Dear students, parents, teachers, and guardians,
Our vision at Chumbaka is for all children to have the right skillsets and values to navigate the changing future. As such, we hope that our students will have a fruitful learning experience together with their peers throughout the sessions.
We aim to lead a respectful, conducive, and disciplined class for our students. To achieve this, we have established a few simple policies. You and your child are responsible for complying with these policies upon signing up for our Classes.
⏲️ Updated on 17 Jun 2021
‼️ This document, in combination with your enrolment into our class, constitutes the entire agreement between you and Chumbaka. Other than specifically provided in a separate formal agreement between you and Chumbaka, these policies may not be altered or amended by the use of any other document(s).
This can also be obtained via chumbaka.asia/policies
Our Response to the Covid-19 Pandemic
- All our classes are physical classes, unless otherwise communicated when signing up.
- We follow the government’s directives to close or open our centers.
- We ensure our centers are safe and conducive places for physical learning during the pandemic. Please refer to our SOP (click here) in place at our centers.
- In case of a center closing due to the movement control order, all our classes will carry on as usual online via Zoom. There will be no cancellation of classes unless otherwise communicated.
- We ensure the best online learning experience, and we value feedback to our online delivery model. Here are some of the measures we have taken:
- We ensure our online classes are safe and secure for your child. Please read more here (Keeping your Zoom classes private and secure) to understand how we do this.
- Should we notice your child struggling with online classes compared to other peers, we do one-on-one coaching until your child is sufficiently ready to manage learning by himself.
- If there are not enough devices at home, we are ready to loan our available computers to your child. All you have to do is just ask!
Our Class Policies
Class Operations
About Our Classes
Our classes, programs, and courses may be updated without prior notice. For the latest course structure and details, please refer to our website at https://chumbaka.asia/.
Classes
- All classes are coordinated by our Principal & Coordinator, and led by our mentors.
- We schedule about 40 classes per year in the beginning of the year. – Classes will not be held during public holidays & our scheduled holidays. – Some months may have more classes than others.
- Students are to be punctual for all classes. If students are late, we are not obligated to provide replacement for the time missed out due to tardiness.
- We keep all attendance records.
- We advise your child not to skip any class. – If skipping is unavoidable, your child can replace the class at another class. – To arrange for a replacement, please notify us at least 1 week in advance.
- Students are to behave appropriately and follow [our classroom value & culture]().
- Class schedule is shared via a confirmation email and published on our Learning Management System (LMS). If there is a postponement of a class, you will be informed via email at least 2 weeks in advance.
Holidays
We are closed on public holidays and our scheduled holidays.
Computers, Tools, and Equipment
- Students must bring their own laptops for our classes, to own their learning and projects throughout the class.
- Students may borrow a laptop from us (subject to availability) during class if they are not able to bring their own laptop.
- Students are responsible for the safety and care of our computers, tools, and equipment, when borrowing them. In the event where they are damaged due to negligence of the student, the student will be held responsible and financially accountable to restore and/or replace the damaged item(s).
Safety and Wellbeing
- Students may work with sharp tools, electrical equipment, and heat-emitting appliances during class as part of their learning experience. We will not be liable to any injuries of the students that occur during the class.
- Students are to practice safety and care at all times at the venue where classes take place.
- If a student is found to behave inappropriately or in a way that endangers the safety and wellbeing of another individual during class, the behavior will be dealt with by the Principal. Serious infractions will result in a phone call home, dismissal from the class, and/or possibly future classes.
Read more on Parental Consent
Payment Matters
Fee Payment
- You must pay the monthly fee on the first day of each month, throughout the year.
- A one-time deposit (equivalent to one-month fee) is required for new students. Existing students are exempted. Deposit will be forfeited if students leave within 3 months OR fail to provide one-month notice of leaving.
- All payments can be made using the following methods:
- Credit Card / Debit Card / e-Wallet
Payments via card and/or e-wallet are processed through a secured and certified service provider. The link to make payment is specific to a student and will be sent via email. - Online Banking
You may perform a fund transfer through your personal bank account to us and provide us proof of the transaction after. - Cash
You may pay directly to the Principal/Coordinator. He/she will record the payment. For the cash payment method, an e-receipt will be issued within 3 working days of payment. If not received, please check with the Principal/Coordinator.
- Credit Card / Debit Card / e-Wallet
- In the event that you fail to settle the outstanding fee in accordance with the respective due date, you are liable to pay late payment charges levied accordingly by the center.
- In the event where you need to pause your class for a few months, you may “freeze” your class.
- You may “freeze” your class by paying a freezing fee per month.
- The freezing fee is payable in advance.
- The freeze period must be for a period not less than 1 month or a maximum of 12 months.
- You must give notice to us by the 20th of the month prior to the first day of the freezing month. Back-dating freeze is not allowed. Freeze requests shall only be processed by the Principal. A written confirmation shall be issued by the Principal to confirm the freeze period.
