1 TITLE The Association is called Tak Nga Alumni Association ( 德雅校友會 ), hereinafter referred to as the Association. 2 ADDRESS The address of the Association is 18 Tat Chee Avenue Yau Yat Chuen Kowloon. 3 OBJECTIVE 3.1 To promote the welfare of the members of the Association. 3.2 To organize activities by the Committee from time to time for the benefits of the members. 3.3 To promote in every way the interest of Tak Nga Secondary School and to foster among its alumnae a sentiment of regard to each other and attachment to alma mater. 3.4 To promote communications between the alumnae and the school. 4 MEMBERSHIP Members of the Association shall be divided into the following categories:- 4.1 Member A former student of Tak Nga Secondary School is eligible to be the Member. 1
4.2 Full Member 4.2.1 Membership of Full Member is open to a former student of Tak Nga Secondary School who applies for admission. 4.2.2 Application shall be submitted to the Committee for approval with full details. 4.2.3 She shall become a Full Member of the Association when her application is approved and membership fee is paid. 4.3 Honorary Member The Committee may appoint any person(s) who was(were) former staff of Tak Nga Secondary School to be the Honorary Member(s) of the Association. An Honorary Member shall be entitled to attend and advise in meetings of the Association. However, she/he shall not have the right to vote thereat. The appointment must be agreed by the Committee in majority. 5 ADVISORS 5.1 The Principal of Tak Nga Secondary School will be the Ex-officio Advisor. 5.2 The Principal of Tak Nga Secondary School may appoint one or more Advisor(s) as it deems fit or necessary, but not more than three (3). 6 MEMBERSHIP FEE 6.1 Membership Fee will be fixed by the Committee and paid upon application for Full Membership. 6.2 Under no circumstances shall any membership fee be refundable. 2
7 RIGHTS OF MEMBERS 7.1 All Full Members shall have the right to elect, be elected, propose, vote and call Extraordinary Meeting. 7.2 Only Full Members shall be eligible for election as committee members. 7.3 To enjoy the benefits as set forth in Section 3 Objective of this Constitution. 8 MANAGEMENT 8.1 There should be a Committee of not less than four and not more than fifteen to conduct and manage the affairs of the Association. 8.2 Members of the Committee shall be elected in accordance with Section 15.4.3 at the Annual General Meeting and shall serve the Association on a voluntary basis and shall not be entitled to any monetary remuneration. 8.3 Immediately following the Election of the Committee at the Annual General meeting, the Committee shall elect among themselves the following position:- One (1) Chairperson One (1) Vice Chairperson One (1) Treasurer One (1) Secretary Zero (0) to Eleven (11) Committee members 8.4 The Committee shall hold office for two years and shall be eligible for re-election in accordance with the provisions herein. 3
8.5 Committee members shall be nominated by all Full Members of the Association and be chosen through the election at the Annual General Meeting. 8.6 If a committee member resigns or is vacated from office during her term of services, the vacancy shall be replaced by election the committee members and the result of such election shall be reported to all Members and Full Members of the Association in writing within 30 days of the date of the said result. 8.7 Any vacancies so filled will remain in force until the next Annual General Meeting (AGM) or Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM). 8.8 A Committee member shall be vacated from office by a majority of votes at a duly convened Committee Members meeting if she:- 8.8.1 becomes bankrupt or makes any arrangement or composition with his creditors generally; or 8.8.2 becomes of unsound mind; or 8.8.3 fail to attend for more than three (3) committee meetings without due excuse and permission of the Committee held during that period; or 8.8.4 has been convicted of an offense of or involving dishonesty. 8.9 Any Committee member vacated from office as aforesaid shall not be eligible for election as Committee Member of the following year. 8.10 The Chairperson shall have a second or casting vote at all meetings. 8.11 In the absence of the Chairperson, the Vice-Chairperson shall act as Chairperson. 4
8.12 The Members and Full Members of the Association shall elect a Member or Full Member of the Association to serve as the Alumni Manager of the IMC of Tak Nga Secondary School. The term of office for this person shall be two years. The election shall follow the procedure outlined in the appendix I of this constitution. 8.13 Meeting 8.13.1 The Committee shall meet as often as the operation of the Association may require. At any meeting of the Committee, a simple majority of the Committee shall constitute a quorum. Meetings of the Committee shall be called by the Chairperson. The Chairperson shall also call a meeting of the Committee upon the written request of any three members of the Committee. 8.13.2 All resolutions at a meeting must be passed in simple majority of the Committee who are in attendance, and to be recorded in minutes. 8.14 Documentations Secretary, Treasurer and Advisors shall have the custody of all documents belonging to the Committee. 9 CHAIRPERSON 9.1 Convening and conducting members meeting and Committee Meeting. 9.2 Reporting at members meeting the affairs conducted by the Association for the past year 9.3 Carrying out the decisions made in members' meetings and committee meetings. 5
