ConstitutionSECTION I – GENERAL TERMS
Article 1.1 – NAME
1) The name of the Union shall be “St. Mark’s School Student Union”.
2) The Chinese name of the Union shall be “聖馬可中學學生會”.
Article 1.2 –ADDRESS
St. Mark’s School, 18 Oi Yin Street, Aldrich Bay, Shaukeiwan, Hong Kong
Article 1.3 – OFFICIAL LANGUAGE
The official language of the Union shall be English.
Article 1.4 – DEFINITIONS
1) “St. Mark’s School” is hereinafter referred to as the “School”.
2) “St. Mark’s School Student Union” is hereinafter referred to as the “Union”.
3) All current students of the School are hereinafter referred to as the “Student(s)”.
4) All institute bodies of the Union are hereinafter referred to as the “Institute Bodies”.
5) All affiliated bodies of the Union are hereinafter referred to as the “Affiliated Bodies”.
Article 1.5 – OBJECTIVES
The Union shall aim at:
1) promoting the spirit of autonomy, self-governance and initiative among Students;
2) uniting Students to foster mutual cooperation, leadership and their sense of belonging to the School;
3) serving as a communication channel to ameliorate two-way interaction between the School and the
Students;
4) organizing and coordinating intra-school and inter-school activities;
5) promoting and providing student welfare; and
6) promoting the relationship with the corresponding associations in other schools.
Article 1.6 – STATUS AND AUTHORITY
1) The Union is set up under the name of the School. The School Council and the Principal possesses the highest authority over the Union. The School Council and the Principal has the ultimate veto power over all resolutions of the Union. They also possess the right to attend and call any meetings with the Union and summon any Member of the Union to attend the meetings.
2) The decision of the Union shall possess the highest authority among the Institute Bodies.
Article 1.7 – SESSION
1) Unless otherwise stated, the session of the Union and all its constituents shall be in accordance with the
academic year.
SECTION II – ORGANIZATION
The Union shall comprise the bodies and individuals stated in Article 2.1 to Article 2.4. The Union shall also maintain close association with the bodies and individuals stated in Article 2.5 to Article 2.7.
Article 2.1 – THE CONGRESS
1) The name of the Congress shall be “St. Mark’s School Student Union Congress”, hereinafter referred to as
the “Congress”.
2) The Chinese name of the Congress shall be “聖馬可中學學生會議會”.
3) The constituents, obligations and rights of the Congress are stated in SECTION IV.
Article 2.2 – THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE AND SUB-COMMITTEES
1) The name of the Executive Committee shall be “St. Mark’s School Student Union Executive Committee”,
hereinafter referred to as the “Executive Committee”.
2) The Chinese name of the Executive Committee shall be “聖馬可中學學生會執行委員會”.
3) The constituents, obligations and rights of the Executive Committee and the sub-committees are stated in
SECTION V.
Article 2.3 – INSTITUTE BODIES
1) All Clubs/Societies and all Class Unions of the School are to be institutional to the Union.
2) The constituents a Club/Society and a Class Union are respectively:
a. its office-bearers and members. All Clubs/Societies are under normal circumstances represented by their respective officer-bearers; and
b. its office-bearers and the all current Students of the class. All Class Unions are under normal circumstances represented by their respective office-bearers.
3) The Institute Bodies have the obligation to:
a. abide by the Constitution and By-law of the Union;
b. abide by the resolutions of General Meetings; and
c. register with the Congress.
4) The Institute Bodies have the right to:
a. utilize resources provided by the Union; and
b. seek assistance from the Executive Committee.
Article 2.4 – MEMBERS
1) All current Students of the School shall be members of the Union (hereinafter referred to as the “Member(s)”).
2) All Members have the obligation to:
a. abide by the Constitution and By-law of the Union;
b. abide by resolutions of the General Meetings;
c. pay the annual membership fee, if applicable; and
d. maintain the reputation of the School and the Union.
3) All Members have the right to:
a. attend and call for General Meetings with full speaking and voting rights;
b. vote in and stand for elections;
c. attend Congress meetings as observers;
d. participate in all activities and functions of the Union; and
e. use all facilities provided by the Union for the general use of its Members.
Article 2.5 – TEACHER ADVISORS
1) Teacher Advisors of the Union are to be appointed by the School Council and the Principal.
2) One of the Teacher Advisors is to be appointed as the Chief Teacher Advisor.