Purchase of Kits
- All courses and kits sold are non-exchangeable and non-refundable, unless:
- the course is cancelled due to extenuating factors, OR
- errors from our system, OR
- you cancel your enrolment before the first lesson
- We strictly do not allow refunds or exchanges due to a change of mind/interest and/or errors you made during your purchase
- Refund Request Procedures
- Original receipt must be presented to Principal to initiate the refund request procedures. No refunds will be made if you are unable to produce original receipt.
- Once the refund request is approved,
- if you paid using either Online Banking, ATM, or Bank Transfer, your refund will be released to your bank account within 14 working days.
- if you paid using Payment Gateway, your payment will be released to your credit/debit card account within 14 working days.
- We reserve the right, in our sole discretion, to limit or deny refund requests in cases where we believe there is refund abuse, including but not limited to the following circumstances:
- A significant portion of the courses has been accessed or downloaded by student before the refund was requested
- Unreasonable amount of refunds/exchanges is requested
- Student who has precedence where their account was reported, banned, or deactivated due to violation of our Class Policies
Purchase of Kits
- Purchase of an Arduino Kit is compulsory for certain courses. Please check with your mentor, Coordinator, and/or Principal regarding this.
- Purchased kit will be collected at the center or delivered directly to the student, within 10 working days, upon arrangement with the Coordinator and/or Principal.
- All kits have a warranty period of 90 days from the date of delivery. If goods are found to be damaged upon the first day of usage, the goods will be replaced without charge. See our warranty terms for hardware kit for details.
- The access to course via our LMS is available upon attendance of the first class.
- Apart from purchase of kits, occasionally, students may require additional purchase for replacement parts or additional components outside of our kits for a particular project they have decided to take on. For any purchase outside whatever is available of their current kits, students need to consult their mentors and to obtain the permission from their parents.
- We have a shopping guide for students, and our mentors will guide students if they are shopping for their components for the first time. In fact, we highly encourage students to make use of the resources they already have, instead of buying new things. Therefore if your children request you to purchase components and you have doubts about their requests, please contact their mentor, coach, trainer, or principal.
Read more on Parental Consent
Classroom Value & Culture
When students attend our classes, they are expected to uphold these values in order to ensure an effective learning environment for everyone.
Self-paced Learning
Our material is designed for self-paced learning, with our mentor as guidance. Therefore, students are required be less dependent on mentors and take charge of their learning by adhering to the 3Bs.
BRAIN: Instead of asking mentors, students are expected to think for answers.
BUDDY: If you can’t find an answer on your own, you can ask your friends. Discuss and consider everyone’s opinions.
BOSS: Only when all else fails, you may ask your mentor for help. But there’s a good chance your mentor will ask you even more questions to help you find an answer.
Behavior
Being aware of how you behave in class is necessary to create a conducive learning environment. The 3Rs are values that you practice while in class. Each value — respect, responsibility, and resourcefulness — is broad in nature, so you can apply the 3Rs in various situations.
RESPECT
- I will listen when others are sharing
- I will put up my hand to ask permission
- I will be punctual
RESPONSIBILITY
- I will keep my goals
- I will take care of all properties
- I will keep my workspace tidy
RESOURCEFULNESS
- I will check if there are any mistakes in my work
- I will search for answers before asking for help
- I will be creative in solving my problems
Here are some examples of how you check your behavior by using the 3Rs.
Making jokes about my friend’s situation
Your action violates being respectful to others.
Being careless with your books, components, or class property
Your action violates being responsible for your things and other people’s things.
Giving up after facing a problem and start disrupting the class
Your actions violate being resourceful and being respectful.
Break a Rule
Should you choose to break a rule, your punishment will always fit the crime. Any violation of the 3Rs will be dealt with in the following manner:
- 1st incident: warning by your mentor, highlighting the value that you have violated
- 2nd incident: warning by your mentor and a call to your parents or guardians
- 3rd incident: meeting with your parents (or guardians), mentor, and principal
Severe issues such as violent behavior and gross insubordination may warrant expulsion.
Read more on Parental Consent
Privacy
We believe you have your right for privacy. The information you share with us and with others, should be up to you. That is why we want to be forthright in how we use your personal information.
Personal Information and Data Protection
- We only use your personal information to provide our service to you. We promise to keep this information private and confidential. Please refer to our privacy policy here: https://www.chumbaka.asia/privacy-policy
- Some of your personal information may be passed on to our full-time staff.
Photographs and Filming
- We occasionally take photographs and/or videos of students with their work, to use in our stakeholder engagement materials. If you would prefer us not to do this, please send us a formal email in regards to this.
- Classes cannot be filmed or recorded, without permission from the Principal.
- Our courseware (including kits, courses, books and/or tutorials) are the Intellectual Property of Chumbaka.
Read more on Parental Consent
Other Pages
Keeping your Zoom classes private and secure
Disclaimer
- This page may change. We will update via email to parents if there are any major changes.
- We have done our best to ensure descriptions in our websites and materials are accurate, but we are not responsible for any slight errors.