SDEA Constitution | Singapore Drama Educators Association

Filed as of: January 2020

NAME

This Society shall be known as the “Singapore Drama Educators Association”, hereinafter referred to as “SDEA”.

PLACE OF BUSINESS

Its place of business shall be at “90 Goodman Road, #04-02 Blk B Goodman Arts Centre Singapore 439053” or such other address as may subsequently be decided upon by the Committee and approved by the Registrar of Societies. SDEA shall carry out its activities only in places and premises which have the prior written approval from the relevant authorities, where necessary.

OBJECTS

Its objects are:

(a) To advance the profession of the drama/theatre educator which includes any practitioner who teaches drama/theatre skills; uses applied drama/theatre skills; uses drama/theatre processes in their work; uses applied theatre in their work.

(b) To advance and advocate for the value and practice of drama and theatre, and its impact and power in performance, education and community.

(d) To provide training in relation to drama/theatre for anyone who is interested in and/or wants to use drama/theatre in performance, education and community.

(e) To be the independent platform for critical discourse, dialogues and advocacy in all matters relating to the objectives of the organisation.

(f) To form connections and foster relationships and collaborations among stakeholders in all sectors which will benefit from the practice of drama and theatre in performance, education and community.

(g) To provide an avenue for local and global networking, to encourage and provide platforms for exchange of knowledge and experience with drama/theatre practitioners all over the world, to advance and advocate for the practice and value of drama and theatre.

(h) To serve as a leading resource for drama/theatre educators and anyone who is interested in and/or wants to use drama/theatre in performance, education and community.

(i) To organise public and outreach programmes that promote and raise awareness of drama/theatre, including applied drama/theatre education, to the wider community so as to help the practice of theatre and drama be accessible to all.

MEMBERSHIP QUALIFICATION AND RIGHTS

There shall be three categories of membership:

(a) Ordinary Membership Ordinary Membership is open to all individuals - Singapore Citizens, Singapore Permanent Residents or foreign citizens working and based in Singapore – who are engaged in drama and/or theatre education, as well as administering and promoting drama education or the performing arts in general. Only Ordinary Members who are 21 years of age and above shall have the right to vote and to hold office in the SDEA.

(b) Associate Membership Associate Membership is open only to individuals - Singapore Citizens, Singapore Permanent Residents or foreign citizens – with active passion and interest in the promotion of drama education and the performing arts in general but do not meet SDEA’s criteria for Ordinary membership. Singapore Citizens, Singapore Permanent Residents, or foreign citizens currently studying theatre or performance, educational drama or teaching with a major in educational drama or applied theatre may also apply for Associate Membership. Foreign drama educators not based in Singapore may also apply for Associate Membership. Associate Members shall not have the right to vote or to hold office in SDEA.

(c) Institutional Membership (IM) The ‘IM’ is open to all educational institutions (Pre-School, Primary, Secondary, Junior College, Central Institutes, International Schools and Tertiary Institutions), enrichment centers and similar drama or arts education associations whether based in Singapore or abroad. ‘IM” will not have any voting rights and not be allowed to stand for office. ‘IM’ will enjoy the same rights as SDEA’s Associate members.

APPLICATION FOR MEMBERSHIP

A person wishing to join SDEA should submit his particulars to the Secretary on a prescribed form.
The Committee will decide on the application for membership.
A copy of the Constitution shall be furnished to every approved member upon payment of the entrance fee.

ENTRANCE FEES, SUBSCRIPTIONS AND OTHER DUES

The entrance fees shall be determined by the General Meeting on recommendation from the Committee from time to time.
The annual subscriptions shall be determined by the General Meeting on recommendation from the Committee from time to time.
Annual subscriptions are payable in advance within the first month of the year. If a member falls into arrears with their subscription or other dues, they shall be informed immediately by the Treasurer. If they fail to settle their arrears within 4 weeks of their becoming due, the President may order that their name be posted on SDEA’s notice board and that they be denied the privileges of membership until they settle their account. If they fall into arrears for more than three months, they will automatically cease to be a member and the Committee may take legal action against them, provided that the Committee is satisfied that the member has received due notice of their debts.
Any additional fund required for special purposes may only be raised from members with the consent of the General Meeting of the members.

