10 May 2017 at 9:00 am
Changes to dispute resolution rules
From 29 May 2017, there will be technical change to the wording of the rules for the Dispute Resolution Scheme.
Set up in July 2016, the Dispute Resolution Scheme (DRS) aims to resolve financial and contractual disputes between international students and their education providers.
The Ministry of Education (MoE) is now making a technical change to the wording of the rules governing the DRS to make them consistent with the Education Act 1989. The current DRS wording says that the adjudicator’s decision is final when the student claimant has formally accepted it, whereas the Education Act 1989 simply says that the adjudicator’s decision is final.
From 29 May 2017, the DRS rules will state that the adjudicator’s decision is final. This should prevent potential confusion or unnecessary delay in resolving disputes.
As is now the case, students who disagree with the outcome of the disputes resolution process can still challenge it in the Disputes Tribunal, through the court system or through any other complaint resolution body.
