Confidentiality and Security Policy

The System

  1. All student’s particular (i.e Application / Registration Form, other personal records) are stored in their respective student’s personal data are captured in the computer data base.
  2. The personal file and computer records are only accessible by designated staff managing these records. The particulars stored in the computer are to have user Id and Password protected.
  3. The manual records of students’ particulars are kept in steel cabinets under lock and key outside the school operating hours. During operating hours, only designated staff could have access for their work purposes. The Student records are not permitted to be booked out from the repository, unless permission is obtained from the Records Manager.
  4. It was specifically mentioned in the Application / Registration Form that the student’s particulars completed through the Form are used only for the School’s internal use. Prior permission must be obtained in writing from the student if the particulars are to be used for other purposes. In this instance, the student must give his/her consent by signing a’ Consent Form’ where the purpose is mentioned.
  5. Permission to use the Students’ particulars, data other than for the School Internal marketing or students’ billing is to be sought from the School Manager/Principal.
  6. The proper use of a Students’ particulars is disseminated in the orientation and training programmes of all staff to ensure they are aware of this policy. Internal directive on this is also circulated to existing staff to ensure no one is ignorant of this ruling. This is to inculcate in them sense of responsibility towards safeguarding student data at all times.
  7. Failure to comply with the proper use of students’ particulars may render those who flout the procedures to disciplinary measures. The penalty Imposed are

               – First-time offenders are given letter of reprimand or warning

               – Repeat offenders may result in dismissal action

               – Court action may be taken for those who willfully repeat the offence

Fee Protection Scheme

Fee Protection Scheme (FPS)

  1. NIC shall ensure that all prospective students have been informed of the FPS it has adopted.
  2. FPS account shall be unique to NIC as an individual entity and account sharing with other related PEIs (e.g. parent or Sister Company) is strictly prohibited.
  3. FPS shall be applicable to all students (regardless of nationality and the type of passes, i.e. dependent’s pass, student’s pass, work permit, etc). For more details on the FPS, refer to the FPS Instruction Manual which is available at www.ssg.gov.sg.
  4. Details of the FPS adopted shall be readily available (school notice board, official website, student handbook, and relevant marketing collaterals).
  5. NIC has put in place a Fee Protection Scheme (FPS) in the form of FPS Insurance Scheme (Lonpac Insurance Bhd with the Lonpac Insurance Policy Number:  Z23BM00001108)

Implementation of FPS

  1. NIC shall have procedures to inform students (in native languages if necessary) on the operational details of the FPS, including how the students can check the CPE’s official website to verify that they are protected under FPS.
  2. NIC shall be responsible for the accuracy of any translation (to other languages) of the FPS which is used to brief international students.
  3. Should NIC offer any discount on the published course fee, the discount amount shall be clearly documented in the student contract.
  4. NIC shall have an updated database to ensure that all its recruited students are protected under FPS.
  5. Both hard and/or soft copies of students’ FPS data shall be furnished immediately as and when instructed by CPE (in addition to the annual updates). CPE reserves the right to conduct an ad-hoc inspection of the FPS database without giving any advance notification. Failure to provide such data for verification will be a serious breach of the EduTrust Terms and Conditions.
  6. Under FPS Insurance Scheme, NIC shall purchase insurance to protect the course fees paid by each student within 7 working days from the date of receipt of fees.
  7. As the student contract is binding between the students and NIC, students shall not be allowed to pay any fee directly to other parties (including partner organisations) other than NIC.
  8. NIC shall have procedures to update FPS provider, LONPAC INSURANCE BHD when there is a change to the fee protection status of a student.
  9. NIC shall update FPS service provider, LONPAC INSURANCE BHD within 3 working days when
      • a student transfers course of study; or
      • a student withdraws from a course of study (termination or pre-mature school leave); or
      • a student defers or extends his/her study; or
      • Student fee protection status is affected other than the circumstances listed above.

11. NIC shall not collect fees beyond 12 months.

12. NIC shall regularly review the FPS implementation procedures, for continual improvement to ensure that there is no lapse in the FPS at least once a year.

Transfer Policy

Course Transfer Policy

1.Course Transfer refers to a student request for a transfer to another course within Newton International College or a change in period of study (from full-time to part-time or vice versa). Courses offered in collaboration with partner institutions will be governed separately by different institution’s regulations which are beyond the purview of college. 

