Sri Lankan students intending to study in Singapore cautioned

(December 04, Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian) The High Commission of Sri Lanka in Singapore has received a number of complaints from students, who are pursuing courses of study, inclusive of job training, at institutions in Singapore. Most of these institutions are not of repute or of academic standing but the fees charged range between S$4,000 – 7,000 (equivalent of SLR 300,000 – 500,000) for a six month to one year course.

Students are attracted by agents, addressing overseas academic placement, in Sri Lanka who in turn, would get a substantial commission of the fee. Most often, these students have been told that after the successful completion of the course, they would be offered job training and employment either in Singapore or in Malaysia.

However, the fact of the matter remains that once the students arrive in Singapore to pursue the course of study, they get disappointed with the institution as well as the lack of potential employment opportunities, promised by the agent in Sri Lanka. The agents in Sri Lanka, in collusion with the academic institutions in Singapore make false promises to unsuspecting students as well as publish advertisements in the print media to attract students. Most of these courses are in the fields of tourism, hospitality and food & beverages.

The High Commission of Sri Lanka in Singapore strongly advises students, who intend to follow a course of study in Singapore through the assistance of an agent, to be extremely cautious and to observe due diligence in order to find out the authenticity of the academic institution and commitment to job offers in Singapore. The Ministry of Higher Education in Sri Lanka or the High Commission of Sri Lanka could assist in this endeavour. - Sri Lanka Guardian