On 23/05/2013,
you requested for the version in force on 23/05/2013
incorporating all amendments published on or before 23/05/2013.
The closest version currently available is that of 31/12/2002.
FIRST SCHEDULE
University Constitution
Part I
Preliminary
1. This Constitution may be cited as the Constitution of the National University of Singapore.
2.—(1) In this Constitution, unless the context otherwise requires —
“Chancellor” means the Chancellor of the University;
“Commencement” means a ceremony held in accordance with section 28;
“Council” means the Council of the University;
“Deputy President” means a Deputy President of the University;
“Faculty” means a Faculty established under section 16;
“institution” means a department, school or other body established under section 16;
“officer” or “officer of the University” means any officer appointed under section 6 and includes the Chancellor, a Pro-Chancellor, the President and a Deputy President;
“President” means the President of the University;
“regulation” means any regulation made by any authority or officer or other body of the University in accordance with the provisions of this Constitution or of any statute;
“Senate” means the Senate of the University;
“statute” means statute of the University.
(2) For the purposes of this Constitution —
(a)
a reference to a specified section is a reference to that section of this Constitution;
(b)
a reference to a specified subsection is a reference to that subsection of the section in which the reference occurs; and
(c)
a reference to a specified paragraph is a reference to that paragraph of the subsection in which the reference occurs.
Part II
Officers of the University
3.—(1) The President of the Republic of Singapore shall be the Chancellor of the University.
(2) The Chancellor shall be the Head of the University and shall preside when present at —
(a)
meetings of the Council; and
(b)
any Commencement,
and shall have the authority to confer degrees and to grant diplomas and certificates at any Commencement and such other powers and perform such other duties as may be conferred or imposed upon him by this Constitution or any statute or regulation.
4.—(1) The Chancellor may appoint such persons to be Pro-Chancellors as he may consider proper.
(2) If for any reason the Chancellor is unable to exercise any of his functions under this Constitution or any statute or regulation, he may authorise any of the Pro-Chancellors to exercise those functions on his behalf.
(3) Every Pro-Chancellor shall hold office at the pleasure of the Chancellor.
5.—(1) There shall be a President who shall be appointed by the Council after consultation with the Senate.
(2) The President shall —
(a)
be the principal executive and academic officer of the University;
(b)
be ex officio chairman of the Senate;
(c)
subject to the provisions of this Constitution, exercise general supervision over the arrangements for instruction, research, finance, administration, welfare and discipline in the University, and may exercise such other powers and perform such other duties as may be conferred or imposed upon him by this Constitution and any statute or regulation; and
(d)
have the right to attend and to address meetings of any committee of the Council or the Senate.
(3) The terms of office and other conditions of service of the President shall be determined by the Council and shall be embodied in a contract under the seal of the University.
(4) There shall be one or more Deputy Presidents who shall be appointed by the Council for such period as the Council may determine or as may be prescribed by statute.
(5) The duties of a Deputy President may be prescribed by statute.
(6) If for any substantial period the President is unable, by reason of illness, leave of absence or any other cause, to exercise any of the functions of his office, the Deputy President (if there is only one Deputy President) shall exercise those functions and in the event of the absence or disability of the Deputy President the Council shall make such temporary arrangements as it may think fit for the exercise of those functions.
(7) If there is more than one Deputy President, the Deputy President nominated by the President (or by the Council if the President is unable to so nominate) shall exercise the functions of the President in accordance with subsection (6).
Part III
Council, Senate, Faculties and Institutions
The Council
7.—(1) There shall be a Council of the University which shall consist of the following members:
(a)
the President;
(b)
not more than 6 members from the Senate and the Register of Graduates to be appointed by the Chancellor on the recommendation of the Council, of whom —
(i)
at least 2 shall be from the Senate; and
(ii)
at least 2 shall be from the Register of Graduates; and
(c)
not more than 12 members to be appointed by the Government.