SUPREME AUTHORITY AND GENERAL MEETINGS

The supreme authority of SDEA is vested in a General Meeting of the members presided over by the President.
An Annual General Meeting shall be held in the 3rd Quarter of the calendar year.
At other times, an Extraordinary General Meeting must be called by the President on the request in writing of not less than 25% of the total voting membership or 30 voting members, whichever is the lesser, and may be called at any time by order of the Committee. The notice in writing shall be given to the Secretary setting forth the business that is to be transacted. The Extraordinary General Meeting shall be convened within two months from receiving this request to convene the Extraordinary General Meeting.
If the Committee does not, within two months after the date of the receipt of the written request, proceed to convene an Extraordinary General Meeting, the members who requested for the Extraordinary General Meeting shall convene the Extraordinary General Meeting by giving ten days’ notice to voting members setting forth the business to be transacted and simultaneously posting the agenda on SDEA’s communication platforms. The communication platforms are email, phone messages, social media and snail mail.
At least two weeks’ notice shall be given of an Annual General Meeting and at least ten days’ notice of an Extraordinary General Meeting. Notice of meeting stating the date, time and place of meeting shall be sent by the Secretary to all voting members. The particulars of the agenda shall be posted on SDEA’s notice board four days in advance of the meeting. The communication platforms are email, phone messages, social media and snail mail.
Unless otherwise stated in this Constitution, voting by proxy shall not be allowed at all General Meetings.
The following points will be considered at the Annual General Meeting:
The previous financial year’s accounts and annual report of the Committee.
Where applicable, the election of office‑bearers and Honorary Auditors for the following term.
Any member who wishes to place an item on the agenda of a General Meeting may do so provided he gives notice to the Secretary one week before the meeting is due to be held.
At least 25% of the total voting membership or 30 voting members, whichever is the lesser, present at a General Meeting shall form a quorum. Proxies shall not be constituted as part of the quorum.
In the event of there being no quorum at the commencement of a General Meeting, the meeting shall be adjourned for half an hour and should the number then present be insufficient to form a quorum, those present shall be considered a quorum, but they shall have no power to amend any of the existing rules.

MANAGEMENT AND COMMITTEE

The administration of SDEA shall be entrusted to a Committee consisting of the following to be elected at alternate Annual General Meeting:
A President
A Vice-President
A Secretary
A Treasurer
2 to 5 Ordinary Committee Members
Names for the above offices shall be proposed and seconded at the Annual General Meeting and election will follow on a simple majority vote of the members. All office-bearers, except the Treasurer may be re-elected to the same or related post for a consecutive term of office. The term of office of the Committee is two years. Re-appointment of the outgoing Treasurer may be considered after a lapse of at least two years.
To qualify to stand for election to the Committee, a candidate has to be a fully paid up member of good standing with SDEA, and has to have been an active member of, or active volunteer with, SDEA prior to their consideration for election.
Election will be either by show of hands or, subject to the agreement of the majority of the voting members present, by a secret ballot. In the event of a tie, the Chairman of the meeting shall have a casting vote.
A Committee Meeting shall be held at least once every 4 months after giving seven days’ notice to Committee Members. The President may call a Committee Meeting at any time by giving five days’ notice. At least ½ of the Committee Members must be present for its proceedings to be valid.
Any member of the Committee absenting themselves from three meetings consecutively without satisfactory explanations shall be deemed to have withdrawn from the Committee and a successor may be co-opted by the Committee to serve until the next Annual General Meeting. Any changes in the Committee shall be notified to the Registrar of Societies and the Commissioner of Charities within two (2) weeks of the change.
The duty of the Committee is to organise and supervise the day-to-day activities of SDEA. The Committee may not act contrary to the expressed wishes of the General Meeting without prior reference to it and always remains subordinate to the General Meetings.
The Committee has power to authorise the expenditure of a sum not exceeding $5000 per month from SDEA’s funds for SDEA‘s purposes.
The Committee shall have the power to remove the Committee member who is co-opted by the Committee before the expiration of this period of office and may co-opt another person in their stead. Any changes in the Committee shall be notified to the Registrar of Societies and the Commissioner of Charities within two (2) weeks of the change.
Where a conflict of interest arises at a Committee meeting, the Committee member concerned should not vote on the matter nor participate in discussions. They should also offer to withdraw from the meeting and the other Committee members should decide if this is required.

DUTIES OF OFFICE‑BEARERS

The President shall chair all General and Committee meetings. They shall also represent SDEA in its dealings with outside persons.
The Vice‑President shall assist the President and deputise for them in their absence.
The Secretary shall keep all records, except financial, of SDEA and shall be responsible for their correctness. They will keep minutes of all General and Committee meetings. They shall maintain an up to date Register of Members and Standard Operating Procedures at all times.
The Treasurer shall keep all funds and collect and disburse all moneys on behalf of SDEA and shall keep an account of all monetary transactions and shall be responsible for their correctness. They are authorised to expend up to $1,000 per month for petty expenses on behalf of SDEA. They will not keep more than $1,000 in the form of cash and money in excess of this will be deposited in a bank to be named by the Committee. Cheques, etc. for withdrawals from the bank will be signed by the Treasurer and either the President or the Vice-President or the Secretary.
Ordinary Committee Members shall assist in the general administration of SDEA and perform duties assigned by the Committee from time to time.