  1. The College shall provide pre-course counseling for the intended course
  2. Student’s request for transfer can only be processed upon if the student meets the entry requirements of the new course and student has completed the installment obligations (payments) for all overdue fees of the existing course (if any).
  3. The College’s refund policy shall apply for all qualified refunds.
  4. Students requesting for course transfer within the College must withdraw from the existing course by terminating the existing Standard PEI-Student Contract, before signing a new Standard PEI-Student Contract for the new course.
  5. Fee Protection Scheme (FPS) for existing course fees paid will be canceled. A new FPS will be purchased for the intended course fees paid after the contract is signed.
  6. Consent from parent/guardian is needed if a student is below the age of 18.
  7. The College will take a maximum of 4 weeks to complete the course transfer process.
  8. For STP Holder
  9. For Student’s Pass holders, course transfer is subject to ICA’s approval of the new Student’s Pass.
  10. In the event that the application of Student’s Pass pertaining to transfer is rejected by ICA, the student is required to cancel his current Student’s Pass within 7 working days

Withdrawal Policy

Course Withdrawal Policy

  1. Course withdrawal refers to a student’s request to discontinue from all courses with the College.
  2. Despite the student having signed the Standard PEI-Student Contract, the Management is prepared to listen and give consideration to genuine cases of withdrawal requested by students.
  3. Consent from parent/guardian is needed if a student is below 18 years old.
  4. Students are liable for overdue fees (if any).
  5. The College’s refund policy shall apply for all qualified refunds.
  6. Fee Protection Scheme (FPS) for the course fee paid will be canceled.
  7. The College will take a maximum of 4 weeks to complete the course withdrawal process.
  8. For STP Holder

Student’s Pass holder is required to submit Cancellation of STP to Newton International College for cancelation of Student’s Pass with ICA

Refund Policy

Refund Policy

Refund for Withdrawal Due to Non-Delivery of Course

NIC will notify the Student within three (3) working days upon knowledge of any of the following:

  1. It does not commence the Course on the Course Commencement Date;
  2. It terminates the Course before the Course Commencement Date;  
  3. It does not complete the Course by the Course Completion Date; 
  4. It terminates the Course before the Course Completion Date;
  5. It has not ensured that the Student meets the course entry or matriculation requirement as set by the organisation stated in Schedule A (of the student contract) within any stipulated timeline set by CPE; or

The Student should be informed in writing of alternative study arrangements (if any), and also be entitled to a refund of the entire Course Fees and Miscellaneous Fees already paid should the Student decide to withdraw, within seven (7) working days of the above notice.

Refund for Withdrawal Due to Other Reasons
If the Student withdraws from the Course for any reason other than those stated in Clause 2.1 of the standard student contract version 3.1, NIC will, within seven (7) working days of receiving the Student’s written notice of withdrawal, refund to the Student an amount based on the table in Schedule D of that contract.  

% of [ the amount of fees paid under Schedules B and C ] If Student’s written notice of withdrawal is received:
100% More than 14 days before the Course Commencement Date
75% Between 14 days before and 14 days after the Course Commencement Date
30% Between 15 to 40 days after the Course Commencement Date
0% More than 40 days after the Course Commencement Date

Newton International College shall review the refund policy at least once a year for continual improvement and report at the Management Review Meeting.

Refund During Cooling-Off Period

NIC will provide the Student with a cooling-off period of seven (7) working days after the date that the Contract has been signed by both parties.  

The Student will be refunded the highest percentage (stated in Schedule D) of the fees already paid if the Student submits a written notice of withdrawal to NIC within the cooling-off period, regardless of whether the Student has started the course or not.

Conditions for cancellation of course and Refund

NIC reserves the right to cancel a course if the student number is four or less in which case the refund policy above applies. NIC will inform students of the cancellation of course not less than three (3) working days before the course commencement. In such a case, the application fee will also be refunded within seven (7) working days after the announcement of cancellation of course. 