3) In addition to the advisory role of the Teacher Advisors, the Chief Teacher Advisor has the right to:
a. endorse the year plans, year budget, year reports and the financial reports of the Executive Committee;
b. endorse the resolutions passed by the Congress; and
c. sign and permit cash withdrawal from the Union’s account.
Article 2.6 – HONOURARY ADVISORS
1) A minimum of two members of the outgoing Executive Committee are to become Honourary Advisors. It remains the business of the outgoing Executive Committee to decide who the Honourary Advisors shall be.
2) School Council Members, parents, alumni and Students of the School may also be invited to become
Honourary Advisors of the Union.
Article 2.7 – AFFILIATED BODIES
1) The Prefect Board and the House Organization are to be affiliated to the Union.
2) The Union and the Affiliated Bodies shall provide mutual support to each other.
SECTION III – THE GENERAL MEETING
Article 3.1 – AUTHORITY
The resolution of the General Meetings has the highest authority within the Union. The authority of the General Meeting shall be suspended, but not taken over by any party, when the General Meeting is adjourned.
Article 3.2 – OFFICIALS
The Chairperson and the Secretary of the Congress shall respectively be the Chairperson and the Secretary of a General Meeting. If any one of them is absent, the Chairperson shall appoint other Congressmen to the corresponding posts.
SECTION IV – THE CONGRESS
Article 4.1 – AUTHORITY
The resolution of the Congress has the authority next to those of the General Meeting.
Article 4.2 –CONSTITUENTS
The Congress shall comprise the following members (hereinafter referred to as the “Congressmen”):
1) three Functional Congressmen as follows:
a. the Senior House Captain, ex officio;
b. the Head Prefect, ex officio; and
c. the President of the Executive Committee, ex officio.
2) three representatives of the Institute Bodies;
3) three Popularly Elected Congressmen from the junior forms; and
4) three Popularly Elected Congressmen from the senior forms.
Article 4.3 – FUNCTIONS AND DUTIES
The Congress shall:
1) ensure that the Constitution and By-law are observed by all constituents of the Union;
2) monitor the operation of the Executive Committee;
3) discuss and adopt Annual Plan and Budget submitted by the Executive Committee; and
4) resolve disputes within the Union.
Article 4.4 – ELECTION OF CONGRESSMEN
1) The officer-bearers of all Institute Bodies shall elect among themselves the three representative
Congressmen in September of every academic year.
2) The election of the Popularly Elected Congressmen shall be conducted in accordance with those stated in
the By-law.
Article 4.5 – OBLIGATIONS
The Congressmen have the obligation to:
1) abide by resolutions passed in Congress meetings unless otherwise specified;
2) attend all Congress meetings; and
3) collect opinion from the sector he or she represents and reflect it in Congress meetings.
Article 4.6 – RIGHTS
The Congressmen have the right to:
1) attend all Congress meetings with full speaking and voting rights; and
2) call meetings as stated in Section II of the Standing Order.
Article 4.7 – OFFICIALS
1) The Congressmen shall elect among themselves in the first Congress meeting of a session the
Chairperson and the Secretary. The session of these Congress Officials shall commence immediately and be terminated by that of the subsequent session.
2) The Congress Chairperson shall preside and prepare agenda of all Congress meetings and General
Meetings.
3) The Secretary shall prepare minutes and keep records of documents of all Congress meetings and General Meetings.
Article 4.8 – RESIGNATION OF CONGRESSMEN
1) The Congressmen who wishes to resign has the obligation to nominate a substitute from the same sector.
2) The resignation is to be approved together by the Congress Chairperson and the Chief Teacher Advisor. The substitute proposed shall automatically become a Congressman.
Article 4.9 – VACATION OF OFFICE OF CONGRESSMEN
1) The vacation of office of a Congressman shall be proposed by:
a. the Congress Chairperson together with the Secretary; and
b. three other Congressmen.
2) The vacation of office shall be passed by not less than three-quarters of the Congressmen. The sector shall then nominate another Congressman for the vacancy.
3) With a simple majority of consent in the Congress, the substitute proposed shall become a Congressman.
SECTION V – THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
Article 5.1 - AUTHORITY
The resolution of the Executive Committee has the authority next to those of the General Meeting and the Congress.
Article 5.2 –CONSTITUENTS
The Executive Committee shall be formed by the Elected Cabinet together with six more Members. The Executive Committee members other than the members of the elected cabinet shall compromise among themselves their posts within the next five school days after the official announcement of the Election result.
