Guide for Parent Manager Election.docx

1、Guide for Parent Manager Election(28-10-05), (Rev.15-9-06)(Rev. 30-4-07), (Rev. 1-7-07)FOR REFERENCE ONLYGuide for Parent Manager ElectionIntroduction1. This election guide outlines the procedures in accordance with the Education Ordinance (the Ordinance) for the election of parent managers. Please

2、refer to Annex I for the provisions of election of parent managers in the Ordinance. The Incorporated Management Committee (IMC) is requested to pass this guide to the recognised parent-teacher association (PTA) of the school for reference in working out an election mechanism for electing parent man

3、agers. PTAs may adapt this election guide to suit their own needs and provide for matters relating to parent manager election in the PTA constitutions. 2. Since the implementation of school-based management in all public sector schools in 2000, the Education Bureau has promoted the participation of

4、key stakeholders in school management and decision-making. The Ordinance aims at introducing an open and transparent participatory school governance framework in schools by including key stakeholders like teachers and parents in the IMC. The Ordinance provides that there shall be at least one parent

5、 manager in the IMC and where the IMC constitution provides only one parent manager, an alternate parent manager shall also be provided. Both parent manager and alternate parent manager should be elected in the same manner.3. The election of parent managers should be conducted by the PTA recognised

6、by the IMC. For schools which have no PTA, they should establish one as early as possible. The PTA constitution should provide for the election procedures of parent manager(s) and to ensure that the mechanism is fair and transparent. Detailed arrangements of the election should be made known to all

7、parents. The PTA may amend its constitution where necessary in order that it fulfils the conditions for recognition by the IMC and hence is responsible for nominating parent manager(s). All parents should be consulted on such changes and any subsequent amendments to the election mechanism should be

8、properly documented.The Candidature4. All parents of current pupils of the school are eligible to become candidates. Parents in relation to a pupil includes a guardian of the pupil and a person who is not the parent or guardian of the pupil but has the actual custody of the pupil. 5. A parent should

9、 not be nominated in the event of the following situations (i) He / she is a serving teacher of the school (because teachers can join the IMC in the capacity of teacher managers); or(ii) He / she does not meet the registration requirements of managers set out in section 30 of the Ordinance.6. As sti

10、pulated in the Ordinance, no manager shall serve in an IMC in more than one capacity. Thus, no one can serve as a parent manager and an alumni manager at the same time. If there are two elections under different categories to be conducted concurrently in a school, no candidate shall participate in m

11、ore than one election. Number & Tenure7. The IMC should specify the number and tenure of office of parent manager(s) and an alternate parent manager (if applicable) in its constitution. Generally, the term of office of a parent manager is recommended to come into effect on 1 September and terminate

12、on 31 August. Since the PTA may not be able to conduct the election of parent managers before 1 September, it is recommended that the election should be conducted within the period from September to November. The PTA should then nominate to the IMC the parent elected for registration as a parent man

13、ager. Otherwise, in accordance with section 40AU of the Ordinance, if the post of parent manager is vacant for more than three months, the IMC should apply to the Permanent Secretary for further extension of the period for filling the vacancy. Nomination ProceduresReturning Officer8. The PTA may ass

14、ign a Returning Officer to monitor the nominations and supervise the issue of ballot papers and counting of votes. The Returning Officer may be elected amongst the office-bearers of the PTA or a teacher appointed by the school, but he/she must not be a candidate for the parent manager election. Peri

15、od of Nomination9. The PTA should specify in its constitution the period of nomination for the parent manager election.Nomination10. The Returning Officer may issue a letter informing all parents of the number of parent manager vacancies, the period of nomination, method of nomination, date of votin

16、g, date of counting session, date of announcement of results and other relevant information. A nomination form shall be enclosed. At the same time, the letter should outline the eligibility (paragraphs 4 to 6 above) and responsibilities of candidates. A parent may nominate oneself or another eligibl

17、e candidate to stand for the election. The PTA may specify in its constitution the maximum number of nominees that each parent can nominate, and consider whether it is necessary to establish a mechanism for supporting the motion. If such a mechanism is to be established, the constitution should set

18、out detailed arrangements, such as seconders must be parents of current pupils and the number of seconders required. All requirements must be reasonable in order to ensure that the mechanism is fair. 11. If no one is nominated, the PTA may consider extending the deadline of nomination or conducting

19、the election again after a lapse of some time. The election procedures should cater for such occasions and special arrangements should be made based on the principles of fairness, openness and simplicity.Candidates Information12. Each nominated candidate should supply a brief statement of his / her

20、personal information to the Returning Officer within the number of words as required by the PTA. 13. Not less than 7 days before the election day, the Returning Officer should issue another letter to all parents listing the names of the candidates being nominated. The brief introductory statements o

21、f the candidates including their declarations should be attached. The PTA should guard against the risk of incurring any legal liability in publishing those statements. The letter should also explain the procedures and the time-table of the election. If possible, the Returning Officer can arrange a

22、meeting for the candidates to introduce themselves to all parents and answer questions from them.Electors Eligibility14. All parents of current pupils of the school are eligible to vote. A teacher of the school who is the parent of a current pupil of the school also has the right to vote. Every elig

23、ible elector has equal voting right. Every parent should vote individually and should have only one vote irrespective of the number of children the parent has at the school. For simplicity sake, the PTA may give pupils two votes each for their parents to vote. On request, a ballot paper may be given

24、 to the guardian of the pupil or the person who has the actual custody of the pupil.Election ProceduresDate of Voting15. The period between the date of voting for parent manager election and the deadline of nomination should at least be two weeks.Voting method16. To ensure a fair election, the votin

25、g should be conducted 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 II.17. A ballot box shall be made availa

26、ble for the election. It should be locked and the key should be kept by the Returning Officer. The Returning Officer can specify in the election procedures which voting methods the parents may adopt. If parents are requested to vote in person in the school, the Returning Officer should inform all pa

27、rents in advance of such arrangements and specify clearly the date, time and venue of the voting. If parents are allowed to ask their children to return their ballot papers to the class teachers, the ballot papers should be sealed in envelopes specifically designed for that purpose before placing th

28、em into the ballot box. Blank ballot papers should also be returned to the school. The Returning Officer may also specify in the election procedures any other means of returning the ballot papers, such as by post or in person. The school should record down those parents who have submitted the ballot

29、 papers and then arrange to put the ballot papers in the ballot box.Counting of votes18. The Returning Officer should arrange a counting session and invite all parents, all candidates, and/or the principal to attend and witness the counting of votes. 19. The chairperson of PTA, the Returning Officer

30、 and/or the principal of the school should participate to witness the counting. During the counting session, the Returning Officer must make sure that all ballot papers have been poured out from the ballot box before counting starts. A ballot paper will be deemed to be invalid if (i) the number of c

31、andidates marked on the ballot paper exceeds the number that is allowed; (ii) the ballot paper has not been marked properly; or(iii) the ballot paper is marked in such a way that the identity of the elector can be traced.20. If there is only one parent manager vacancy, the one who obtains the greate

32、st number of votes will be nominated for registration as the parent manager whereas the one who obtains the next greatest number of votes will be nominated for registration as the alternate parent manager. If there are more than one vacancy, the successful candidates are the ones who obtain the greatest number of votes, then the next greatest and so on until all vacancies are filled. An arrangement should be specified in advance in the PTA constitution to determine who shall be elected when two or more candidates obtain the same number of votes, such as conducting a second round of