THURSDAY-13TH DECEMBER 2007-RM275,000 AWARD FOR 11 EX-STUDENTS OF LABUAN COLLEGE

RM275,000 AWARD FOR 11 EX-STUDENTS OF LABUAN COLLEGE
KOTA KINABALU:
The Consumer Claims Tribunal here yesterday awarded RM2 75,000 in compensation to 11 former students of Labuan International College (KAL), formerly known as Institut Teknologi Sara (ITS), which offered a course to them that is not recognized by National Accreditation Board (LAN). The President of the Tribunal, Datuk Lawrence S H Thien ordered the college to compensate each of the students RM25,000.
The claimants were Mohd Saiful Bahari, Emmanuel Kian Seng Henry, Zarina Zainal, Nur Farizah Raina Yahya, Abdul Halim Noor Sotimin, Maxly Robert, Nur Shazilinah Abdullah, Remawarnih Awg Tanjong, Clement Dindo Peruh, Rozaini Laksaman and Shariffah Nortasha. In July this year, Tribunal President Johari Hassan had ordered the college to pay the damages to the claimants but the order was put on hold in October after KAL director Datuk Suhaili Abdul Rahman asked to be given one month to settle the accreditation issue with the Public Services Department (PSD). Suhaili told the Tribunal that the course in question was offered under a joint programme between KAL and Universiti Putera Malaysia (UPM) and the University would study the matter. He said that as an established national public university, UPM should have been accredited by LAN and PSD, and he would discuss the matter with the relevant authorities. In their claims, the former students said KAL had failed to deliver this promise and should pay the compensation without further delay. On July 30, one of the students, Mohd Saiful said they were offered a diploma course by the college which was spread over a six-semester period. However, at the end of the fourth semester, he said they came to know that the college did not obtain the LAN accreditation for the course from PSD, thus the diploma issued by the college was not recognised by the Government. He said they had approached the principal who assured them that the college had received the LAN accreditation for the course, but the college’s website on the Internet stated that it did not receive the LAN accreditation. “We approached the principal again and he told us that the college has the LAN accreditation but that it would take a while for it to be posted on its website,” said Mohd Saiful, who took a Diploma in Science Computer course in the college. To a question from Johari, Mohd Saiful said they did not lodge a complaint with the Education Department nor the Higher Education Ministry, as they felt it would be a waste of time. The college did not send any officials during the Tribunal hearing yesterday, while some of the students were represented by their parents.