Article 5.3 – FUNCTIONS AND DUTIES
The Executive Committee members have the obligation to:
1) execute the resolutions of the General Meetings;
2) formulate policies and organize activities in accordance with the objectives of the Union;
3) represent the Members of the Union in matters affecting their interests; and
4) review the Constitution and By-law, and if necessary, formulate amendments and put them forward for discussion in the Congress.
Article 5.4 – OBLIGATIONS
1) The Executive Committee members have the obligation to:
a. abide by the resolutions of the Congress;
b. abide by the resolutions of the Executive Committee; and
c. attend all Executive Committee meetings.
Article 5.5 – RIGHTS
The Executive Committee members have the right to:
1) attend all Executive Committee meetings with full speaking and voting rights;
2) attend all Congress meetings with full speaking right but no voting right; and
3) set up and delegate sub-committees to assist the operation of the Union.
Article 5.6 – OFFICIALS AND THEIR DUTIES
The Executive Committee shall comprise the following officials and their respective duties and rights are to:
1) President
d. preside at all Executive Committee meetings;
e. call upon and prepare agenda for all Executive Committee meetings;
f. present the annual report at the Annual General Meeting;
g. represent the Union in all its affairs; and
h. be entitled to preside at all meetings of the sub-committees.
2) Internal Vice President
a. assist the President in all his/her duties concerning internal affairs of the Union;
b. be responsible for all internal liaison matters of the Union; and
c. unless otherwise specified by the President, assume the duties and rights of the President in the
President’s absence or inability to do so.
3) External Vice President
a. assist the President in all his/her duties concerning external affairs of the Union;
b. be responsible for all external liaison matters of the Union; and
c. unless otherwise specified by the Internal Vice President, assume the duties and rights of the
Internal Vice President in the Internal Vice President’s absence or inability to do so.
4) General Secretary
a. prepare and keep minutes of the Executive Committee meetings; and
b. keep record of all other essential documents of the Union, except those stated in Article 4.7 Point 3.
5) Financial Secretary
a. deal with all financial work;
b. draft the Annual Budget of the session for approval of the Congress;
c. keep accounts and records of the Union; and
d. present the annual financial report at the Annual General Meeting.
6) Student Welfare Secretary
a. attain and promote student welfare;
b. collect and channel opinion and ideas from Students to the School Authority, the Congress and the Executive Committee; and
c. be in charge of all sub-committees and associations formed by the Executive Committee concerning Student welfare.
7) Publicity Secretary
a. in charge of the publicity of the Union; and
b. be in charge of all sub-committees and associations formed by the Executive Committee concerning publicity matters.
8) ECA Coordination Secretary
a. assist in organizing large-scale ECAs upon request of the Institute Bodies;
b. provide managerial help under request of particular Clubs/Societies; and
c. be in charge of all sub-committees and associations formed by the Executive Committee concerning ECA matters.
9) Administrative Secretary
a. manage the assets of the Union;
b. manage the Union’s official website and other online information; and
c. be in charge of all sub-committees and associations formed by the Executive Committee concerning general administrative matters of the Union.
Article 5.7 – RESIGNATION OF THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEMBERS
1) The approval of the resignation of an Executive Committee member is to be voted for in a Congress meeting and endorsed by the Chief Teacher Advisor.
Article 5.8 – VACATION OF OFFICE OF THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEMBERS
1) The vacation of office of an Executive Committee member other than the President shall only be proposed by:
a. motion in a General Meeting; or
b. written request cosigned by three-quarters of the Congressmen; or
c. written request cosigned by one hundred Members; or
d. six or more Executive Committee members.
2) The vacation of office of the President shall only be proposed by Point 1 item a or b.
3) The motion is to be voted for in the next General Meeting after the motion is made.
Article 5.9 – SUBSTITUTES FOR VACANCY
1) Should the post of the External Vice President be temporarily left vacant, one of the Executive Committee members other than the President and the Internal Vice President shall hold its office. It remains the Executive Committee’s business to compromise among them the member to hold the office.
2) The Executive Committee shall invite another Member to hold the office of any other Executive Committee member shall a post, other than those of the cabinet, be temporarily left vacant.
Article 5.10 – VACANCY
1) An individual post of the Executive Committee, other than those of the cabinet, shall be left vacant if the succeeding Executive Committee member’s term of office is shorter than four months.