(2) Every appointed member of the Council shall hold office for a term of 2 years or such shorter period as may be specified in his terms of appointment and shall be eligible for reappointment.
(3) The Council shall from time to time elect a chairman and a deputy chairman from among its members.
(4) The chairman and the deputy chairman of the Council shall hold office for a term of 2 years unless he sooner resigns that office or vacates his seat as a member of the Council.
(5) No member of the Council who is an officer, academic member or full-time employee of the University shall be eligible for election as chairman or deputy chairman of the Council.
(6) In this section —
“academic member” means a person appointed by the University as a professor, associate professor, assistant professor, senior lecturer or lecturer;
“Register of Graduates” means the Register of Graduates maintained in accordance with the provisions of the Fourth Schedule.
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8.—(1) If any appointed member of the Council —
(a)
dies;
(b)
resigns his office in writing;
(c)
ceases, in the case of a member appointed under section 7(1)(b), to be a member of the Senate;
(d)
becomes a mentally disordered person within the meaning of the Mental Disorders and Treatment Act;
(e)
is adjudicated a bankrupt;
(f)
has been convicted of an offence punishable by imprisonment for a term of not less than 2 years; or
(g)
fails to attend 3 consecutive meetings of the Council without leave of the Council,
his seat shall become vacant, and the vacancy thereby created shall be deemed to be a casual vacancy.
(2) Every casual vacancy in the office of an appointed member shall, as soon as practicable, be filled by the appointment of a member in place of the vacating member in accordance with whichever paragraph of section 7(1) as is appropriate; and the member appointed to fill any casual vacancy shall hold office for only the residue of his predecessor’s term of office.
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9.—(1) The Council shall be the executive body of the University, and may exercise all the powers conferred on the University, save in so far as those powers are by this Constitution or the statutes and regulations conferred on some other body or on some officer of the University.
(2) No resolution shall be passed by the Council relating to any matter within the powers of the Senate, unless the Senate has first been given the opportunity of recording and transmitting to the Council its opinion on that matter.
(3) The Council may by resolution appoint such committees as it thinks fit to assist and advise the Council in carrying out its functions and the exercise of its powers, including regulating and controlling the finances of the University.
(4) A committee appointed under subsection (3) shall have, and may exercise and discharge, such powers, authorities, duties and functions as the Council may determine.
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10.—(1) The Council shall meet at such time and place as it may determine.
(2) At any meeting of the Council 6 members of the Council shall form a quorum.
(3) The Chancellor shall preside at all meetings of the Council at which he is present.
(4) Subject to subsection (3), the chairman of the Council shall preside at all meetings of the Council and in his absence the deputy chairman shall preside. In the absence of both the chairman and the deputy chairman, the members present shall elect one of their number to preside.
(5) Every question before the Council shall be decided by the majority of the votes of the members present at the meeting of the Council and entitled to vote on that question.
(6) The person presiding at any meeting of the Council shall have a deliberative vote, and in the case of an equality of votes shall have a casting vote.
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11. No act or proceeding of the Council or of any committee thereof or of any person acting as a member of the Council shall be invalidated in consequence of there being a vacancy in the membership of the Council at the time of the act or proceeding, or of any defect in the appointment of any person so acting or that he was incapable of being or had ceased to be such a member.
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The Senate
12.—(1) There shall be a Senate of the University which shall consist of —
(a)
the President who shall be the chairman;
(b)
such other persons as may be prescribed by statute.
(2) The Senate shall be the academic body of the University and, subject to the provisions of this Constitution, the statutes and regulations, shall have the control and general direction of instruction, research and examination, and the power to award degrees, diplomas and certificates.
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13.—(1) The Senate may from time to time appoint standing or special committees.
(2) The Senate may delegate any of its powers and duties to any such committee or to any person; and the committee or person may, without confirmation by the Senate, exercise or perform those powers and duties in like manner and with the same effect as the Senate could itself have exercised or performed.