AUDIT AND FINANCIAL YEAR

A firm of Public Accountants and Chartered Accountants shall be appointed as Auditors at each Annual General Meeting for a term of one year and shall be eligible for reappointment.
The financial year shall be from 1st April to 31st March.

TRUSTEES

If SDEA at any time acquires any immovable property, such property shall be vested in trustees subject to a declaration of trust.The trustees of SDEA shall:
Not be more than four and not less than two in number.
Be elected by a General Meeting of members.
Not effect any sale or mortgage of property without the prior approval of the General Meeting of members.

The office of the trustee shall be vacated:

If the trustee dies or becomes a lunatic or of unsound mind.
If he is absent from the Republic of Singapore for a period of more than one year.
If he is guilty of misconduct of such a kind as to render it undesirable that he continues as a trustee.
If he submits notice of resignation from his trusteeship.
Notice of any proposal to remove a trustee from his trusteeship or to appoint a new trustee to fill a vacancy must be given by posting it on the notice board in SDEA’s premises at least two weeks before the General Meeting at which the proposal is to be discussed. The result of such General Meeting shall then be notified to the Registrar of Societies and the Commissioner of Charities.
The address of each immovable properties, name of each trustee and any subsequent change must be notified to the Registrar of Societies and the Commissioner of Charities.

VISITORS AND GUESTS

Visitors and guests may be admitted into the premises of SDEA but they shall not be admitted into the privileges of SDEA. All visitors and guests shall abide by SDEA’s rules and regulations.

PROHIBITIONS

Gambling of any kind, excluding the promotion or conduct of a private lottery which has been permitted under the Private Lotteries Act Cap 250, is forbidden on SDEA’s premises. The introduction of materials for gambling or drug taking and of bad characters into the premises is prohibited.
The funds of SDEA shall not be used to pay the fines of members who have been convicted in a court of law.
SDEA shall not engage in any trade union activity as defined in any written law relating to trade unions for the time being in force in Singapore.
SDEA shall not attempt to restrict or interfere with trade or make directly or indirectly any recommendation to, any arrangement with its members which has the purpose or is likely to have the effect of fixing or controlling the price or any discount, allowance or rebate relating to any goods or service which adversely affect consumer interests.
SDEA shall not indulge in any political activity or allow its funds and/or premises to be used for political purposes.
SDEA shall not hold any lottery, whether confined to its members or not, in the name of the Society or its office‑bearers, Committee or members unless with the prior approval of the relevant authorities.
SDEA shall not raise funds from the public for whatever purposes without the prior approval in writing from the Assistant Director Operations, Licensing Division, Singapore Police Force and other relevant authorities, where necessary.

AMENDMENTS TO CONSTITUTION

No alteration or addition/deletion to this Constitution shall be made except at a General Meeting and with the consent of two-thirds of the voting members present at the General Meeting, and they shall not come into force without the prior sanction of the Commissioner of Charities and Registrar of Societies.

INTERPRETATION

In the event of any question or matter pertaining to day-to-day administration which is not expressly provided for in this Constitution, the Committee shall have power to use its own discretion. The decision of the Committee shall be final unless it is reversed at a General Meeting of members.

DISPUTES

In the event of any dispute arising amongst members, they shall attempt to resolve the matter at an Extraordinary General Meeting in accordance with this Constitution. Should the members fail to resolve the matter, they may bring the matter to a court of law for settlement.

DISSOLUTION/CESSATION OF CHARITY STATUS

SDEA shall not be dissolved, except with the consent of not less than 3/5 of the total voting membership of SDEA for the time being resident in Singapore expressed, either in person or by proxy, at a General Meeting convened for the purpose.
In the event of SDEA being dissolved as provided above, or in the event SDEA ceases to be a registered charity under the Charities Act, all debts and liabilities legally incurred on behalf of SDEA shall be fully discharged, and the remaining funds will be donated to charitable organization(s), or Institution(s) of a Public Character, when SDEA is an Institution of a Public Character, as the case may be, with similar objectives in Singapore which is (are) registered under the Charities Act, as the members of SDEA may determine at the General Meeting.
A Certificate of Dissolution shall be given within seven (7) days of the dissolution to the Registrar of Societies and the Commissioner of Charities.

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