2) The other Executive Committee members shall share the duties of the vacant post.
3) The whole Executive Committee shall be left vacant if:
a. the Executive Committee is dissolved; or
b. Article 1.3 Point 7 of the By-law is applicable.
4) The Congress shall then assume the basic operation of the Executive Committee, including but not restricted to, the formation of the Election Board.
Article 5.11 – DISSOLUTION OF THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
1) The dissolution of the whole Executive Committee is proposed only by:
a. motion in a General Meeting; or
b. written request cosigned by two hundred Members; or
c. three-quarters of the Congressmen.
2) The motion is to be voted for in the next General Meeting after the motion is made.
SECTION VI – ELECTIONS
Article 6.1 – ELECTION BOARD
1) An Election Board shall be formed by four of the Congressmen and four of the Executive Committee
members commencing within July of every session.
2) The Election Board shall be independent of the Congress and the Executive Committee, and report to the
Chief Teacher Advisor directly.
3) The Election Board shall enact the session in the By-law concerning Elections.
4) The members of the Election Board shall elect among themselves the Chairperson, the General Secretary
and the Financial Secretary.
5) The Board is responsible for all matters concerning the Elections.
Article 6.2 – ELIGIBILITY OF CABINETS STANDING FOR THE ELECTION OF THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
1) A cabinet shall be formed by three Form four or Form six Students, among them at least one must be from Form four and one must be from Form six.
2) The three Students of a cabinet have to specify among themselves the President, the Internal Vice
President and the External Vice President.
3) A Student can apply for the Election as the candidate of only one cabinet.
4) The elected President in the cabinet must resign from all his/her posts in the School immediately.
5) The Election Board has the right to terminate the candidature of any cabinets violating Election
regulations.
Article 6.3 – ELIGIBILITY OF STUDENTS STANDING FOR THE ELECTION OF POPULARLY ELECTED CONGRESSMEN
1) All junior and senior form Students are respectively eligible to apply for standing for the election of the Popularly Elected Congressmen of the respective sector.
2) The Election Board has the right to terminate the candidature of any candidate violating Election
regulations.
SECTION VII – FINANCES
Article 7.1 – SOURCES
The source of the Union’s finance shall come from:
1) annual membership fees shall be decided during the Annual General Meeting of the preceding session; and
2) subsidy from the School upon approval by the ECA Task Force.
Article 7.2 – USE
The finances shall be used for subsidizing the operation of the constituents of the Union and other activities approved by the Union.
Article 7.3 – FINANCIAL DOCUMENTS
1) The Annual Budget shall be prepared by the Executive Committee and be adopted by the Congress no later than the end of November of every academic year.
2) The Annual Financial Report shall be prepared by the Executive Committee and be adopted in the Annual General Meeting.
Article 7.4 – ACCOUNT
1) The account shall be held by the Chief Teacher Advisor and/or other Teacher Advisors appointed by the School Council and the Principal.
SECTION VIII – CONSTITUTION AND BY-LAW
Article 8.1 – AMENDMENT OF THE CONSTITUTION
1) The amendment of the Constitution shall be proposed by:
a. the Congress upon receiving a written request cosigned by at least two hundred Members; or
b. a resolution of the Congress.
2) The amendment of the Constitution should be voted for in a General Meeting.
3) The amendment of the Constitution shall be approved by a two-third majority of the Members present in a General Meeting.
4) The amended Constitution, whole or partial, shall come into effect only upon the written approval by the School Council and the Principal.
Article 8.2 – BY-LAW
1) The Congress and the Executive Committee shall, if necessary, draft By-law to facilitate the operation of
the Union;
2) The By-law shall come into effect upon the resolution of the Congress and subsequent written approval by the School Council and the Principal.
3) Should under any circumstances a part in the By-law violates the Constitution, the latter one shall be
observed.
Article 8.3 – INTERPRETATION
Interpretation of the Constitution and By-law shall rest upon the Congress, the General Meeting and ultimately upon the School Council and the Principal.
SECTION IX – DISSOLUTION
Article 9.1 – PROCEDURE
1) A motion to dissolve the Union shall only be proposed upon presenting a written request cosigned by:
a. the Principal and the Chief Teacher Advisor; or
b. two hundred Members of the Union.
2) The motion is passed by:
a. the resolution of a General Meeting with a minimum of five hundred Members attending; or
b. the resolution of the School Council.
3) All properties of the Union shall be passed to the School after its dissolution.
