Private higher learning institutions to pay Student Protection fees starting 2013

This should be good news to those who fail to secure places in Public Higher learning institutions. Although not common, it is known that there are some unscrupulous private universities and colleges that 'close shop' leaving students with no alternative to continue their studies, not to mention money wasted for enrolling in such institutions.

Good move, but this has been long due.


Private Higher Institutions Of Learning To Pay Student Protection Fees Next Year
Source: Bernama
KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 15 (Bernama) -- Beginning next year, private universities, university colleges and foreign university branch campuses will have to pay RM100,000 while private colleges have to fork out RM10,000 as student protection fee.

Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin said the fee was a student protection guarantee if the private higher learning institutions faced the risk of closing down and jeorpadizing the completion of its students' study programme.

"As such, these students need some form of protection against such discontinuity. We have decided to collect a certain amount of money as protection fees from the private higher learning institutions in the form of surety bond, insurance and deposit," he said when launching the Star Education Fair 2012, here Saturday.

He said these private higher learning institutions were expected to pay an amount as determined by the regulator to the pool which would be managed by the regulator in order to ensure that affected students would be reimbursed if the institutions closed abruptly to enable them to continue their studies elsewhere apart from safeguarding these students from unscrupulous institutions.

"All private higher learning institutions will have to pay the protection fees every five years, every time they want to renew their licences. The details of the implementation will be announced later," he said.

Mohamed Khaled said this year, a total of 33 private higher learning institutions were under consideration to be closed down for various cases.