CaseTrust is an award given to businesses in Singapore that are committed towards maintaining a high-level of good business and customer practice. Since April 1999, Casetrust has become the industry standard for quality business and customer practices in different commercial industries, ranging from employment agencies to retailers. Today, more than 600 shops and online stores don the CaseTrust logo at the premises, and CaseTrust has inadvertently become a mark of assurance for all customers—The Key to Consumer Confidence.

CASE is committed to champion the cause of the customer (in this case, the student). The CaseTrust for Education scheme has been customized specifically by CASE for the education industry in Singapore. The scheme will enhance the confidence of international students and their parents in the quality of education in Singapore. It will give them the assurance that CaseTrust for Education PEOs (Private Education Organizations) have put in place proper systems and practices to look after the welfare and interest of international students in Singapore.

This will encourage more international students to consider studying in Singapore.

You can find out more about CaseTrust from their Web site at http://www.case.org.sg.

CaseTrust for Education is part of essential tier under Education Excellence Framework. A PEO that achieves CaseTrust for Education is certified as an organization that possesses the foundation for good quality student welfare practices and standards. The PEO will have the following mechanisms in place:

Clearly articulated and documented policies on course fees and fee refund. These must be fully disclosed to the student and adhered to according to the terms and conditions of the contract between the PEO and the student.

A student-redress system with proper and clearly defined dispute resolution mechanisms for the student and the PEO. This will include mediation by CASE Mediation Centre and recourse to the Small Claims Tribunals and the Courts, if necessary.

A Student Protection Scheme to protect the students' tuition fees in the event the PEO being unable to continue operations for adverse situations such as insolvency and regulatory closure of the PEO.

A self-declaration by the Chief Executive Officer of the PEO clearing spelling out quality criteria such as the school's student—teacher ratio, the course fees, refund and redress policies, the size and number of the classrooms in the PEO, the number of full-time teachers/lecturers and other relevant information that will be of interest to all students. This information will be made easily available for all (eg. In the PEO's website).

PEOs must ensure that it has strong academic and administrative staff who are capable of delivering quality educational programmes as well as providing excellent student services.

The SPS serves to protect the students' fees in the event a PEO is unable to continue operations due to insolvency, and/or regulatory closure. Furthermore, the SPS protects the student if the PEO fails to pay penalties or return fees to student arising from judgements made against it by the Singapore courts.

There are two schemes that the PEO can choose from—the Student Tuition Fee Account (Escrow) or the Student Tuition Fee Insurance.

Tuition fees paid by the students to the PEOs will have to be left in the custody of a third party, in this case the CASE-endorsed banks participating in the Student Tuition Fee Account (Escrow) scheme. When specified conditions for its release have been met, the banks will disburse the tuition fees on a regular basis to the PEO.