NGEE ANN TECHNICAL COLLEGE (AMENDMENT) BILL

Order for Second Reading read. 4.40 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 seeks to amend some provisions in the Ngee Ann Technical College Act and to introduce new ones. Most of the proposed amendments or new provisions are similar to the ones proposed under the Singapore Polytechnic (Amendment) Bill for the Singapore Polytechnic Act.

Under the Bill, section 7 of the Act is to be amended to allow flexibility in the appointment of members to the Council of the College. The amendment, however, will not affect the present position of the Ngee Ann Kongsi which will continue to have three representatives on the Council.

The Bill also seeks to delete paragraph (e) of section 8, subsection (2) of the Act. This paragraph made it a part of the functions of the Council to provide residences for the staff and students of the College. Since there is now neither the need nor the intention to provide residences, this paragraph has become obsolete and ought to be deleted.

Clause 6 of the Bill seeks to alter the composition of the College Senate slightly by including the Vice-Principal of the College as a member of the Senate. He will serve as the Deputy Chairman of the Senate to assist the Principal who is the Chairman.

The purpose of clause 7 of the Bill is to provide for the establishment of the Ngee Ann Technical College Students' Union. The mechanism for constituting the Students' Union will be the same as in the case of the Singapore Polytechnic Students' Union, that is to say, it will be constituted by Regulations to be made under the Act. The intention is likewise similar - to ensure fair and wide representation of the students' interests and proper management of the Union funds. The Union and its constituent clubs will come under the ambit of the Societies Act.

The Bill also seeks to empower the Council of the College to draw up rules on the appointment, promotion and termination of service of the staff and on the conduct and disciplinary control of staff and students. The Council will also assume responsibility for the proper control over the assets and expenditure of the College and for the preparation of financial statements for auditing. These are at present the Principal's responsibilities but it is felt that, more appropriately, the Council should have charge of these matters.

Until the Bill is passed by this House and brought into operation, the current College Council will continue in office.

The amendments proposed in the Bill will bring the Ngee Ann Technical College and the Singapore Polytechnic more in line with each other, since, after all, both are tertiary institutions for technical training and should be governed by similar laws.

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 Ahmad Mattar].

Bill considered in Committee.

[Mr Speaker in the Chair]

Clause 1 -

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

Clause 1 ordered to stand part of the Bill.

Clauses 2 to 6 inclusive ordered to stand part of the Bill.

Clause 7 -

The Chairman: The citation year in page 4, line 34, has also to be altered from "1979" to "1980". This will be done.

Clause 7 ordered to stand part of the Bill.

Clauses 8 to 10 inclusive ordered to stand part of the Bill.

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