The Singapore government has introduced new regulations in the private education sector in order to regularize the existing market players and new entrants who wish to set up and operate a private education institute in or from Singapore. The rationale behind the new regulations is to ensure that any new education institute set up by private players is credible, delivers quality education and is not a fraudulent venture engaging in misrepresentation.

Previously, all private education institutes were governed by the Education Act and the key regulatory requirement was mandatory registration with the Ministry of Education (MOE). The registration was a one-off exercise, requiring no renewals. Under the new regulations:

• All private education institutes will now be governed by the Private Education Act.
• Under the Private Education Act, certain private education institutions must be registered with the Council for Private Education (CPE), instead of MOE, before they can commence operations. The mandatory CPE registration applies to private institutions offering: degrees, diplomas or full-time certification programmes; international curriculum based primary or secondary education, preparatory courses for entrance exams; online courses; and special education for the mentally and physically challenged.
• Registration status will have a specific validity period and needs to be renewed periodically. Renewals will be considered based on how well the institution matches up to the CPE’s registration criteria.

Furthermore, the CaseTrust for Education Scheme, a mandatory accreditation scheme required for enrolling international students, will discontinue from 01 July 2010 and will be replaced with the EduTrust Certification Scheme. The institutes will have to satisfy additional certification requirements under EduTrust, as compared to CaseTrust.

Private education institutes currently registered under the Education Act will have a grace period of 18 months to comply with the new requirements and must register with the CPE by 20 June 2011. Those currently not registered under the Education Act must register with the CPE by 20 Feb 2010. Institutes currently accredited with CaseTrust must apply for and obtain EduTrust certification by 30 June 2010.

Organizations interested in setting up an education institute in Singapore should refer to the following pages for further details:

• Guide to starting an educational institute in Singapore
• Guide to Singapore company registration

Interested in doing business in Singapore? Find out how to setup a Singapore company.