Colleges ditch courses, citing rule to protect students from cheats

Hundreds of adult learners have been blocked from pursuing their lifelong learning goal because of a recent change to the method of payment for courses under a government fund, colleges say.

From April 1, providers of courses eligible for subsidies from the Continuing Education Fund (CEF) must collect tuition fees monthly instead of the previous practice of a one-off fee or collecting fees every semester.

Affecting new students applying for CEF courses, the policy aims to protect students' interests by squeezing out dubious course providers that collect full payment from students but fold midway through the course.

But members of the Federation of Continuing Education in Tertiary Institutions, an alliance comprising providers of associate degree courses, say many providers have suspended or are planning to suspend CEF-eligible courses because of the change.

They are worried students paying monthly might pull out part-way, leaving providers with a loss. One college has almost 70 classes for which students can't claim reimbursement. Providers also say the government did not consult them before announcing the change in July.

'The new fee collection mode will create a lot of administrative difficulties for us,' the head of one college, who wanted to remain anonymous, said. 'The UGC-funded universities that offer continuing education courses voiced vehement objections, as their fee-collection mechanisms for subdegree courses are embedded within the central university system. Hiving it off into a separate mechanism is impossible to do.'