Article 1.1 – NAME
1) The name of the Union shall be “St. Mark’s School Student Union”.
2) The Chinese name of the Union shall be “聖馬可中學學生會”.
Article 1.2 –ADDRESS
St. Mark’s School, 18 Oi Yin Street, Aldrich Bay, Shaukeiwan, Hong Kong
Article 1.3 – OFFICIAL LANGUAGE
The official language of the Union shall be English.
Article 1.4 – DEFINITIONS
1) “St. Mark’s School” is hereinafter referred to as the “School”.
2) “St. Mark’s School Student Union” is hereinafter referred to as the “Union”.
3) All current students of the School are hereinafter referred to as the “Student(s)”.
4) All institute bodies of the Union are hereinafter referred to as the “Institute Bodies”.
5) All affiliated bodies of the Union are hereinafter referred to as the “Affiliated Bodies”.
Article 1.5 – OBJECTIVES
The Union shall aim at:
1) promoting the spirit of autonomy, self-governance and initiative among Students;
2) uniting Students to foster mutual cooperation, leadership and their sense of belonging to the School;
3) serving as a communication channel to ameliorate two-way interaction between the School and the
Students;
4) organizing and coordinating intra-school and inter-school activities;
5) promoting and providing student welfare; and
6) promoting the relationship with the corresponding associations in other schools.
Article 1.6 – STATUS AND AUTHORITY
1) The Union is set up under the name of the School. The School Council and the Principal possesses the highest authority over the Union. The School Council and the Principal has the ultimate veto power over all resolutions of the Union. They also possess the right to attend and call any meetings with the Union and summon any Member of the Union to attend the meetings.
2) The decision of the Union shall possess the highest authority among the Institute Bodies.
Article 1.7 – SESSION
1) Unless otherwise stated, the session of the Union and all its constituents shall be in accordance with the
academic year.
SECTION II – ORGANIZATION
The Union shall comprise the bodies and individuals stated in Article 2.1 to Article 2.4. The Union shall also maintain close association with the bodies and individuals stated in Article 2.5 to Article 2.7.
Article 2.1 – THE CONGRESS
1) The name of the Congress shall be “St. Mark’s School Student Union Congress”, hereinafter referred to as
the “Congress”.
2) The Chinese name of the Congress shall be “聖馬可中學學生會議會”.
3) The constituents, obligations and rights of the Congress are stated in SECTION IV.
Article 2.2 – THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE AND SUB-COMMITTEES
1) The name of the Executive Committee shall be “St. Mark’s School Student Union Executive Committee”,
hereinafter referred to as the “Executive Committee”.
2) The Chinese name of the Executive Committee shall be “聖馬可中學學生會執行委員會”.
3) The constituents, obligations and rights of the Executive Committee and the sub-committees are stated in
SECTION V.
Article 2.3 – INSTITUTE BODIES
1) All Clubs/Societies and all Class Unions of the School are to be institutional to the Union.
2) The constituents a Club/Society and a Class Union are respectively:
a. its office-bearers and members. All Clubs/Societies are under normal circumstances represented by their respective officer-bearers; and
b. its office-bearers and the all current Students of the class. All Class Unions are under normal circumstances represented by their respective office-bearers.
3) The Institute Bodies have the obligation to:
a. abide by the Constitution and By-law of the Union;
b. abide by the resolutions of General Meetings; and
c. register with the Congress.
4) The Institute Bodies have the right to:
a. utilize resources provided by the Union; and
b. seek assistance from the Executive Committee.
Article 2.4 – MEMBERS
1) All current Students of the School shall be members of the Union (hereinafter referred to as the “Member(s)”).
2) All Members have the obligation to:
a. abide by the Constitution and By-law of the Union;
b. abide by resolutions of the General Meetings;
c. pay the annual membership fee, if applicable; and
d. maintain the reputation of the School and the Union.
3) All Members have the right to:
a. attend and call for General Meetings with full speaking and voting rights;
b. vote in and stand for elections;
c. attend Congress meetings as observers;
d. participate in all activities and functions of the Union; and
e. use all facilities provided by the Union for the general use of its Members.
Article 2.5 – TEACHER ADVISORS
1) Teacher Advisors of the Union are to be appointed by the School Council and the Principal.
2) One of the Teacher Advisors is to be appointed as the Chief Teacher Advisor.
