Aims and Activities | Executive Committee | Constitution

The consititution of the Educational Research Association of Singapore

1 NAME & PLACE OF BUSINESS

(a) The association shall be known as the Educational Research Association of Singapore (hereinafter referred to as "the Association").

(b) Its place of business shall be at the National Institute of Education, I Nanyang Walk, Singapore 637616, Republic of Singapore or such other address as may subsequently be decided upon by the Executive Committee and approved by the Registrar of Societies.

2 OBJECTIVES

The objects of the Association shall be to:

(a) promote the practice and utilization of educational research in Singapore, with a view to enhancing the quality of education in Singapore;

(b) seek to improve the training and facilities for educational research personnel in order that their expertise could be used for educational improvement;

(c) promote critical discussion into problems, methods, presentation and use of educational research;

(d) seek the dissemination of educational research findings to both the education and the wider community via journals, newsletters, conferences, workshops, etc.; and

(e) facilitate closer ties with the international research community.

3 FUNCTIONS

In furtherance of the above objects, the Association shall carry out activities necessary for the achievement of the abovementioned purposes, including the following:

(a) provide professional support for the school-based research programmes;

(b) publish the results of pertinent and significant investigations and practices in Singapore Education;

(c) sponsor workshops, conferences, and provide such training facilities for educational researchers as may be appropriate and feasible; and

(d) disseminate knowledge helpful in the understanding and solution of educational problems and act as a clearing-house for research information.

4 MEMBERSHIP

(a) The membership of the Association shall be open to any qualified person or institution who supports its objects, subject to the payment of the annual subscription in accordance with Section 5 of this Constitution.

(b) A person or institution wishing to join the Association should submit a completed membership form to the Honorary Secretary. The Executive Committee shall have full power and discretion as to the admission or refusal of admission to any applicant for membership.

(c) There shall be five categories of members: Ordinary, Associate, Corporate, Life and Honorary.

5 SUBSCRIPTION

Annual subscription for an Ordinary Member is S$50 (Fifty Dollars). Annual subscription for an Associate Member is S$10 (Ten Dollars). Annual subscription for a Corporate Member is S$150 (One Hundred and Fifty Dollars).

Subscriptions are payable within 1 month of the start of a new financial year for the Association. If a member falls into arrears he will be informed immediately by the Honorary Treasurer. If the subscription is not received within the new due date set by the Honorary Treasurer the person will be considered to have given up his membership.

6 MEETING

The management of the Association is vested in a General Meeting of members presided over by the President.

(a) The Association shall hold an Annual General Meeting of members presided over by the President during August of each year:

(i) to confirm the Minutes of the last Annual General Meeting;

(ii) to receive, and if approved, pass the Report and Accounts for the previous financial year;

(iii) to appoint two Auditors for the ensuing year;

(iv) to transact any other business, appropriate notice of which has been given before such meeting, with the decision of the President to be final in this respect; and

(v) to elect office bearers for the coming year.

(b) Details of the quorum are as follows:

(i) The quorum at any Annual General Meeting shall be one quarter of the total membership of ordinary members;

(ii) If a quorum is not present within 30 minutes after the time appointed, the President shall adjourn the Meeting for a period of half-an-hour after which he may with the consent of members present proceed with the meeting;

(iii) At such an adjourned meeting the members present shall constitute a quorum for all purposes but they shall have no power to alter, amend or make additions to the Constitution.

(c) Notice of every Annual General Meeting together with the Agenda, Report and Statement of Accounts shall be sent by post to each member at least seven days before the date of the Meeting.

(d) At least two week's notice will be given for the Annual General Meeting and at least ten days' notice for any other General Meeting. Any member who wishes to place an item on the Agenda of a General Meeting may do so provided he gives notice to the Honorary Secretary one week before the meeting is due to be held.

(e) General Meetings other than the Annual General Meeting must be called by the President on the request in writing of at least one quarter of the total membership or may be called at any time by order of the Executive Committee.

7 OFFICE BEARERS

The duties of the office bearers are as follows:

(a) The President shall preside at all Association and Executive Committee meetings. He shall also represent the Association in its dealings with outside persons.

(b) The Vice-President shall assist the President and act as Deputy to the President in his absence.

(c) The Honorary Secretary shall be responsible for the recordings of meetings and proceedings of the Association and Executive Committee and for ensuring the necessary follow-up. He shall conduct official correspondence on behalf of the Association and Executive Committee. He shall issue all notices of meetings as directed by the President and in accordance with the requirements of the Constitution. He shall be the custodian of the records and such other property of the Association. He shall maintain an up-to-date Register of members.

(d) The Assistant Honorary Secretary shall assist the Honorary Secretary in carrying out his duties.

(e) The Honorary Treasurer shall keep a proper record of all financial matters of the Association and the Executive Committee and shall present to the Executive Committee and to the Annual General Meeting a balance sheet duly audited. He shall be responsible for ensuring that all monies are expended on the purpose for which they are granted or allotted by the Association or the Executive Committee. He shall sign all contracts approved by the Executive Committee. He is authorised to expend up to S$200 per month for petty expenses on behalf of the Association and may not keep more than S$400 per month for petty expenses. Any monies in excess of this will be deposited in a bank to be selected by the Executive Committee. Cheques, etc., for withdrawal from the bank will be signed by the President or Vice-President in addition to the Treasurer.

