SINGAPORE POLYTECHNIC (AMENDMENT) BILL

Order for Second Reading read. 4.25 p.m.

The Acting Minister for Social Affairs (Dr Ahmad Mattar): Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, "That the Bill be now read a Second time."

The Bill before the House seeks to amend the Singapore Polytechnic Act, 1954, by changing some of the existing provisions and introducing new ones. The reason for proposing the amendments is that certain provisions of the Act have become obsolete or inadequate, considering the fact that the Polytechnic was established more than a quarter of a century ago. Since its establishment, the Polytechnic has grown into a major institution for the training of technical manpower in Singapore. Right now, there are some 4,600 full-time students and 3,000 part-time students. The campus itself has shifted to new premises at Dover Road, recently completed at a cost of $42 million. The Act governing the operation of this institution has to be brought up-to-date to reflect its development.

There are three main areas of the Polytechnic's operations which the amendments in the Bill are intended to cover. These are the Polytechnic's Board of Governors, its Students' Union and the authority to make regulations under the Act. I shall deal with each of these subjects in turn.

Firstly, on the Board of Governors, the Bill seeks to amend section 4 of the Act concerning the composition of the Board. The existing section 4 is somewhat restrictive. It specifies certain Government ministries and non-Government organisations from which the Minister must select representatives to be members of the Board. The proposed amendment will make the Board consist of a Chairman, a Deputy Chairman, the Principal of the Polytechnic and from 9 to 15 other members to be appointed by the Minister. In this way, while the Board could still have representatives from Government ministries and other organisations, the Minister will also be able to appoint suitable outside experts in technical education to be members. It may be noted that under the amendment, the Principal of the Polytechnic will be a member of the Board. His previous place as Secretary to the Board will be taken by the Registrar. Also, the term of office of the members of the Board will be three years instead of four years.

A new section 4A is introduced by the Bill. It will spell out the circumstances under which a member of the Board is considered to have vacated office, empower the Minister to revoke the appointment of any member except the Principal and allow any member to resign by giving written notice to the Minister.

I now turn to the subject of the Students' Union. Sections 13 and 14 are introduced under the Bill to provide for the establishment of a Singapore Polytechnic Students' Union. The Union will be constituted through regulations to be made under the Act. The proposed provisions are necessary because of the problems which the Polytechnic Authorities have faced with the Students' Union in the past. Firstly, the Students' Union has been dominated in the past by small groups of students who have, from time to time, manipulated their position for their own personal or ideological benefit. In order to get more students to be involved in the Union's affairs and to expand the Union's scope of activities, the Students' Union will be made up of a number of clubs representing the academic and extracurricular interests of the students. Every student will belong to at least one club but not more than three. Each club will have a management committee elected by its members. Each management committee will in turn elect representatives to the Union Council which will also have Executive Council members elected from each of the clubs by their ordinary members. In this way, the Students' Union structure will be more democratic. No small group of students will be able to dominate the Union Council. There will be a fairer representation of students in the Council.

Another problem concerning the Students' Union of the Singapore Polytechnic lies with the management of its funds. The Union collects a large sum of money in union fees from the students. Based on the existing enrolment, the union fees come up to more than $100,000 a year. This money has to be spent responsibly for the benefit of the greatest number of students. It has to be properly accounted for. Unfortunately, the officials of the Students' Union over the years have demonstrated that they could not do so. We have received complaints from the external auditors of the Polytechnic Students' Union. For example, in 1977 the sum written off was $4,330 and in 1979 it was $5,624. Hence, under the Bill, the responsibility for collecting union fees and seeing that they are properly spent and accounted for will be borne by the Polytechnic's administration. This is an unavoidable responsibility since the only alternative is that the sum is managed by the Students' Union officials who come and go year by year.

The Students' Union and its constituent clubs will come under the ambit of the Societies Act. A transitional provision will be made for the existing Students' Union to continue functioning until the new Union is constituted.

I would like to add that if the Students' Union of the Polytechnic carries out their activities within the law and for the benefit of the students, they will have nothing to worry about. In fact, the new amendment will strengthen their hands as the composition of the Council provides for wider representation and, therefore, for a wider scope of activities.

Finally, the Bill seeks an amendment concerning the authority to make Regulations under the Act. This authority is at present held by the Minister and the Regulations have to be approved by Parliament before they come into force. It is proposed that the authority to make Regulations be entrusted to the Board of Governors who would seek the approval of the Minister. The Regulations made under the Act relate to such matters as the conduct and disciplinary control of staff and students of the Polytechnic. The Board of Governors would be the appropriate body to make such regulations. It would also mean that Regulations could be made more expeditiously.

Sir, I beg to move.

Question proposed.

4.35 p.m.

Dr Ang Kok Peng (Buona Vista): Mr Speaker, Sir, I wish to make some comments on the Amendment Bill before the House.

Clause 5 of the Amendment Bill introduces nine new sections, 13 to 21. Of these new provisions, section 13 subsections (1), (2) and (3), and section 21 subsections 1 (e) and 1 (f) have caused great apprehension among a certain section of the students in the Singapore Polytechnic. They feel that these provisions encroach upon their basic rights to organise student activities.

In this connection, the students should now have their fear allayed by the speech of the Hon. Minister which clearly shows that it is not really his intention to suppress legitimate and healthy student activities which are so much an integral part of the educational process of students in an institution of higher learning.

Mr Speaker, Sir, I note that neither in the Singapore Polytechnic Act (Chapter 180 of the Revised Edition) nor in the Singapore Polytechnic (Amendment) Bill before the House is there provision for a Guild of Graduates of the Polytechnic, nor is there provision for the Polytechnic Graduates to be represented on the Board of Governors. As the Minister is aware, he being an academic besides wearing his many different hats, there is a Guild of Graduates of the University of Singapore and that the Guild elects four members to the University Council which can have a maximum membership of 18. Through this provision in the University of Singapore Act, these elected members from the Guild have over the years contributed in no small measure to the development of the University of Singapore into an esteemed place of higher learning.

I hope that the Hon. Minister will consider introducing a provision in the Singapore Polytechnic (Amendment) Bill for a similar organisation in some future date. In the meantime, he may wish to consider appointing some Polytechnic graduates, who have distinguished themselves in the various professions, as members of the Board of Governors under clause 2 of the Amendment Bill when it comes into force. I am confident that such members will render valuable service to their Alma Mater

Dr Ahmad Mattar: Mr Speaker, Sir. the hon. Member's concern that past graduates of the Polytechnic, especially those who have excelled themselves are not given the opportunity to serve the Polytechnic Board of Governors, is quite unfounded. Though not explicitly mentioned in the present Act or the Amendment Bill, past graduates of the Polytechnic have served on the Board of Governors in the past. In fact, the Amendment Bill before the House will give the Minister this flexibility to appoint people on the Board as he deems fit. I would suggest that if the hon. Member for Buona Vista has some suitable names to recommend, please do so because I am in the process of appointing the next Board of Governors for the Singapore Polytechnic.

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 Ahmad Mattar].

Bill considered in Committee.

[Mr Speaker in the Chair]

Clause I -

The Chairman: The citation year will be altered from "1979" to "1980".

Clause 1 ordered to stand part of the Bill.

Clauses 2 to 4 inclusive ordered to stand part of the Bill.

Clause 5 -

The Chairman: The citation year in page 4, line 8, has also to be altered from "1979" to "1980". This will be done.

Clause 5 ordered to stand part of the Bill.

Clauses 6 and 7 ordered to stand part of the Bill.

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