9.4 Promoting the Association s affairs, executing documents and representing the Association to participate in relevant external activities. 9.5 Giving suggestions to relevant bodies, institutions or organizations on behalf of the Association in accordance with the aims and objectives of the Associations. 9.6 Exercise the casting vote in case of an equality of votes in meetings. 10 VICE CHAIRPERSON To assist the Chairperson in promoting the affairs of the Association, and to act in place of the chairperson during the duration when she is out of office. 11 SECRETARY The Secretary shall be responsible for conducting all internal and external correspondence of the Association. 12 TREASURER 12.1 The Treasurer shall take charge of all financial matters of the Association. 12.2 She shall keep accurate and proper accounts and shall keep a record of all money received and expended by the Association. 12.3 She shall prepare the Annual Balance Sheet which shall be audited by all committee members before submission to the Annual General Meeting. The Committee shall appoint an external qualified Auditor to audit the Annual Balance Sheet provided that it is agreed in simple majority of the Committee. 6
13 COMMITTEE MEMBER To assist the promotion of all affairs of the Association and the planning of all activities of the Association. 14 FINANCE 14.1 The financial year shall be from 1 st April to 31 st March. 14.2 A General Fund shall be maintained from: 14.2.1 Membership fee from members. 14.2.2 Net proceeds arising from the Association s activities. 14.3 The Committee shall deposit all monies received by the Association to a designated Hong Kong registered License Bank Account. 14.4 Cheques shall be signed by any two of the following members: Chairperson, Treasurer of the Association, Principal of Tak Nga Secondary School. 14.5 Funds of the Association must be applied towards the maintenance and development of the affairs of the Association for the benefit of all members. 15 ANNUAL GENERAL MEETINGS 15.1 Annual General Meeting shall take place not later than 31 st March in each calendar year. 15.2 At least seven days notice of the Annual General Meeting shall be given, specifying the place, the date and the time of the meeting, which together with an agenda of the business to be transacted thereat shall be sent to the committee members and all members of the Association. 7
15.3 10% of or 30 Full Members of the Association, whichever is lower, shall form a quorum. If within half an hour from the time appointed for the meeting a quorum is not formed, the meeting shall be dissolved. It shall stand adjourned for not less than one week but not more than four weeks. At any AGM that has been adjourned once owing to an insufficient quorum, Full Members present shall form a quorum and shall have full power to transact the proposed business of the adjourned meeting. 15.4 The business of the Annual General Meeting shall be:- 15.4.1 To receive and adopt the minutes of the last Annual General Meeting and the minutes of all Extraordinary General Meetings held since the previous Annual General Meeting. 15.4.2 To consider and adopt the Statement of Accounts prepared by the Treasurer. 15.4.3 To elect Committee members for the next serving term of 2-year. 15.4.3.1 The Committee shall invite in writing all Full Members to nominate or run for election one month before the election which is scheduled to take place. 15.4.3.2 Each Full Member can nominate a maximum of three (3) Full Members. 15.4.3.3 Nomination form must be completed and signed by the nominator and nominees. The original Nomination Form has to be sent to Tak Nga Secondary School with attention to the Chairperson of Tak Nga Alumni Association on or before the date of Annual General Meeting by post or in person. Once 8 the quorum is achieved and the meeting is formally steered,
further nomination will not be accepted. 15.4.3.4 Proxy for the votes of Committee election is allowed. 15.4.3.5 The 4-15 nominees, as the case may be, with the highest count of votes shall constitute the Committee for the new term. 15.4.3.6 At the first meeting of the Committee member; which shall be held immediately following the meeting at which they were elected, the Committee shall elect from their own members, a Chairperson, a Vice-President, a Secretary and a Treasurer. 15.4.4 To conduct any other business. 16 EXTRAORDINARY GENERAL MEETING 16.1 An Extraordinary General Meeting may be convened at the request of the small majority of the Committee members or upon the written request of 30 Full Members of the Association. 16.2 Every such requisition shall be sent to the Secretary and shall state specifically the objective of the proposed meeting upon 14 days notice at least. 16.3 Upon receipt of such requisition, the Committee shall convene an Extraordinary General Meeting by giving 7 days notice together with an agenda of the business to be transacted thereat to members of the Association. 9
