Fake Degree School Boss run road

[Leslielai]

i wonder why the lecturers working for brookes never raise a doubt?

 

if its afflilated with rmit, lecturers sld have some forms of contact w the uni staff..

 

Perhaps taking initiative is also known as "gey kiang" in our society and they just wanna earn a decent, stable living..

[Obleveonn]

Sad to say, this fiasco has really hurt the private education industry of singapore. I am one who will call for the authorities to really regulate this industry.

 

on one hand the govt wants sg to be a edu hub in asia but on the other hand they are letting schools do farnie stuff.

 

I am also in tis sector and i really feel ashamed that this is happening. luckily my school is all proper.

[Alim]

Tot he has a 335? His GF working in PML...

[Leslielai]

RMIT had lodged complaint about Brookes as early as 2007

 

 

SINGAPORE: Australia's RMIT had written to Singapore's Education Ministry as early as April 2007 to complain about Brookes Business School.

 

RMIT said Brookes was falsely associating itself with the university through its website and offering its degrees.

 

This was revealed by Senior Minister of State for Education S Iswaran in a written parliamentary statement.

 

In April 2007, RMIT alerted Singapore authorities to the suspicious nature of the Brookes Business School.

 

Two months later, the Education Ministry gave Brookes a warning for carrying misleading information on its website and other publicity materials.

 

Today, hundreds of students are helpless, either without a school or worse still stranded with a fake degree.

 

Mr Iswaran said: "Over the years, the government had adopted a light touch approach in regulating this industry, which included among other measures, basic registration and CaseTrust accreditation for education providers."

 

However, with the number of private schools rising, the minister said a "light touch" may not work anymore.

 

The number of private schools doubled in the ten years between 1987 and 1997, from 150 to 305. It then quadrupled in the next ten years between 1997 and 2007, from 305 to 1,200 private schools.

 

He said the Council of Private Education (CPE) to be set up under the new Private Education Bill will better regulate the industry.

 

Students are advised to check degrees offered by private institutions with the ministry's list of legitimate schools on its website.

 

The ministry said degrees offered by Brookes were never on the list.

 

Once the Private Education Bill is passed, the CPE will require education providers to specifically inform prospective students if degrees offered by them are on the list.

 

Meanwhile, police are still investigating the case. - CNA/vm

 

Source: CNA

 

A warning? That's it? No follow-ups?

[Nohnemwan]

Tot he has a 335? His GF working in PML...

 

GF? I thought his wife is Tan Mui Ling?

[Obleveonn]

he got many gf. yup one of his squeeze used to work for pml. he has many cars and no its not a 335. its a m3.

[D3badge]

i pity the overseas students from myammar, vietnam etc but not for sg students who r duped in the rmit degree thingy.

 

if u can study for a degree u sld be smart enough to look around...

 

huh?? Singaporean study degree "smart" but myammar or vietnam can study degree still not smart?

 

DISCRIMINATION????

[Yaloryalor]

the students also stupid not to do some research prior to signing up the classes.

 

Cant say this, some foreign students may have limited access to the info.

 

Maybe to them Singapore is a lawful country and there are many oversea students study here so they have the faith for the school here.

 

[Kman08]

How come they are not checking on his other affiliated schools? Are they waiting for it to blow out of proprtion before they investigate?

[Toapayohkid]

and which other schools are also scams, and with casetrust endorsement?

[Kman08]

For legal sake i will not mention but a fast google will show he has vested interest in other education centres he wears several CAPS this fella...

[Nohnemwan]

Come come don't be shy play spot the lies:

 

http://tnp.sg/news/story/0,4136,208374,00.html?

 

Man in centre of fake degree controversy:

 

'I didn't change phone number'

 

Handphone was diverted to school line as he 'didn't want disturbance while police probed'

 

By Vivien Chan

 

22 July 2009

AFTER all the reports of his designer togs and red Ferrari, I decided to ask the stylishly-dressed man about the label of the jacket he wore yesterday.

 

He raised his eyebrows.

 

Then his puzzled look gave way to one of amusement. He broke into a slight grin.

 

'This is just Giordano,' Mr Benny Yap Chee Mun said with a chuckle, fingering the collar of his black jacket.

 

The 39-year-old is at the centre of a controversy over fake degrees offered by his Brookes Business School and Stamford Global Learning Centre.

 

The schools were ordered to close last week for contravening the Education Act.

 

The Straits Times reported last month that Brookes was peddling fake degrees from reputable institutions such as the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT).

 

In the short time that I had with Mr Yap after the press conference he held yesterday, he revealed that he earned about $12,000 a month as owner/director of the two schools.

 

Surely he lives well then, I asked, seeking to understand the essence of the man who cut a smart figure in a grey shirt with a white mandarin collar under his jacket, pairing it with dark blue jeans and black dress shoes.

 

Does he live lavishly?

 

'No, I don't, though I would love to,' he replied candidly.

 

He lives in a five-room flat in Sengkang with his family.

