WHEN contacted, spokesmen for various private institutions here said they are aware that some students have been paying others to do their work.

They said they are tackling the problem.

Related link: » Psst, I'll do homework for you... for a fee

Mr Derrick Chang, vice-president of PSB Academy, said the institution has had "a small number" of students who have sought help from others for their assignments.

He said: "Lecturers and tutors are aware of the learning stages of each student.

"An exceptional piece of work submitted for grading is always examined in greater detail and matched against previous submissions from the same student."

He added that students caught submitting work done by somebody else would be suspended or expelled.

Similarly, Ms Elaine Tan, assistant director of communications at the Management Development Institute of Singapore (MDIS), said students who cheat or plagiarise their assignments could face expulsion.

She said: "We are told that some foreign students are paying local students to do their work for them, especially when language is an impediment. MDIS does not condone such acts."

She said all students are briefed on the consequences of such actions during orientation, and that the school uses computer software to detect plagiarism on assignments and dissertations.

She said: "We advise students that they may experience momentary success when they resort to cheating or plagiarism but, ultimately, they would have failed on their part to compete on fair grounds."

So far, no foreign student has been caught for this form of cheating, she said.

Mr Mark Chua, marketing manager for East Asia Institute of Management (EASB), said students caught cheating will have to appear before the school's disciplinary board, and may face expulsion.

He said students who pay others to write papers for them can easily be caught.

He said: "Our lecturers can detect them easily as they know the students well in terms of their performance and standard of writing."

Dr Jim Jackson, college director for Kaplan Higher Education, added: "Our stand on students who pay others to do their work is to consider it as fraud, akin to criminal behaviour.

"We take this very seriously and once the case has been proven, we will expel the student and then take other necessary actions."

This article was first published in The New Paper.