16.4 30 Full Members of the Association shall form a quorum for an Extraordinary General Meeting. 17 ALTERNATION OF THE CONSTITUTION 17.1 Resolutions to amend the constitution shall not be effective unless they are passed by majority of the members present at a duly convened Annual General Meeting or Extraordinary General Meeting. 17.2 Any amendment shall be submitted to the Registrar of Societies for filing record. 18 DISSOLUTION IMMUNITY The Association may not be dissolved by its Full Members under ordinary circumstances. The School is obliged by regulation to be affiliated with the Alumni Association. This is in accordance with Section 8.8. 10
APPENDIX I Election of Incorporated Management Committee (IMC) Alumni Manager Ethical Standard The election of the IMC Alumni Manager is a solemn affair and all individuals involved should follow the strict ethical standard specified in Annex 1. The Candidature 1 All members of Tak Nga Alumni Association are eligible to become candidates. 2 The candidates should be willing to serve in the IMC to manage Tak Nga Secondary School and to promote education in the School in accordance with its vision and mission as specified in the Constitution of its IMC. 3 A member should not be nominated in the event of the following situations 3.1 She is a serving teacher of the school (because teachers can join the IMC in the capacity of teacher manager); or 3.2 She is an employee or a person with business connection with Tak Nga Secondary School; or 3.3 She does not meet the registration requirements of managers set out in Section 30 of the Education Ordinance: Provisions relating to Election of Alumni Managers (Annex II). 4 As stipulated in the Ordinance, no managers shall serve in an IMC in more than one capacity. Thus, no one can serve as an Alumni Manager and a Parent Manager at the same time. If there are two elections under different categories to be conducted concurrently in a school, no candidates shall participate in more than one election. 11
Number and Tenure There shall be one Alumni Manager in the IMC. The term of office of the Alumni Manager shall be two years. It shall come into effect on 1 September of the same year of the election and terminate on 31 August of the third year of the election. An Alumni Manager may be eligible for re-nomination after the expiry of her term of office for one consecutive term only. After serving for two consecutive terms, she shall not be eligible for nomination as Manager in her own constituency until after a period of two years. Nomination Procedures Returning Officer The Tak Nga Alumni Association may assign two committee members as Returning Officers to monitor the nominations, verify the eligibility of candidates, and supervise the issue of ballot papers and counting of votes. The Returning Officers must not be candidates for the Alumni Manager election. Period of Nomination The period of nomination for the Alumni Manager election shall last for at least two weeks, which shall at least be three weeks before voting. Nomination 1. The Returning Officers shall inform all members of the period of nomination, method of nomination, date of voting and counting, date of announcement of results and other relevant information. At the same time, the Returning Officers shall inform all members of the eligibility (paragraphs 1-3 of The Candidature) and responsibilities of candidates. A member may nominate oneself or another eligible candidate to stand for the election. Each member can nominate only one candidate. 2. If no one is nominated, the Tak Nga Alumni Association may consider extending the deadline of nomination or conducting the election again after a lapse of some time. 12
Candidates Information 1. Each nominated candidate shall supply a brief statement of her personal information to the Returning Officers within one A4 page. 2. Not less than two weeks before the election day, the Returning Officers shall issue a notice to all members listing the names of the candidates being nominated and the brief introductory statements of the candidates including their declarations shall be attached. The letter shall also explain the procedures and the time-table of the election. Electors Eligibility All Members are eligible to vote and have equal voting right. Election Procedures Date of Voting The period between the date of voting for Alumni Manager election and the deadline of nomination shall at least be three weeks. Voting method 1. To ensure a fair election, the voting shall be conducted in person by secret ballot, i.e. electors are not allowed to put down their names or any other marks of identification on the ballot paper and should not let the other electors see whom they have voted for. A sample of the ballot paper is at Annex III. 2. If there is only one candidate, she will be automatically elected. Counting of votes 1. The Returning Officers shall arrange to conduct voting and counting votes on the same day. All members of the Tak Nga Alumni Association, all candidates, and the Principal shall be invited to witness the counting of votes. 2. The winner shall be the candidate who gets the most votes. 3. When two or more candidates obtain the same number of votes, the winner shall be decided by drawing lots. 13
Announcing Results 1. The Returning Officers shall inform all members of the result of the election. Then she shall nominate to the IMC the person elected as an Alumni Manager of the school. 2. Any unsuccessful candidate may, within one week of the announcement, appeal to the committee of Tak Nga Alumni Association in writing together with reasons. The committee of the Tak Nga Alumni Association shall hold a special meeting to consider the appeal and vote to decide whether there shall be a re-election. Filling of casual vacancies If an Alumni Manager vacancy arises as a result of an Alumni Manager resigning during her term of office, the Tak Nga Alumni Association shall conduct a by-election in the same manner to elect another Alumni Manager to fill the vacancy within three months. 14
