The Labour and Welfare Bureau (LWB) has announced that all six reimbursable courses offered by Hong Kong School of Commerce (HKSC) have been suspended from registration as reimbursable courses under the Continuing Education Fund (CEF) with immediate effect today (January 24).
The decision was made in accordance with the terms and conditions of approval for CEF registration set out in the approval letters issued to HKSC for these courses. The decision was made on the ground that a person who acts as the Responsible Person and Course Director of the CEF courses of the course provider has recently been involved in a criminal case. The person was charged by the Independent Commission Against Corruption with conspiracy to defraud.
A spokesman for the LWB said, "HKSC has to promptly inform all affected CEF course participants about the suspension of CEF registration. If the courses have not yet commenced on or prior to the date of suspension, the course provider must refund in full all course fees and related payments to the CEF course participants within one month after the date of suspension. It has to continue to run the CEF courses commenced prior to the date of suspension until completion. Moreover, on or after the date of suspension, the course provider must not accept new enrolment applications for the courses purportedly as CEF reimbursable courses and must not promote them as CEF reimbursable courses. No subsidy will be paid out of the CEF to the participants of these courses enrolling on or after the date of suspension."
A list of the CEF courses suspended is in the Annex.
The spokesman stressed that the Office of the Continuing Education Fund (OCEF) will continue to monitor CEF courses provided by course providers closely. Apart from authenticating attendance records of learners, assessment results and their claims for reimbursement, it also conducts surprise visits to course providers to ensure that the conditions of approval are fully complied with.
For enquiries, please contact the OCEF via its hotline (3142 2277), by email (cef_sfo@wfsfaa.gov.hk) or by post (address: Units 07-11, 25/F, CDW Building, 388 Castle Peak Road, Tsuen Wan).
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