Non Refundable Fees

The following are non-refundable

  1. Application Fee. However, in the circumstance where NIC has decided not to commence a course, the application fee will be refunded within seven (7) working days after the student is notified, unless the student takes up alternative study arrangements with NIC.  
  2. Miscellaneous Fees paid to NIC. However, a refund will be made for the scenarios in a ‘Refund for Withdrawal Due to Non-Delivery of Course’ above.
  3. Third parties charges e.g. Bank charge, AEIS registration fee, ICA Student Pass application fee and Issuing Fee. 
  4. No refund of any fee if the student has committed an offence and is expelled by NIC after due process of investigation by a Disciplinary Committee set up by the MR.

The time taken by NIC to process refund requests shall not be more than 7 working days from the student’s withdrawal/refund request for the issuing of refund.

Prospective students are briefed on the Refund Policy during pre-course counselling and later again during the orientation program.  

Full details of the refund policy are also available on NIC’s web site, student contract and student handbook.  Finance Manager checks that the refund policy and procedure are correctly reflected in the website and other relevant documents.

The orientation checklist requires that students acknowledge that the refund policy has been explained to them.

Communicate to students on the computation of the refund amount

NIC’s refund procedure covers the following commonly occurring situations: 

  1. School’s non-performance
  2. Immigration and Checkpoints Authority does not approve the student pass
  3. Student changes his mind during the 7 day cooling off period
  4. Student’s withdrawal

The procedure for student initiated refund (due to Student’s withdrawal / change of mind during 7 day cooling period, etc) is as follows: 

  1. The student submits NIC023 Withdrawal Request Form or gives a written letter to NIC requesting a refund with the reasons.  
  2. The counter staff give this letter to the HR & Finance Manager for processing.
  3. Finance Manager looks into the student’s eligibility for a refund.   She calculates the amount of refund and talks to the student showing the breakdown of the refund.  The student then signs an acknowledgement form
  4. Finance Manager presents the case to MR for approval.
  5. Finance Manager informs the FPS insurance company of the student’s withdrawal and refunds the money directly to students.  Where possible (e.g. refunds in cash) the student signs an acknowledgement form confirming receipt of his money.

The procedure for a school initiated refund (due to NIC not performing / ICA not approving the student pass, etc) is as follows: 

  1. The MR / Directors decides not to run the course.
  2. Upon receipt of written confirmation that the course will not run or that the student pass application has not been successful, HR & Finance Manager calculates the amount of refund due to the students and obtains approval from MR to give the refund. 
  1. Finance Manager writes to inform the FPS insurance company of the student’s withdrawal and refunds the money directly to students.  Where possible (e.g. refunds in cash) the student signs an acknowledgement form confirming receipt of his money.

Deferment Policy and Procedure

Deferment Policy

1.All students shall be briefed on the Deferment Policy and Procedure during:

  • Pre-course Counseling by Admin
  • New student orientation by Admin. Staff
  • The Deferment Policy and Deferment Procedure can also be found in the following communication channels:
  • Student Handbook
  • Website and
  • Notice Boards
  • The Student Support Services clearly explains the following to the student upon management approval of the course deferment request:
  • The implication on the status of the Student’s Pass;
  • The need to sign a new Student Contract or an addendum to the existing Student Contact

2     Circumstances in which a deferment application will be granted

Deferment of course

      Student request with reason to defer his/her course commencement date to a later intake or deferring remaining modules of the current course of study shall submit the                Deferment Request Form to the Student Support Service Department;

  1. Parent / Legal guardian’s written consent is required if the student is under 18 years of age;
  2. The maximum allowable period for deferment is 12 months;
  3. Make known to the student that he/she is required to submit a new request if there is a further need to defer the course commencement date.
  4. Requests for deferment must be approved by the MR.
  5. Deferment of module(s)
      •  Student fill-up and submit the Deferment Request Form to request to defer a module or the remaining yet to complete modules of the course he/she is studying;
      •  Parent / Legal guardian’s written consent is required if the student is under 18 years of age
      •   The maximum allowable period for the deferment shall be not more than 12 months or the allowable date to complete the course whichever is earlier;
      •    Request for deferment must be approved by the Director & AEB Board.

Time Frame for processing a deferment case

The College shall complete the processing of deferment request within 4 weeks from the date of submission of the request by student.

Student Conduct and Attendance

Student Attendance Policy

1.All full-time students who are holding Student’s Pass should achieve a minimum attendance of 90% per month.