 

He portrayed himself as a family man: 'I might as well tell you this: I don't drink and I don't smoke.'

 

Does he gamble?

 

'No, I don't gamble,' he answered, smiling. He added that he is a Buddhist and goes to the temple occasionally.

 

His eagle-eyed lawyer, Mr Subhas Anandan, who stood near Mr Yap, added with a grin: 'He doesn't womanise either.'

 

Mr Yap has a son, 10, and a five-year-old daughter with his wife of more than 10 years.

 

Mr Anandan added that he has spoken to Mr Yap's wife and sister, and is certain that his family is 'standing by him and supporting him'.

 

While he admitted having a 'passion for racing, go-karting and sports cars', Mr Yap said that he has never owned a sports car.

 

Second-hand BMW

 

Instead, he drives a 3 Series 'second-hand Beamer' (BMW).

 

Mr Yap remained calm and composed when reporters grilled him earlier about the events that led to the closure of his schools.

 

He appeared tired only once when he closed his eyes and rubbed his temple with his right hand. That lasted barely two seconds.

 

He looked at me intently when I asked him questions, and kept his gaze fixed on me as he answered.

 

The well-spoken man appeared confident and earnest.

 

Mr Anandan told me how Mr Yap approached him to be his lawyer. Said Mr Anandan: 'He came to my office and, like all clients, he was worried and came to talk about his problems.'

 

Mr Anandan added that Mr Yap was the one who wanted to hold a press conference to clarify some reports.

 

The clarifications: He never intended to cheat students, and he never changed his handphone number to avoid the press.

 

He explained that he merely diverted his calls to his school, and had instructed his staff to answer the calls. He did this because he is under police investigation, and did not want to be disturbed.

 

Mr Yap said: 'I am a victim, I'm definitely not out to cheat students.'

 

He claimed that he was 'scammed' by a Vietnamese man, known only as Mr Suong, who claimed that he was from RMIT's offshore campus in Vietnam.

 

He paid Mr Suong about US$10,000 ($14,500) for the right to offer RMIT business degree courses and to use its syllabus.

 

Students who 'graduated' with the school's bogus degrees have been outraged. Many have already landed jobs and are worried about being found out by their employers.

 

Genuine RMIT graduates, too, are upset. They are worried that the credibility of their certificates would be tarnished.

 

Mr Anandan said Mr Yap 'is paying a heavy penalty for the things he should have done,' including exercising more 'due diligence' and refunding students.

 

Mr Yap said he has been forking out money from his own savings to refund about 50 students, most of whom were supposed to get RMIT degrees.

 

Some had completed their studies at Brookes, while the others were halfway through.

 

Each student received $12,000 to $17,000.

 

Mr Yap claimed he had spent between $1 million and $2 million on compensation, staff salaries, and refunds so far.

 

He said he found out about the closure of his schools only after they were ordered closed.

 

Call from MOE

 

'My staff SMSed me after MOE (Ministry of Education) called my handphone and was diverted to the school.

 

'That was how I found out,' he said, adding that he was 'very shocked' as he did not expect it.

 

'My main goal now is to help the students, to transfer them to other schools,' he said.

 

About 90 students have been transferred, he added.

 

He could not say how many students are enrolled in his schools but, earlier reports said Brookes had about 400 students.

 

Having been in the business for a decade, will he return to education if this saga blows over?

 

With a tinge of sadness, he said: 'I'd love to, but I don't think I can.'

 

 

 

 

 

[Mustank]

what kind of caps?

[Starry]

RMIT had lodged complaint about Brookes as early as 2007

 

 

SINGAPORE: Australia's RMIT had written to Singapore's Education Ministry as early as April 2007 to complain about Brookes Business School.

 

RMIT said Brookes was falsely associating itself with the university through its website and offering its degrees.

 

This was revealed by Senior Minister of State for Education S Iswaran in a written parliamentary statement.

 

In April 2007, RMIT alerted Singapore authorities to the suspicious nature of the Brookes Business School.

 

Two months later, the Education Ministry gave Brookes a warning for carrying misleading information on its website and other publicity materials.

 

Warning only? If they know it since 2007, why didn't they acted on it? And still let the school run its scam?

 

I think everyone should take partial blame for this saga and not just that Benny fella

 

 

 

[Kman08]

what kind of caps?

 

 

Well not the caps u are thinking but that in itself is another clue

[Babyt]

how can someone who opened a school did not have any idea if the RMIT he was working with is real or fake?

 

its like telling me a businessman does not know what he is selling, doesnt research on the stuff he is selling....how weird.

 

tis guy is out to cheat la...he looks shrewd enough not to be so stupid to be duped.

Edited July 22, 2009 by Babyt

[Albeniz]

More could have been done in 2007 to prevent this from happening.

The alerting came from RMIT itself but nothing much was done then?

[Blueray]

 

his excuse the same as Ming Yi, say he was cheated by 3rd party ...