GENERAL ORDERS (Sale at Publication Sales Bureau)

Mrs Seow Peck Leng asked the Minister for Finance whether he is aware that copies of the General Orders have not been made available for sale at the Publication Sales Bureau for the last few years, and the reasons therefor.

Dr Goh Keng Swee: Yes, I am aware. The reason why General Orders are not on sale now is that they are out of date in many respects. General Orders are now being revised and a new edition will be published in the near future.

Mrs Seow Peck Leng: Mr Speaker, Sir, can the minister tell us how soon it will be published? Because for over two years, thousands of teachers, especially in primary schools, have been going without G.O.s and it is physically impossible for thousands of teachers to use the one copy that exists in the Education Department.

Dr Goh Keng Swee: Mr Speaker, Sir, I would like to know why thousands of teachers want copies of General Orders, although, mind you, Mr Speaker, Sir, I have never been a teacher and I am not quite au fait with all the multifarious duties of those posts. But I would have thought that such simple duties as the teachers may be called upon to perform in schools could well have been explained to them by the principals of the schools. Be that as it may, Mr Speaker, the new General Orders will be revised and divided into four separate manuals, namely, the Establishment Code, which deals with appointments, recruitment, promotions, leave, and all that: the Financial Code, the Stores Procedure Code, and the Office Management Code.

The drafts for the Stores Procedure Code and the Financial Code have been completed, and printing should be in hand before long. The other two Codes will probably be ready early next year.