2.To qualify for assessment/examination, students should achieve the following minimum attendance rate:

         (a) 80% attendance rate for Student’s Pass holders

         (b) 75% attendance rate for non-Student’s Pass holders.

3.All students must submit a valid medical certificate to the Admin / Student Support Services whenever absent on medical grounds.

4.Students who need to apply for leave of absence with valid reason(s) must submit the application form to Admin / Student Support Services for management approval prior to making traveling arrangements. Approval by the management will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

(Please take note that written approval from parents or legal guardians is required for students below 18 years old).

5.The College shall notify Immigration and Checkpoints Authority of Singapore (ICA) whenever the student on Student’s Pass is absent continuously for more than seven (7) days or if the monthly attendance is less than 90% without a valid reason.

6.The College shall not hesitate to take disciplinary actions against students who do not meet the requirements as stipulated under Clause 5.1 and 5.2. The disciplinary actions taken shall be in accordance with procedure.

     (a) Warning Letter

     (b) Counseling

     (c) Expelled from the college 

However, the intervention action may vary depending on the seriousness of the offenses.

Student Discipline Policy

  1. All students shall familiarize themselves and adhere to the College’s policies and code of conduct (Student Handbook) that are applicable to them.
  2. All students shall ensure that their behavior is always respectful of others and supportive of the learning environment. The College shall not tolerate the following behaviors/offenses:
  3. dishonesty
  4. misconduct
  5. disruption of the academic environment
  6. vandalize and/or destruction of college property
  7. fraud
  8. misdemeanors or other offenses against persons or things
  9. failure to abide by the college’s regulations and policies
  10. failure to respect the right of others
  11. failure to abide by the Singapore rules and regulations
  12. Students who violate any of the College policy or misbehave, subjected to disciplinary action(s) commensurate with the seriousness of the offense.

Such disciplinary action(s) shall be in accordance with and as set out in the procedure 

     (a) Warning Letter

     (b) Counseling

     (c) Expelled from the college 

However, the intervention action may vary depending on the seriousness of the offenses.

 

 

Data Protection

As an established and trusted private educational institution, NIC is committed to maintaining a high standard of confidentiality with respect to the personal data of our students, alumni, employees and associate lecturers in accordance with the requirements of the Personal Data Protection Act 2012 (the “PDPA”).

To help you understand how we collect, use, share and protect the personal data of our students, alumni and associate lecturers please see our Data Protection Policy. Employees can refer to the employee personal data protection policy in HR policy manual in our intranet.

Should you have any feedback or enquiries relating to your personal data, please contact:
The Personal Data Protection Officer (DPO) at the following address:
Email: info@newtoncollege.edu.sg

For more information about the PDPA, please visit the Personal Data Protection Commission’s website at https://www.pdpc.gov.sg.

 

Data Protection Policy

Introduction

  1. “Personal Data” is defined under the PDPA to mean personal information, whether true or not and whether in electronic or other form, about an individual who can be identified:
    1. from that data; or
    2. from that data and other information to which we have access to or are likely to have access to.

Examples of personal data are your name, address, NRIC/FIN/Passport number, photograph or video image, telephone numbers and email addresses.

  1. To find out more about PDPA, you may visit the Singapore Personal Data Protection Commission’s website

Purposes for Collection, Use & Disclosure of Personal Data

  1. Newton International College use and disclose your personal data for the following purposes in connection with the products or services which you have applied for, to the extent applicable:
    • general administration of your application and/or registration and/or enquiry, including those personal data collected by our recruitment agents, for any programme offered by us ;
    • providing the student support and administrative services to you;
    • responding to any complaints, feedback, requests and enquiries by you;
    • disclosing your records to your parent(s) or guardian(s) at their request;
    • informing you of events, talks, seminars, surveys and updates;
    • conducting checks with the DO NOT CALL Registry;
    • maintaining and updating our student, alumni, and associate lecturer records;
    • generating financial, regulatory, management or survey reports and statistics for NIC’s business and administrative purposes;
    • meeting or complying with ‘NIC’ internal policies and procedures and any applicable laws, rules, regulations, codes of practice or guidelines, orders or requests issued by any court, legal or regulatory bodies (including but not limited to disclosures to regulatory bodies, conducting audit checks, surveillance and investigation);
    • preventing, detecting and investigating crime, offences or breaches including that related to the security of NIC premises (including but not limited to the use of security cameras);
    • purposes which are reasonably related to the above.
  2. By providing the Personal Data, including those related to a third party (e.g.: information of your parents) to us through the various channels (e.g.: written form, webpage), you represent and warrant that consent, including that of the third party, has been obtained for collection, use and disclosure of the Personal Data for the respective purposes. In the event the personal data is to be used for a new purpose, NIC will notify you and seek your consent.
  3. NIC ensures that your Personal Data held by us shall be kept confidential. When transferring personal data to our third-party service providers, agents and/or our affiliates or related corporations whether in Singapore or elsewhere to carry out one or more of the purposes listed above, we will require them to ensure that your Personal Data disclosed to them is kept confidential and secure.

