Section 22
Establishment or maintenance of accreditation or certification schemes by Agency
(1)
The Agency may establish or maintain one or more voluntary accreditation or certification schemes for —
registered private education institutions; and
any class of other education institutions as the Agency may deem appropriate.
(2)
Any education institution which is eligible to be a member of a Scheme may apply to the Agency to be a member of the Scheme.
(3)
The Agency may, if it is satisfied that an education institution meets the eligibility criteria for a Scheme that the Agency may determine, accept the application of the education institution to become a member of the Scheme, subject to the education institution providing a written undertaking, in the form and manner that the Agency may determine, that it will abide by the terms and conditions of the Scheme as determined by the Agency.
(4)
The Agency may, from time to time, vary the terms and conditions of any Scheme by issuing a written notice to the members of the Scheme or any relevant class thereof.
(5)
The terms and conditions of a Scheme, as determined by the Agency, may include all or any of the following:
that members of the Scheme must appoint a management representative to oversee the effective implementation and maintenance of the requirements under the Scheme;
that members of the Scheme must provide all the necessary information and documents, including any declaration of conformity or accuracy of information, that the Agency may require from time to time;
that members of the Scheme must facilitate and provide reasonable assistance to the assessors appointed by the Agency, including but not limited to making available information to the assessors and ensuring the safety of assessors during site visits to the premises of the members;
that members of the Scheme must pay any fees that may be imposed in respect of their application to be members of the Scheme or their continued association with the Scheme;
that members of the Scheme must comply with such codes of conduct or guidelines relating to quality or standards as may be stipulated by the Agency from time to time;
that members of the Scheme must enter into any student fee protection scheme that the Agency may designate for the purposes of the Scheme and abide by the terms and conditions of such student fee protection scheme;
that members of the Scheme must ensure information relating to them, and any other information that may be stipulated by the Agency, are available in a publicly accessible manner;
that members of the Scheme must allow the Agency to publicise the list of members of the Scheme or a list of those that have been withdrawn, or have been suspended or removed, from the Scheme.
(6)
The Agency may appoint any person to administer any Scheme, or any aspect or any part of a Scheme, subject to such terms and restrictions as may be specified by the Agency.
(7)
Any information furnished by or on behalf of an education institution or any manager thereof for the purpose of a Scheme —
may be used for or in relation to investigating or prosecuting any person for an offence under any written law; or
may be used or published in the form of research findings, comparison studies, banding of comparable education institutions, or in any other form or manner or for any purposes that the Agency may determine.[49