Dispute Resolution Policy
Student Grievance Resolution (Feedback and Complaints)
The College accepts feedback from multiple channels as part of its efforts to use feedback to drive improvements and organisational excellence. Feedback, compliments and complaints can be provided via the following methods:
- Emails
- Letters
- Feedback Form
- Verbal communications (meetings/telephone correspondences)
All feedback received is acknowledged and evaluated for follow-up action. Any action taken is recorded and made known to the person giving the feedback. All complaints shall be resolved within a reasonable time frame.
All feedback and complaints are properly recorded and/or documented. Any correspondence (including actions taken) between the College and the student is kept as evidence, to ensure that staff handling the case are kept aware of the progress and outcomes.
Feedback / Complaint Procedure
- Submit your feedback or complaint via email, letter, the Feedback Form or verbal communication.
- The Admissions and Operations Division will acknowledge your feedback/complaint within 3 working days of receipt and route it to the relevant Division Director for investigation.
- The relevant Division Director will investigate and reply to you within 14 working days of receipt of the feedback/complaint.
- If you are not satisfied with the reply, the matter may be escalated to the CEO / Principal, who will investigate and reply within 21 working days of receipt of the feedback/complaint.
- If you remain unsatisfied after the CEO / Principal’s reply, the matter will be escalated into the dispute resolution procedure below.
All feedback and complaints are evaluated, and improvements are made in response to them. Such improvements are documented for re-evaluation after implementation, and the person giving the feedback is informed.
Appeals against assessment results and awards follow the College’s Appeal of Assessment Results process. Appeals against retention, suspension or expulsion follow the College’s disciplinary appeal process. Both processes are set out in the Student Handbook.
Student Dispute Resolution
Where the College and a student complainant cannot come to an agreement, or the student does not accept the final decision made by the College, the complaint will be escalated into a dispute and the student may choose to seek redress via:
- the Mediation-Arbitration Scheme; or
- the Small Claims Tribunals (SCT), for clear-cut fee refund issues of an amount up to and including S$20,000; or
- the complainant’s own legal counsel.
The Mediation-Arbitration Scheme was set up to help students who encounter contractual disputes with their private school seek redress. The two-stage Scheme is jointly drawn up with the Singapore Mediation Centre (SMC) and the Singapore Institute of Arbitrators (SIArb). A private school’s participation in the dispute resolution process is compulsory as stipulated by the Private Education Act. For the case to be eligible, it must be relevant to private education and arise after the Dispute Resolution Schemes Regulations came into operation on 10 May 2010, must not be criminal in nature, and must not have already received a judicial decision in the courts.
The College will refer the complainant to SWDA to start the Mediation-Arbitration Scheme once the matter has been escalated into a dispute case. The dispute procedure generally has 2 stages:
- Stage 1: Mediation. SMC is the appointed provider for mediation services. After the feedback/complaint channel with the College has been exhausted, the complaint filed with SWDA will be referred to SMC for mediation. SMC, together with the College and the complainant, will select a mediation date and time before appointing a mediator. If mediation is successful, a settlement agreement will be drawn up by SMC and endorsed by the respective parties. If mediation is unsuccessful, the complainant may opt to progress to Stage 2, arbitration.
- Stage 2: Arbitration. SIArb is the appointed provider for arbitration services. The complainant submits the specified forms to SIArb, before SIArb appoints an arbitrator. The College then submits a defence and counterclaim (if any), and the complainant submits a reply and defence to counterclaim (if any). Arbitration is conducted via document submissions only; a hearing is held only if a party specifically requests one and the appointed arbitrator determines that a physical hearing is necessary. For a documents-only arbitration, the arbitrator will publish a written award within 60 days of the commencement of the arbitration; where a hearing is held, the award will be published within 90 days.
Please submit any enquiry or feedback to SWDA via the SWDA Feedback Portal at https://service-portal.swda.gov.sg/s/feedback/.
Get In Touch
- Campus: 120 Oxley Rise, S(238709)
- (65) 6268 4888
- enquiries@shrm.edu.sg
Connect with us