3) In addition to the advisory role of the Teacher Advisors, the Chief Teacher Advisor has the right to:
a. endorse the year plans, year budget, year reports and the financial reports of the Executive Committee;
b. endorse the resolutions passed by the Congress; and
c. sign and permit cash withdrawal from the Union’s account.
Article 2.6 – HONOURARY ADVISORS
1) A minimum of two members of the outgoing Executive Committee are to become Honourary Advisors. It remains the business of the outgoing Executive Committee to decide who the Honourary Advisors shall be.
2) School Council Members, parents, alumni and Students of the School may also be invited to become
Honourary Advisors of the Union.
Article 2.7 – AFFILIATED BODIES
1) The Prefect Board and the House Organization are to be affiliated to the Union.
2) The Union and the Affiliated Bodies shall provide mutual support to each other.
SECTION III – THE GENERAL MEETING
Article 3.1 – AUTHORITY
The resolution of the General Meetings has the highest authority within the Union. The authority of the General Meeting shall be suspended, but not taken over by any party, when the General Meeting is adjourned.
Article 3.2 – OFFICIALS
The Chairperson and the Secretary of the Congress shall respectively be the Chairperson and the Secretary of a General Meeting. If any one of them is absent, the Chairperson shall appoint other Congressmen to the corresponding posts.
SECTION IV – THE CONGRESS
Article 4.1 – AUTHORITY
The resolution of the Congress has the authority next to those of the General Meeting.
Article 4.2 –CONSTITUENTS
The Congress shall comprise the following members (hereinafter referred to as the “Congressmen”):
1) three Functional Congressmen as follows:
a. the Senior House Captain, ex officio;
b. the Head Prefect, ex officio; and
c. the President of the Executive Committee, ex officio.
2) three representatives of the Institute Bodies;
3) three Popularly Elected Congressmen from the junior forms; and
4) three Popularly Elected Congressmen from the senior forms.
Article 4.3 – FUNCTIONS AND DUTIES
The Congress shall:
1) ensure that the Constitution and By-law are observed by all constituents of the Union;
2) monitor the operation of the Executive Committee;
3) discuss and adopt Annual Plan and Budget submitted by the Executive Committee; and
4) resolve disputes within the Union.
Article 4.4 – ELECTION OF CONGRESSMEN
1) The officer-bearers of all Institute Bodies shall elect among themselves the three representative
Congressmen in September of every academic year.
2) The election of the Popularly Elected Congressmen shall be conducted in accordance with those stated in
the By-law.
Article 4.5 – OBLIGATIONS
The Congressmen have the obligation to:
1) abide by resolutions passed in Congress meetings unless otherwise specified;
2) attend all Congress meetings; and
3) collect opinion from the sector he or she represents and reflect it in Congress meetings.
Article 4.6 – RIGHTS
The Congressmen have the right to:
1) attend all Congress meetings with full speaking and voting rights; and
2) call meetings as stated in Section II of the Standing Order.
Article 4.7 – OFFICIALS
1) The Congressmen shall elect among themselves in the first Congress meeting of a session the
Chairperson and the Secretary. The session of these Congress Officials shall commence immediately and be terminated by that of the subsequent session.
2) The Congress Chairperson shall preside and prepare agenda of all Congress meetings and General
Meetings.
3) The Secretary shall prepare minutes and keep records of documents of all Congress meetings and General Meetings.
Article 4.8 – RESIGNATION OF CONGRESSMEN
1) The Congressmen who wishes to resign has the obligation to nominate a substitute from the same sector.
2) The resignation is to be approved together by the Congress Chairperson and the Chief Teacher Advisor. The substitute proposed shall automatically become a Congressman.
Article 4.9 – VACATION OF OFFICE OF CONGRESSMEN
1) The vacation of office of a Congressman shall be proposed by:
a. the Congress Chairperson together with the Secretary; and
b. three other Congressmen.
2) The vacation of office shall be passed by not less than three-quarters of the Congressmen. The sector shall then nominate another Congressman for the vacancy.
3) With a simple majority of consent in the Congress, the substitute proposed shall become a Congressman.
SECTION V – THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
Article 5.1 - AUTHORITY
The resolution of the Executive Committee has the authority next to those of the General Meeting and the Congress.
Article 5.2 –CONSTITUENTS
The Executive Committee shall be formed by the Elected Cabinet together with six more Members. The Executive Committee members other than the members of the elected cabinet shall compromise among themselves their posts within the next five school days after the official announcement of the Election result.
