NGEE ANN TECHNICAL COLLEGE (AMENDMENT) BILL

Order for Second Reading read.

5.02 p.m.

The Minister of State for Education (Dr Lee Chiaw Meng): Mr Speaker, Sir, 1 beg to move, "That the Bill be now read a Second time."

At present section 17 of the Ngee Ann Technical College Act provides that the income and property of the College shall include, inter alia, such immovable property as the Ngee Ann Kongsi may, subject to the provisions of section 20 of the Ngee Ann Kongsi (Incorporation) Ordinance, alienate or donate to the College.

However, under section 20 of the said Ordinance, before the Ngee Ann Kongsi can alienate any of its immovable property, it must first go to a General Meeting to pass a resolution to seek leave from the High Court and subsequently apply for such leave. Under these requirements, the alienation of land and other immovable property by the Kongsi to the College becomes, each time a long and cumbersome process. Indeed, in the past, there have been occasions when the development of the College has been hampered by the need to comply with these time-consuming requirements. Further, while in 1933 when the Ngee Ann Kongsi (Incorporation) Ordinance was enacted, there was perhaps justification for these elaborate safeguarding provisions, this is no longer the case in respect of the Ngee Ann Technical College. The Ngee Ann Technical College Act now already provides for the Kongsi to make contributions to the College's income and property, and an amendment to the Ngee Ann Kongsi (Incorporation) Ordinance itself makes it statutory that 75 per cent of the Kongsi's income be set aside for the College.

The Kongsi has already donated 40 acres of its property at Clementi Road to the College, but it is envisaged that if the $11 million development of the College is to proceed as planned, it will involve re-alignment of boundaries and possibly will require a greater land area than the 40 acres already endowed to the College.

Sir, development of this educational institution should not be hampered by the provisions of section 20 of the Ngee Ann Kongsi (Incorporation) Ordinance, especially since the College was founded by the Kongsi itself. The proposed amendment to section 17 of the Ngee Ann Technical College Act seeks to remove the need for compliance with the conditions under section 20 of the Ngee Ann Kongsi (Incorporation) Ordinance in so far as the alienation or donation of immovable property by the Kongsi to the Ngee Ann Technical College is concerned.

Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move.

Question put, and agreed to.

Bill accordingly read a Second time and committed to a Committee of the whole House.

The House immediately resolved itself into a Committee on the Bill.-[Dr Lee Chiaw Meng).

Bill considered in Committee; reported without amendment; read a Third time and passed.

Mr Speaker: I propose to suspend the sitting now and take the Chair again at 5.35 p.m.

Sitting accordingly suspended at 5.05 p.m, until 5.35 p.m. Sitting resumed at 5.35 p.m.