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Following is the speech by the Secretary for Education, Mr Michael Suen, on moving the second reading of the Munsang College and Heep Yunn School (Change of Corporate Names and General Amendments) Bill 2008 at the Legislative Council today (January 16):
Madam President,
I move that the Munsang College and Heep Yunn School (Change of Corporate Names and General Amendments) Bill 2008 be read the second time.
The Education (Amendment) Ordinance 2004, which came into operation on January 1, 2005, provides that certain types of schools have to establish their incorporated management committees (IMCs).
Under the amended Education Ordinance, the school sponsoring bodies (SSBs) of all aided schools have to submit for each school under their sponsorship a draft constitution of the IMC by July 1, 2009 for the purpose of setting up an IMC to manage the school.
The two SSBs, "Munsang College" and "The Council of Heep Yunn School" are incorporated under their respective incorporation ordinances, the Munsang College Incorporation Ordinance (Chapter 1094) and the Council of Heep Yunn School Incorporation Ordinance (Chapter 1099). To pave the way for the aided schools under the sponsorship of the two SSBs to establish their IMCs, Chapter 1094 and Chapter 1099 have to be amended.
The main objects of the Bill are, first, to change the corporate name of "Munsang College" to avoid confusion with Munsang College which is on the Kowloon side and under its sponsorship, and to reflect the restructuring of its organisation so that an IMC can be established in respect of each of the aided schools now under its sponsorship.
Secondly, the Bill is to change the corporate name of "The Council of Heep Yunn School" to avoid confusion with the future IMCs of the aided schools now under its sponsorship.
I believe that the most appropriate way to ensure that the provisions of Chapter 1094 and Chapter 1099 are in conformity with the Education Ordinance is to amend the incorporation ordinances by way of a government bill. The proposed amendments are technical amendments and the two SSBs concerned have agreed to them.
President, I commend the Bill to Honourable Members.
Ends/Wednesday, January 16, 2008
Issued at HKT 15:46
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