By Sandra Davie, Senior Writer

MORE stringent laws that Parliament approved yesterday will deter and make it difficult for private schools here to peddle fake degrees and leave students with little hope of recovering their course fees when they close.

If found guilty, operators of such schools under the Private Education Act, can face being fined up to $10,000 and jailed for up to a year.

The new stricter law is the latest attempt to regulate and raise standards in an industry that has been rocked by numerous school closures, including those which offered unaccredited or downright fake degrees to unsuspecting students.

For more The Straits Times stories, click here.