Background and Academic Qualification Check of Mikhy Farrera-Brochez by Polytechnics

1 Dr Intan Azura Mokhtar asked the Minister for Education whether Temasek Polytechnic and Ngee Ann Polytechnic had carried out any due diligence to check the background and academic qualifications of Mikhy Farrera-Brochez who apparently had the qualifications of APA, APS, MCollT, MS DPSY, DipED and who was later convicted of having forged his educational qualifications, before employing him.

The Senior Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Education (Ms Low Yen Ling) (for the Minister for Education): Mr Speaker, Sir, prior to employing Mr Mikhy Brochez, Temasek Polytechnic and Ngee Ann Polytechnic had conducted pre-employment checks by verifying copies of Mr Brochez’s educational certificates against the original. This is in line with the practices of the public sector, as well as many private sector companies.

In addition, Mr Brochez demonstrated a good grasp of the subject during his interviews with Polytechnics' management staff, including those with expertise in psychology. These factors led the Polytechnics to decide to hire him.

While due diligence may be conducted thoroughly, there is unfortunately, no system that is able to exhaustively keep out those who are out to lie and cheat.

Temasek Polytechnic and Ngee Ann Polytechnic have since incorporated more stringent checks, including the verification of educational certificates with the issuing institutions. However, there are practical limits to such checks. Some overseas institutions may not provide their confirmation, citing privacy reasons. We are also mindful of not going to the extremes and risk losing out valuable talents. Therefore, the role of in-service performance appraisal and regular monitoring is very important in our HR practices.

Dr Intan Azura Mokhtar (Ang Mo Kio): I thank the Senior Parliamentary Secretary for the answers. However, I find it a bit strange that the Polytechnics checked the copies with the originals. So, if the original is already falsified, then you are just checking a false document against another false document. I would think that there must be a more robust process in place, where the institution that is keen on hiring should check back with the institution that conferred those certificates in the first place. On top of that, there could also be a check with character referees that a potential employee would have worked with in the past.

My second question is whether Temasek Polytechnic allowed Mr Mikhy Brochez to set up that Child Psychology Clinic where he had access to exceptional children through the clinic because that was what was reported. Could MOE verify that?

Ms Low Yen Ling: Mr Speaker, I would like to thank Dr Intan for her two supplementary questions. For the first, she had some queries and suggestions. Prior to making a hire, all our five Polytechnics conduct pre-employment checks. This is in line with the public sector practice and also many companies in the private sector. These checks include background checks and also checking the applicants' academic qualifications against the original certificates. Since then, Temasek Polytechnic and Ngee Ann Polytechnic have tightened their checks to verify with the issuing institutions, not just for the foreign educational qualifications of new staff but also existing staff. So, that is being done and in progress. In addition to that, since 2014, all our five Polytechnics conduct reference checks with the applicant's previous employers or referees indicated in the application. So, on the first question, I want to assure Dr Intan that MOE will continue to work closely with our five Polytechnics to continue strengthening their recruitment process.

On the second question, Mr Brochez taught at Temasek Polytechnic for a period of two years, from February 2009 to January 2011. He taught for a much shorter period of only six months as an Adjunct Lecturer at Ngee Ann Polytechnic. During that stint in Temasek Polytechnic, he taught four modules for the first year students, three modules for second and third year students, a total of only to 85 students. At that point in time, Temasek Polytechnic had a cohort of about 15,900 students, which means the number of students whom he taught represented about 0.5% of the cohort. In Ngee Ann Polytechnic, the percentage of the students he taught was about 1.5%. His work is concentrated on delivering the modules. And even for those modules that the students attended, for Temasek Polytechnic, that comprised about 10% of their graduating requirement. For Ngee Ann Polytechnic, it is even less – it is about 3% of their graduating requirement.

Dr Intan Azura Mokhtar: I wanted to ask about the plans that Temasek Polytechnic had for him to set up a Child Psychology Clinic within the Polytechnic. Did that go through? Did he have any part in doing that and did he have any access to young children through that planned clinic? And secondly, I would urge MOE to encourage not just the Polytechnics, but also across all our educational institutions, to verify the qualifications and credentials of potential employees, with the institutions that confer them as well as with character referees.

Ms Low Yen Ling: To the first question posed by Dr Intan, his work was confined to delivering the modules, but let me check on that and I will come back to her. For the second question, I want to assure Dr Intan and Members that MOE will spare no effort to work closely with our Polytechnics, Universities and also Institute of Technical Education (ITEs) to strengthen our pre-employment checks and ensure that the standard of academic rigour is kept by our educators in our institutions.

Mr Speaker: Dr Intan, next question.