Article 5.3 – FUNCTIONS AND DUTIES
The Executive Committee members have the obligation to:
1) execute the resolutions of the General Meetings;
2) formulate policies and organize activities in accordance with the objectives of the Union;
3) represent the Members of the Union in matters affecting their interests; and
4) review the Constitution and By-law, and if necessary, formulate amendments and put them forward for discussion in the Congress.
Article 5.4 – OBLIGATIONS
1) The Executive Committee members have the obligation to:
a. abide by the resolutions of the Congress;
b. abide by the resolutions of the Executive Committee; and
c. attend all Executive Committee meetings.
Article 5.5 – RIGHTS
The Executive Committee members have the right to:
1) attend all Executive Committee meetings with full speaking and voting rights;
2) attend all Congress meetings with full speaking right but no voting right; and
3) set up and delegate sub-committees to assist the operation of the Union.
Article 5.6 – OFFICIALS AND THEIR DUTIES
The Executive Committee shall comprise the following officials and their respective duties and rights are to:
1) President
d. preside at all Executive Committee meetings;
e. call upon and prepare agenda for all Executive Committee meetings;
f. present the annual report at the Annual General Meeting;
g. represent the Union in all its affairs; and
h. be entitled to preside at all meetings of the sub-committees.
2) Internal Vice President
a. assist the President in all his/her duties concerning internal affairs of the Union;
b. be responsible for all internal liaison matters of the Union; and
c. unless otherwise specified by the President, assume the duties and rights of the President in the
President’s absence or inability to do so.
3) External Vice President
a. assist the President in all his/her duties concerning external affairs of the Union;
b. be responsible for all external liaison matters of the Union; and
c. unless otherwise specified by the Internal Vice President, assume the duties and rights of the
Internal Vice President in the Internal Vice President’s absence or inability to do so.
4) General Secretary
a. prepare and keep minutes of the Executive Committee meetings; and
b. keep record of all other essential documents of the Union, except those stated in Article 4.7 Point 3.
5) Financial Secretary
a. deal with all financial work;
b. draft the Annual Budget of the session for approval of the Congress;
c. keep accounts and records of the Union; and
d. present the annual financial report at the Annual General Meeting.
6) Student Welfare Secretary
a. attain and promote student welfare;
b. collect and channel opinion and ideas from Students to the School Authority, the Congress and the Executive Committee; and
c. be in charge of all sub-committees and associations formed by the Executive Committee concerning Student welfare.
7) Publicity Secretary
a. in charge of the publicity of the Union; and
b. be in charge of all sub-committees and associations formed by the Executive Committee concerning publicity matters.
8) ECA Coordination Secretary
a. assist in organizing large-scale ECAs upon request of the Institute Bodies;
b. provide managerial help under request of particular Clubs/Societies; and
c. be in charge of all sub-committees and associations formed by the Executive Committee concerning ECA matters.
9) Administrative Secretary
a. manage the assets of the Union;
b. manage the Union’s official website and other online information; and
c. be in charge of all sub-committees and associations formed by the Executive Committee concerning general administrative matters of the Union.
Article 5.7 – RESIGNATION OF THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEMBERS
1) The approval of the resignation of an Executive Committee member is to be voted for in a Congress meeting and endorsed by the Chief Teacher Advisor.
Article 5.8 – VACATION OF OFFICE OF THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEMBERS
1) The vacation of office of an Executive Committee member other than the President shall only be proposed by:
a. motion in a General Meeting; or
b. written request cosigned by three-quarters of the Congressmen; or
c. written request cosigned by one hundred Members; or
d. six or more Executive Committee members.
2) The vacation of office of the President shall only be proposed by Point 1 item a or b.
3) The motion is to be voted for in the next General Meeting after the motion is made.
Article 5.9 – SUBSTITUTES FOR VACANCY
1) Should the post of the External Vice President be temporarily left vacant, one of the Executive Committee members other than the President and the Internal Vice President shall hold its office. It remains the Executive Committee’s business to compromise among them the member to hold the office.
2) The Executive Committee shall invite another Member to hold the office of any other Executive Committee member shall a post, other than those of the cabinet, be temporarily left vacant.
Article 5.10 – VACANCY
1) An individual post of the Executive Committee, other than those of the cabinet, shall be left vacant if the succeeding Executive Committee member’s term of office is shorter than four months.
