphs -->I READ Wednesday's article, 'Worthless degrees', with a sinking heart.
A CNN report dated Oct 13, 2003, 'Singapore hopes to become global education hub', ended with quote by Ms Beth Bader, managing director of the University of Chicago's business school in Singapore: 'Singapore needs to position itself as a place where the quality can be trusted."
In a Sept 9, 2004 statement by Mr Ko Kheng Hwa, managing director, Economic Development Board, at the launch of the Education Excellence Framework, he expounded on three keys to our ambitions to be an education hub:
- Academic excellence
- Organisational excellence
- Excellence in student protection and welfare practices
However, from the recent articles on degree mills, it seems that, five years on, what has transpired falls short in both quality and academic excellence. One glaring loophole is that some private educational organisations (PEOs), which may be Case-certified themselves, are able to hawk degree programmes from unaccredited universities, also known as degree mills.
I suggest the following rules for PEOs:
- Make it mandatory for PEOs to offer degree programmes only from universities accredited by recognised accreditation bodies.
- Subject PEOs to annual or biennial review, where they must submit certified true copies of their partner universities' latest accreditation certificates, since accreditation is reviewed on a regular basis.
With these rules, the regulatory body also needs to be equipped with the following:
- A current list of recognised accreditation bodies, for some of these operate like degree mills.
- Independent checks by the regulatory body to verify accreditation information submitted by PEOs. This can be done easily online.
- Understanding of the various levels of accreditation available. Some are regional, some programme-centric and some institution-wide. Programme-centric accreditation, for example, is limited to a particular programme and does not extend to other programmes offered by the same institution.
If Singapore is serious about becoming an education hub, we need to devote more resources to regulating PEOs and their programmes. I fail to see how the current situation can further, let alone realise, Singapore's education hub ambitions.
In the meantime, I urge individuals seeking degree programmes with PEOs to do background checks on the universities issuing the degrees. The Council of Higher Education Accreditation website (www.chea.org) is one such starting place. Alvin Tan

 

[tomoko]

I urge individuals seeking degree programmes with PEOs to do background checks on the universities issuing the degrees. The Council of Higher Education Accreditation website (www.chea.org) is one such starting place.

You should urge Chan Sotong.

 

[chinkangkor]

Are letting S'poreans and foreigners alike get good jobs base on fake degrees S'pore system aka meritocracy?

 

[kuntakinte]

Same thread here :

http://www.sammyboy.com/showthread.php?t=7534
Chan Soo Sen has a taste of his master's crooked medicine !!

Lesson for the Papaya running dogs: Dun expect your owners to stand by you when it matters most.