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14.—(1) The Senate shall meet at such time and place as it may determine.
(2) At any meeting of the Senate 15 members of the Senate shall form a quorum.
(3) Every question before the Senate shall be decided by the majority of the votes of the members present at the meeting of the Senate and entitled to vote on that question.
(4) The President may depute a Deputy President to preside at any meeting which the President is unable to attend.
(5) The person presiding at any meeting of the Senate shall have a deliberative vote, and in the case of an equality of votes shall have a casting vote.
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15. No act or proceeding of the Senate or of any committee thereof or of any person acting as a member of the Senate shall be invalidated in consequence of there being a vacancy in the membership of the Senate at the time of that act or proceeding, or of any defect in the appointment of any person so acting or that he was incapable of being or had ceased to be such a member.
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Faculties and institutions
16.—(1) The University shall be divided into such number and names of Faculties and institutions as may be prescribed by statute.
(2) A Faculty or an institution (not being a department of any Faculty) shall be responsible to the Senate for the organisation of instruction in the subjects of study within the purview of the Faculty or institution, as the case may be, and may exercise such other functions as may be conferred on it by statute or regulation.
(3) The Council shall, upon the recommendation of the President after the President has consulted with the members of a Faculty, appoint from among the members of the Faculty a Dean for that Faculty. The Dean shall be the chairman of the Faculty and shall exercise such other functions as may be vested in him by statute or regulation.
(4) Subject to the provisions of any statute, the President shall have power to appoint a person to be the head of an institution, and the head shall have such designation as may be prescribed by statute or regulation, and if owing to absence on leave or for any other reason the head of an institution is unable to perform his duties the President may, except as otherwise provided by statute, appoint a person to perform the duties for such time as the disability may continue.
(5) The head of an institution being a department of a Faculty shall be responsible to his Faculty for the organisation of teaching and research in his institution.
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Part IV
Statutes and Regulations
17.—(1) Subject to the provisions of this Constitution, the Council may from time to time make such statutes of the University as may be necessary or expedient for the administration of the affairs or for carrying out the functions of the University.
(2) Without prejudice to the generality of subsection (1), statutes may be made to prescribe or provide for all or any of the following matters:
(a)
the powers and duties of the officers of the University;
(b)
the manner of appointment, the dismissal and the conditions of service of the officers and employees of the University;
(c)
the determination of and the principles governing the award of degrees, diplomas and other academic distinctions;
(d)
the conditions of admission and residence of students and their discipline and welfare;
(e)
the number and scope of examinations;
(f)
the appointment, powers, duties, remuneration and conditions of service of examiners and the conduct of examinations;
(g)
the admission of students to the examinations and to degree, diploma and other courses of the University;
(h)
the management of the library, lecture halls, laboratories, research institutes and halls of residence;
(i)
the fees to be charged for courses of study, for residence and for admission to examinations and any other fees that may be levied by the University;
(j)
the establishment and regulation of pension, superannuation and provident fund schemes for the benefit of the employees of the University;
(k)
any matters which by this Constitution are required or permitted to be prescribed by statute; and
(l)
matters incidental to or consequential upon any of the matters referred to in paragraphs (a) to (k).
(3) No statute or any amendment to a statute or any revocation thereof dealing with the powers and duties of the Dean of a Faculty or the head of an institution shall be made by the Council until it has been referred to the Senate and the Senate has reported to the Council its observation thereon.
(4) No statute dealing with —
(a)
any matter referred to in subsection (2)(c) to (h); or
(b)
any matter within the jurisdiction of the Senate,
shall be made unless the Senate has agreed to the terms of the statute.
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18.—(1) The Council and the Senate may each make regulations for or with respect to its own procedure.
(2) The Senate may make regulations for or with respect to the procedure of a Faculty, institution or any other board or committee subject to the jurisdiction of the Senate.
