Racket selling fake student passes

Student passes for sales to foreign students for $7,000 a year (ST 12 Apr)


A RACKET involving student passes for sale by two men, who claimed to be from a private school here, has caught the attention of the Council for Private Education (CPE).

A spokesman for the CPE told The Straits Times that the council would be conducting checks on the school’s processes.

These checks, part of the evaluation process for the school’s application under the Enhanced Registration Framework for private education institutions, would include how the school monitors its students’ attendance.

The Straits Times learnt that ‘recruiters’ claiming to be employees of Arium School of Management and Technology at Upper Boon Keng Road are offering foreigners a valid student pass for $7,000 a year – without them having to attend a day of school.

An additional $11,000, the recruiters claim, can get foreigners a package deal comprising a pass valid for a year, perfect attendance records, transcripts and a degree – all without them having to spend any significant time in classes.

The student passes, which allow foreign students to stay here for the entire duration of their studies, can be abused and the culprits usually end up working illegally instead of studying.

When contacted, the school said it had no idea who the recruiters were – even though they met prospective clients on its premises.

Mr Dennis Tan, Arium’s executive director, said such recruiters ‘have no authority whatsoever to represent us or to recruit any students on our behalf’.

He added that the school’s marketing manager, Mr Loh Ben-ni, lodged a police report against the recruiters last Thursday.

A police spokesman confirmed a report had been made....

The above is part of an article published in the Straits Times.