Withdrawal of Consent

  1. Associate Lecturers and students may withdraw your consent to any or all use of Personal Data for any or all of the purposes set out in this policy in writing using theWithdrawal of Consent Form and submitting through our DPO email or through our Reception counter in either of NIC campuses. For alumni, you may “unsubscribe” to the relevant notifications from Alumni Engagement.
    Without prejudice, if you withdraw your consent to the use of your Personal Data for any or all purposes, depending on the nature of your request, NIC may not be in a position to continue to provide our services to you or administer any contractual relationship in place, in which case NIC reserves the right to cease providing the services and/or terminate the contractual relationship with you.
  2. Without prejudice to the foregoing, you agree and acknowledge that any withdrawal of your consents in accordance with the terms set out in this notice will not affect any consent which you may have provided to NIC in respect of the use of your Singapore telephone number(s) for the receiving of marketing or promotional information.


Administration & Management of Personal Data

  1. As NIC relies on your Personal Data to provide services to you, you shall ensure that at all times the information provided by you to us are correct, accurate and complete. Student shall update us in a timely manner of all changes to the information provided through “Updating of Particulars” via NIC website.  Alumni and Associate lecturers shall update their Personal Data through our relevant departments as and when necessary or through our annual update.
  2. You can view your personal data which NIC has collected and stored at any time. To do so, you will need to submit your request via email to the relevant schools  to view your personal data residing with NIC. Your right to view your personal data is limited to your personal data only. NIC is not permitted to reveal any personal data about any other individual. NIC reserves the right to refuse access to your personal data if it will reveal or lead to the revelation of another individual’s personal data, cause harm to you or another individual or is contrary to the national interest.
  3. Your Personal Data is retained to the extent one or more of the purposes for which it was collected remains valid and/or for other legal or business purposes for which retention may be necessary.
  4. NIC will take commercially reasonable efforts to take appropriate precautions and preventive measures to ensure that the electronic storage and transmission of your Personal Data is adequately protected and secured with the appropriate security arrangements and that our data intermediary are aware of the requirements of PDPA. However, we cannot assume responsibility for any unauthorized use of your Personal Data by third parties which are wholly attributable to factors beyond our control.

If you have any feedback or enquiries relating to our PDPA related policies and procedures or would like to obtain access and make corrections to your Personal Data, please do not hesitate to contact our Data Protection Officer at info@newtoncollege.edu.sg NIC reserves the right to amend this Policy with or without notice from time to time.

Dispute Resolution Policy

Dispute Resolution Policy

      1.NIC has a documented close-loop feedback and complaint management system in place to gather and address all feedback / complaints received (either from the public,                staff, students and prospective students).

  1. A student dispute may arise from any aspect of a student’s educational experience which they believe to be unfair, unjust or unreasonable.
  2. NIC treats all grievances, disputes and appeals as our important feedback. NIC has staff  to manage students’ welfare, including the handling of their grievances and complaints according to our procedures. NIC is committed to resolving any feedback / complaint received within 21 working days. If the complaint is not resolved amicably within the stipulated period by the college or if the student is not satisfied with the outcome from the college, the student may seek redress via:
  3. CPE Mediation – Arbitration Scheme; or
  4. The Small Claims Tribunals (SCT), for clear cut fee refund issues of equivalent or less than S$10,000/- or
  5. Student’s own legal counsel

# For amounts that exceed SGD$10,000 but is less than SGD$20,000, the claim can still proceed with SCT if both parties consent to it in writing