(3) The Senate may make regulations prescribing courses of study or syllabuses for examinations.
(4) A statute may provide for empowering any Faculty or institution (not being a department of a Faculty) or officer of the University to make regulations (not inconsistent with this Constitution or any statute) for dealing with any specified matter or for carrying out or giving effect to any statute.
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19.—(1) When any statute is made, amended or revoked every such statute, amendment or revocation shall within one month after it is made be published in the Gazette.
(2) The statutes and regulations of the University in force on the date of publication shall be published annually.
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20. In the event of —
(a)
any statute being inconsistent with the provisions of this Constitution; or
(b)
any regulation being inconsistent with the provisions of this Constitution or any statute,
the provisions of this Constitution or statute, as the case may be, shall prevail and that statute or regulation, as the case may be, shall to the extent of the inconsistency be void.
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Part V
Financial Provisions
21. The financial year of the University shall begin on 1st April each year and end on 31st March the succeeding year.
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22. Deleted by S 60/2004, wef 10/02/2004.
23.—(1) There shall be a chief financial officer of the University who shall be appointed by the Council.
(2) Subject to the provisions of this Constitution, the term of office and other conditions of appointment of the chief financial officer shall be determined by the Council.
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24. It shall be the duty of such officers of the University as may be prescribed by statute to prepare for the consideration of the President the estimates of income and expenditure of the University for each financial year.
25.—(1) The estimates of income and expenditure shall be presented by the President to the Council and approved by the Council before the beginning of the financial year, except that the President may present, and the Council may approve, supplementary estimates at any time.
(2) The annual and supplementary estimates shall be prepared in such form and shall contain such information as the Council may direct.
26.—(1) The Council may on behalf of the University accept by way of grant, gift, testamentary disposition or otherwise, property and moneys in aid of the finances of the University on such conditions as it may determine.
(2) Records shall be kept of all donations to the University including the names of donors and any special conditions on which any donation may have been given.
27. All property, moneys or funds donated for any specific purpose shall be applied and administered in accordance with the purpose for which they may have been donated and shall be separately accounted for.
Part VI
General
28.—(1) A Commencement for the conferment of degrees or presentation of graduates may be held annually, or as often as the Chancellor may direct, on such date as may be approved by the Chancellor.
(2) In the absence of the Chancellor or of a Pro-Chancellor authorised for this purpose by the Chancellor, the President shall preside at a Commencement.
29.—(1) There shall be a students’ association to be known as the National University of Singapore Students’ Union which shall be constituted by statute made for that purpose and shall consist of such constituent bodies as may be prescribed by statute.
(2) The constitution, membership, functions and other matters relating to the National University of Singapore Students’ Union and each of its constituent bodies shall be prescribed by statute.
(3) The Council may impose and collect from the students or any class of students such fees as it may determine for the benefit of the National University of Singapore Students’ Union and its constituent bodies; and the fees may be applied in such manner as the Council thinks fit for the purposes of the Union and its constituent bodies.
(4) No student who is not reading a full-time course of study leading to a Bachelor’s Degree shall be eligible to be a member of the Students’ Union.
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30.—(1) Subject to subsection (1A), an officer may from time to time, in respect of a specified matter or class of matters and upon the written approval of the Council, by writing delegate to any person the exercise of any power or the performance of any duty to be exercised or performed by the officer under the provisions of this Constitution or any statute or regulation.
(1A) Subsection (1) shall not apply to the Chancellor or any Pro-Chancellor to the extent that he need not seek the written approval of the Council for the delegation of the exercise of any power or the performance of any duty to be exercised or performed by him.
(2) A delegation under this section may —
(a)
be subject to such terms and restrictions as may be specified in the instrument of delegation; and
(b)
be revoked at any time by the officer making the delegation.
(3) No delegation of any power or any duty under this section shall affect the exercise of the power or the performance of the duty by the officer making the delegation.
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