Education (Schools Magazines) Regulations 1959

Education Act 1957

(Section 61)

Education (Schools Magazines)
Regulations 1959

2024 REVISED EDITION

(18 December 2024)

[3 July 1959]

Citation

1.  These Regulations are the Education (Schools Magazines) Regulations 1959.

Definitions

2.  In these Regulations, unless the context otherwise requires —

“publishing” includes printing, writing, lithography, typewriting, photography, and other modes of representing or reproducing words or objects in visible form;

“school magazine” means any publication containing news, intelligence, reports of occurrences, or any remarks, observations or comments, in relation to such news, intelligence or occurrences, or to any other matter of interest, contributed by the pupils or by the pupils and teachers of any school or schools, published in any language used in schools in Singapore for distribution or circulation at regular or irregular intervals throughout any year in any school or schools, and includes any petition, handbill or statement published, distributed or circulated among the pupils of any school but does not include announcements or notices regarding routine school activities authorised by the principal of any school as part of its normal activities.

Approval of principal of school

3.—(1)  A school magazine must not be published, distributed or circulated in any school except with the prior written approval of the principal of the school.

(2)  Before approving the application, distribution or circulation of a school magazine, the principal of the school must —

(a) satisfy himself or herself that the school magazine is not likely to prejudice the discipline of the school or to be prejudicial to the interests of Singapore;

(b) approve the membership of the editorial board of the school magazine which may be composed of pupils only or of pupils and teachers who are to be responsible for producing the school magazine;

(c) where the editorial board of the school magazine consists of pupils only, appoint a teacher or teachers to act as adviser or advisers, reserving to himself or herself the right to attend all meetings of the editorial board;

(d) make suitable arrangements for the business management of the school magazine, for proper accounts to be kept and for the deposit of any profits in a bank account in the name of the school;

(e) satisfy himself or herself that the school magazine is primarily concerned with school affairs, and that its circulation is principally among the pupils of the school; and

(f) ascertain the name and address of the printer of the school magazine.

(3)  Every article, photograph, cartoon or other pictorial representation must be approved by the principal of the school or an adviser appointed by the principal before publication.

Director-General to receive every issue of school magazine

4.  The principal of the school must send one copy of every issue of the school magazine to the Director-General.

Director-General to issue instructions

5.  If the Director-General is satisfied that any school magazine has published or is likely to publish matters prejudicial to the discipline of the school or the interests of Singapore, he or she must instruct the principal of the school to stop the publication, distribution or circulation (as the case may be) of the school magazine and it is the duty of the principal of the school to take all measures necessary for the enforcement of the instructions.

Expulsion of pupil

6.—(1)  A principal of a school may exercise his or her power to expel a pupil —

(a) who publishes, distributes or circulates or attempts to publish, distribute or circulate a school magazine without the principal’s prior approval; or

(b) who publishes, distributes or circulates a school magazine which in the principal’s opinion is prejudicial to the discipline of the school or to the interests of Singapore.

(2)  The Director-General may by order in writing require the principal of the school to expel any pupil who publishes, distributes or circulates or attempts to publish, distribute or circulate a school magazine contrary to any instructions issued by the Director‑General under regulation 5.

Saving

7.  Nothing in these Regulations exempts the principal of a school, the editor or the publisher of a school magazine from complying with the requirements of any law regulating the publication of periodicals in Singapore.