Annex I Ethical Conduct Required in the Alumni Manager Election Nomination of Candidates 1. Do not offer any advantage to get any person to stand or not to stand as a candidate. 2. Do not offer any advantage to get any person having been nominated as a candidate to withdraw his candidature. 3. Do not offer any advantage to get any candidates not using his best endeavors to promote his candidature. 4. Do not solicit or accept any advantage for any person s standing or not standing as a candidate. 5. Do not solicit or accept any advantage for any person s withdrawal of his candidature. 6. Do not solicit or accept any advantage for any candidates not using his best endeavors to promote his candidature. 7. Do not use or threaten to use force or duress to induce any person to stand or not to stand as a candidate, or to withdraw his candidature. 8. Do not induce by deception, any person to stand or not to stand as a candidate, or to withdraw his candidature. Electioneering 1. Do not make any materially false or misleading statement of fact including but not limited to the character, qualifications or previous conduct of a candidate or candidates. 2. Do not take part in any activity that is likely to give rise to criticism and allegation of malpractices and should abide by the principle of fairness in election. 3. Do not state overtly or covertly the support of any person or organization in any campaign activities, especially in the campaign literature before written consent has been obtained. 15
Voting 1. Do not offer any advantage to induce any person not to vote at an election. 2. Do not offer any advantage to induce any person to vote or not to vote for a particular candidate at an election. 3. Do not provide or pay for the provision of any food, drink or entertainment as an inducement to or a reward for any persons not voting at an election. 4. Do not provide or pay for the provision of any food, drink or entertainment as an inducement to or a reward for any person s voting or not voting for a particular candidate at an election. 5. Do not use or threaten to use force or duress against any person for the purpose of influencing his or any other person s voting decision. 6. Do not induce by deception any person not to vote at an election. 7. Do not induce by deception any person to vote or not to vote for a particular candidate at an election. 16
Annex II: Provisions relating to Election of Alumni Managers (Ed. Or. Sect. 30) The Permanent Secretary may refuse to register an applicant as a manager of a school if it appears to the Permanent Secretary that - the applicant is not resident in Hong Kong for at least 9 months in each year; the applicant is not a fit and proper person to be a manager; the applicant is a person in respect of whom a permit to teach has previously been cancelled; the applicant is under the age of 18 years; the applicant has attained the age of 70 years and he fails to produce a valid medical certificate certifying that he is physically fit to perform the functions of a manager; the applicant is under the age of 70 years and he fails to produce, upon a request by the Permanent Secretary, a valid medical certificate certifying that he is physically fit to perform the functions of a manager; in making or in connection with any application - i. for registration of a school; ii. for registration as a manager or a teacher; or iii. to employ a person as a permitted teacher in a school, the applicant has made any statement or furnished any information which is false in any material particular or by reason of the omission of any material particular; the applicant is a bankrupt within the meaning of the Bankruptcy Ordinance (Cap. 6) or has entered into a voluntary arrangement under that Ordinance; the applicant has previously been convicted in Hong Kong or elsewhere of a criminal offence punishable with imprisonment; or the applicant has been registered as a manager of 5 or more schools. 17
Annex III: Sample of Ballot Paper Tak Nga Alumni Association 德雅校友會 Election of Alumni Manager 校友校董選舉 Ballot Paper 選票 Voting Date: 投票日期 : Please read carefully the Instructions for Voting overleaf before casting vote. 填寫選票前請細閱背頁的 投票人須知 Please use the specific stamp chop provided at the polling station to mark a in the circle box against the number of the candidates you vote for. marked on the ballot paper should not be more than one. The number of you Otherwise, your ballot paper will be considered null and void. 請用投票站內提供的專用印章在選票上候選人編號旁邊的圓圈空格內加上 號 你在選票上所印的 號, 不能超過一個, 否則, 選票便會作廢 Candidates 候選人 1 Xxx ( Name in English) Xxx ( 中文姓名 ) 2 xxx xxx 18
Instructions for Voting 1. Put no other marks on the ballot paper other than the mark made by the specific stamp chop which is provided at the polling station or it will be considered null and void. 2. Fold the ballot paper into two and do not let anyone see whom you vote for. The ballot is secret. 3. Put the ballot paper into the ballot box. 投票人須知 1. 除專用印章的 號外, 請勿在選票上劃上 其他記號, 否則選票便會作廢 2. 將選票對摺, 切勿讓他人看見你的選擇 投 票是保密的 3. 將選票放入投票箱 19