THE Consumers Association of Singapore (Case) will investigate private schools which were found by The Straits Times to have shockingly low standards for their courses, staff and facilities.

The schools had all been accredited by the consumer watchdog under its CaseTrust scheme.

However, a random check of the 327 CaseTrust-accredited private schools threw up at least a dozen which employed dubious practices.

For instance, two schools - Camford Business School and Boston International - offered degrees from unaccredited universities.

Camford offered degrees from a Paramount University of Technology - a well-known degree mill based in Wyoming in the United States - while Boston International gave out qualifications from a 'West Coast University' which is accredited by an agency in the South Pacific islands of Wallis and Futuna.

When contacted yesterday, Case executive director Seah Seng Choon said that ensuring academic excellence in private schools is out of the agency's purview.

Case's accreditation scheme, he said, merely protects students' fees in case the school folds and ensures that the school has sound business practices, such as in its marketing.

Schools' marketing brochures and websites are vetted to ensure that the information on the facilities, courses and teachers' qualifications is accurate.

Yesterday, the agency said that if the schools were found to have misrepresented themselves, it will consider suspending or revoking their CaseTrust accreditation. This will hit the schools hard, as it means they cannot enrol foreign students - the bulk of their business.

However, Mr Clement Soh, 44, a businessman took issue with Case. He asked: 'How can Case say it cannot vouch for the quality of the degrees or if lecturers have proper qualifications? Then, why does it ask the schools for this information?'

Meanwhile, Case president Yeo Guat Kwang has suggested that the Ministry of Education (MOE) start an academic accreditation scheme to complement what Case does.

He said a scheme is needed for private schools to ensure they offer quality courses and that their teachers are qualified.

He added that several private schools registered with the ministry were misleading students by claiming that their courses are certified or endorsed by MOE.

The ministry had said it will make an announcement next month on enhancing the regulatory framework for the private education organisations to assure quality.

Boston International and Camford yesterday reacted to the ST report.

Boston claimed it had been duped by another private school operator to offer degrees from a 'West Coast University'.

It said it was transferring 12 students enrolled in West Coast University programmes to another course it runs from the National University in La Jolla, California, adding that the students would not have to bear any additional costs.

Camford, meanwhile, denied it offered degrees from Paramount University of Technology, although it had given out brochures on the university's courses. Its academic dean K.C. Wong said he does not have an honorary degree from the university either.

Although he had listed his dissertation topic for his PhD on his school's website, he clarified that he only had a first degree and a master's, both from Australian universities.

Also yesterday, Dr Alvin Oh, who holds a doctorate in education and who teaches part-time in reputed private schools such as the Singapore Institute of Management, called to say he had never worked for Cornell Business School, one of the schools listed in The Straits Times report.

The school listed him as its human resources manager and said he had a 'ecmomic (sic) Doctor from Leiqiesite University'.