Thirty-four Toronto-area real estate agents have lost their provincial registration allowing them to sell real estate in Ontario after Humber College discovered “deliberate and organized misconduct” related to its Real Estate Education Program exams.
in a statement Posted Nov. 2, the university said it is aware of misconduct surrounding exam completion and will review past, current and future exams to identify other instances of misconduct or suspicious behavior.
The details of the misconduct are still unclear.
Humber says it has suspended and punished those responsible and has notified the industry regulator, the Real Estate Council of Ontario (RECO), of registered sellers who were guilty of misconduct.
RECO’s website shows that it canceled the registration of 34 vendors October 29. In each case, the council cited “failure to complete the designated educational courses required to be eligible to practice under the Business and Real Estate Brokers Act of 2002.”
In an emailed statement, Humber said it takes academic integrity seriously and that the real estate program “has strong measures” to monitor exams, along with policies to discourage academic misconduct. He said those measures are consistent with other programs at the university and with those at other institutions.
All Humber exams, including those taken online, are subject to supervision using a virtual service called Proctortrack, says the university’s website.
From Humber “Student Misconduct Policy” cites plagiarism, copying, buying exams, and assisting in completing assignments as subject to penalties.
Real estate agents must take five courses and two rounds of business simulations to qualify for registration with RECO. After that, agents have two years to complete another three courses.
To enroll in Humber’s real estate program, the applicant must have graduated from high school or have a designated equivalency. It costs $ 3,590 to take the pre-registration program. The three post-enrollment courses cost $ 570, according to the university’s website.
In 2019, RECO gave Humber the responsibility of training new real estate agents. Until then, the Ontario Real Estate Association (OREA) had provided education to the sector. At the time of the change, OREA raised concerns about the rigor of online education and testing.
On Friday, however, he sent the Star a statement praising RECO and Humber’s swift action.
“Anyone caught cheating during the real estate program exams should be expelled from the profession and there should be a thorough investigation of any existing agencies or brokers that may have been helping,” said OREA CEO Tim Hudak.
He said the association is working with RECO and Humber “to support strong steps taken to preserve the integrity of the real estate profession and eliminate anyone who has not legitimately passed their licensing exams.”
Reference-www.thestar.com