2) The other Executive Committee members shall share the duties of the vacant post.
3) The whole Executive Committee shall be left vacant if:
a. the Executive Committee is dissolved; or
b. Article 1.3 Point 7 of the By-law is applicable.
4) The Congress shall then assume the basic operation of the Executive Committee, including but not restricted to, the formation of the Election Board.
Article 5.11 – DISSOLUTION OF THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
1) The dissolution of the whole Executive Committee is proposed only by:
a. motion in a General Meeting; or
b. written request cosigned by two hundred Members; or
c. three-quarters of the Congressmen.
2) The motion is to be voted for in the next General Meeting after the motion is made.
SECTION VI – ELECTIONS
Article 6.1 – ELECTION BOARD
1) An Election Board shall be formed by four of the Congressmen and four of the Executive Committee
members commencing within July of every session.
2) The Election Board shall be independent of the Congress and the Executive Committee, and report to the
Chief Teacher Advisor directly.
3) The Election Board shall enact the session in the By-law concerning Elections.
4) The members of the Election Board shall elect among themselves the Chairperson, the General Secretary
and the Financial Secretary.
5) The Board is responsible for all matters concerning the Elections.
Article 6.2 – ELIGIBILITY OF CABINETS STANDING FOR THE ELECTION OF THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
1) A cabinet shall be formed by three Form four or Form six Students, among them at least one must be from Form four and one must be from Form six.
2) The three Students of a cabinet have to specify among themselves the President, the Internal Vice
President and the External Vice President.
3) A Student can apply for the Election as the candidate of only one cabinet.
4) The elected President in the cabinet must resign from all his/her posts in the School immediately.
5) The Election Board has the right to terminate the candidature of any cabinets violating Election
regulations.
Article 6.3 – ELIGIBILITY OF STUDENTS STANDING FOR THE ELECTION OF POPULARLY ELECTED CONGRESSMEN
1) All junior and senior form Students are respectively eligible to apply for standing for the election of the Popularly Elected Congressmen of the respective sector.
2) The Election Board has the right to terminate the candidature of any candidate violating Election
regulations.
SECTION VII – FINANCES
Article 7.1 – SOURCES
The source of the Union’s finance shall come from:
1) annual membership fees shall be decided during the Annual General Meeting of the preceding session; and
2) subsidy from the School upon approval by the ECA Task Force.
Article 7.2 – USE
The finances shall be used for subsidizing the operation of the constituents of the Union and other activities approved by the Union.
Article 7.3 – FINANCIAL DOCUMENTS
1) The Annual Budget shall be prepared by the Executive Committee and be adopted by the Congress no later than the end of November of every academic year.
2) The Annual Financial Report shall be prepared by the Executive Committee and be adopted in the Annual General Meeting.
Article 7.4 – ACCOUNT
1) The account shall be held by the Chief Teacher Advisor and/or other Teacher Advisors appointed by the School Council and the Principal.
SECTION VIII – CONSTITUTION AND BY-LAW
Article 8.1 – AMENDMENT OF THE CONSTITUTION
1) The amendment of the Constitution shall be proposed by:
a. the Congress upon receiving a written request cosigned by at least two hundred Members; or
b. a resolution of the Congress.
2) The amendment of the Constitution should be voted for in a General Meeting.
3) The amendment of the Constitution shall be approved by a two-third majority of the Members present in a General Meeting.
4) The amended Constitution, whole or partial, shall come into effect only upon the written approval by the School Council and the Principal.
Article 8.2 – BY-LAW
1) The Congress and the Executive Committee shall, if necessary, draft By-law to facilitate the operation of
the Union;
2) The By-law shall come into effect upon the resolution of the Congress and subsequent written approval by the School Council and the Principal.
3) Should under any circumstances a part in the By-law violates the Constitution, the latter one shall be
observed.
Article 8.3 – INTERPRETATION
Interpretation of the Constitution and By-law shall rest upon the Congress, the General Meeting and ultimately upon the School Council and the Principal.
SECTION IX – DISSOLUTION
Article 9.1 – PROCEDURE
1) A motion to dissolve the Union shall only be proposed upon presenting a written request cosigned by:
a. the Principal and the Chief Teacher Advisor; or
b. two hundred Members of the Union.
2) The motion is passed by:
a. the resolution of a General Meeting with a minimum of five hundred Members attending; or
b. the resolution of the School Council.
3) All properties of the Union shall be passed to the School after its dissolution.