Due diligence to check on educational qualifications of Mikhy Farrera-Brochez

Name and Constituency of Member of Parliament

Dr Intan Azura Mokhtar, Ang Mo Kio GRC

Question

To ask 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.

Response

1. Prior to employing Mr Mikhy Farrera-Brochez, Temasek Polytechnic and Ngee Ann Polytechnic had conducted pre-employment checks by verifying copies of Mr Brochez’s educational certificates against the original certificates. This is in line with the practice of the public sector, as well as many private sector companies.

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

3. 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.

4. 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 the confirmation, citing privacy reasons. We are also mindful of not going to the extreme, and risking losing out on valuable talents. Also, the role of in-service performance appraisal and regular monitoring is very important in our HR practices.