(f) Names for the above offices shall be proposed and seconded at the Annual General Meeting and election will follow on a simple majority vote of the members. All officers except the Honorary Treasurer will be elected for a two-year term. The Honorary Treasurer will be in office for one year and shall not be re-elected to the same post year after year.

(g) Any member of the Executive Committee absenting himself from three meetings consecutively without satisfactory explanations shall be deemed to have withdrawn from the Committee and a successor may be co-opted by the Committee to serve until the next Annual General Meeting.

8 EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

(a) The Annual General Meeting shall elect an Executive Committee whose term of office shall be two years. At the Annual General Meeting the following members shall be elected: President, President-Elect, Honorary Secretary, Assistant Honorary Secretary, Honorary Treasurer and five ordinary Committee Members. Members of the Executive Committee may be further re-elected to the same related post for another two terms consecutively, except the Honorary Treasurer.

(b) The Executive Committee shall:

(i) organise the day-to-day running of the Association and exercise all powers in furtherance of the Association's objects except that which the Association may specifically reserve to itself;

(ii) draw up the annual programme;

(iii) prepare an Annual Budget;

(iv) prepare an Annual Report and Statement of Accounts;

(v) appoint as many Standing and Ad-Hoc Committees of the Executive Committee as may be required by the Committee for the execution of its responsibilities;

(vi) fill vacancies of office bearers in the Executive Committee from amongst the Executive Committee;

(vii) co-opt any person to serve on its Standing or Ad-Hoc

(viii) appoint the necessary staff for the promotion of the activities of the Association, prescribe the terms, remuneration and conditions of their services; and

(ix) authorise the expenditure of a sum not exceeding S$1000 per month from the Association's funds for the Association's purposes.

(c) Meetings of the Executive Committee

(i) It shall be convened at least once every three months.

(ii) Special meetings may be called by the president upon at least seven days' notice.

(iii) Meetings may also be called by the written request of not less than four members of the Executive Committee.

(iv) Any questions arising in any meetings of the Executive Committee shall be decided by a majority of the members present and in the case of an equality of votes the President shall have a second or casting vote.

(v) The quorum for all meetings of the Executive Committee shall be five.

9 ACCOUNTS

The accounts of the Association for each financial year shall be kept in a form and manner as may be approved by the Executive Committee.

10 FINANCIAL YEAR

The financial year of the Association shall be from 1st August to 31st July.

11 AUDIT

Two persons, not members of the Executive Committee, will be elected as Honorary Auditors at each General Meeting and will hold office for one year only and not be re-elected. They will be required to audit each year's financial accounts and present a report upon them to the Annual General Meeting. They may be required by the President to audit the Association's accounts for any period within the tenure of office at any date and make a report to the Executive Committeee.

12 TRUSTEES

If the Association at any time acquires any immovable property, such property shall be vested in Trustees, subject to a declaration of trust. Any trustee may at any time resign his trusteeship. If a trustee dies or becomes a lunatic or of unsound mind or moves permanently or is absent from the Republic of Singapore for a period of one year, he shall be deemed to have resigned his trusteeship. If a trustee is guilty of misconduct of such a kind as to render it undesirable that he continue as a trustee, a General Meeting may remove him from his trusteeship. Vacancies in the trusteeship may be filled at a General Meeting, but the number shall not be greater than four or less than two. Notice of any proposal to remove a trustee from his trusteeship or to appoint a new trustee to fill a vacancy must be given by affixing in the premises of the Association a document containing such proposal at least two weeks before the meeting at which the proposal is to be discussed. The results of such meeting shall then be notified to the Registrar of Societies.

The addresses of immovable properties, names of trustees and any subsequent changes must be notified to the Registrar of Societies.

13 PROHIBITIONS

(a) Gambling of any kind and the playing of paikow or mahjong, whether for stakes or not, is forbidden on the Association's premises. The introduction of materials for gambling or drug taking and of bad characters into the premises is prohibited.

(b) The funds of the Association shall not be used to pay the fines of members who have been convicted in Court.

(c) The Association shall not attempt to restrict or in any other manner interfere with trade or prices or engage in any trade union activity as defined in any written law relating to trade unions for the time being in force in Singapore.

(d) The Association shall not hold any lottery, whether confined to its members or not, in the names of the Association or its office bearers, Executive Committee or members.

(e) The Association shall not indulge in any political activity or allow its funds and/or premises to be used for political purposes.

(f) The Association shall not raise funds from the public for whatever purposes without the prior approval in writing from the Registrar of Societies and other relevant authorities.

14 AMENDMENTS TO RULES

No alterations or additions to these rules shall be made except at a General Meeting, and they shall not come into force without the prior sanction of the Registrar of Societies.

15 INTERPRETATION

In the event of any question or matter arising out of any point which is not expressly provided for in the rules, the Executive Committee shall have the power to use their own discretion.

16 DISSOLUTION

(a) The Association shall not be dissolved, except with the consent of not less than three-fifths of the members of the Association for the time being resident in Singapore expressed either in person or by proxy at a General Meeting convened for the purpose.

(b) In the event of the Association being dissolved as provided above, all debts and liabilities legally incurred on behalf of the Association shall be fully discharged, and the remaining funds will be donated to the National Institute of Education or to charitable organisations.

(c) Notice of dissolution shall be given, within seven days of the dissolution, to the Registrar of Societies.