NGEE ANN TECHNICAL COLLEGE (AMENDMENT) BILL

Order for Second Reading read.

3.35 p.m.

The Minister for Science and Technology (Dr Lee Chiaw Meng): Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, "That the Bill be now read a Second time."

The Ngee Ann College was established in 1963 with a total enrolment of 447. Apart from applied chemistry and telecommunications engineering, the courses offered by the College were mainly in the liberal arts and business studies. Following its reconstitution in 1967, the College began diversifying its courses with a bias towards technical studies. The present enrolment of the College is 1,652, the majority of whom are in engineering courses leading to a technician diploma. In the next fiscal year, this will exceed 2,500. The courses offered by the College now include mechanical engineering, electrical and electronic engineering, shipbuilding and repair technology, building services and business studies.

In view of the diverse nature of the courses it now offers, it is considered necessary to appoint suitable members to the Council of the College to enable its diverse interests to be met. It is therefore proposed to amend section 7(l) (c) and (g) of the Act to provide the Minister in charge with more flexibility to appoint Council members to serve the interest of the College.

Currently, the common seal of the College may only be used or affixed on any document in the presence of the Chairman or a member of the Council and the Principal in pursuance of a resolution duly passed at a properly constituted meeting of the Council and duly recorded in the minutes of that meeting. These requirements are unnecessarily onerous when the common seal is used on the College's diplomas and cer- tificates. I propose that for the purpose of routine validation of the College's diplomas and certificates, section 12 of the Act be so amended as to permit the affixing of the common seal in the presence of two officers of the College duly authorised by the Council on its behalf.

It is desirable for the Council to submit annual reports on the performance of the College to the Minister in charge for his presentation to Parliament. A new section is therefore proposed to meet this requirement.

Finally, I am taking this opportunity to amend the Act to satisfy the financial procedures governing statutory institutions as prescribed by the Ministry of Finance. A new section to the Act to prescribe the financial procedures to be followed by the College is therefore proposed.

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.