Grand Institutes of Education Act, 1711

Bill as submitted to the "Hopper" of the Federal Assembly, 20.VII.1711

THE GRAND INSTITUTES OF EDUCATION ACT, 1711

THE READING OF

A

BILL

TO

ESTABLISH, REGULATE, AND PROVIDE FOR A SYSTEM OF ADVANCED HIGHER EDUCATION, AND SUPPORTING INSTITUTIONS, FOR NOUVELLE ALEXANDRIE; AMONG OTHER PURPOSES.

GRAND INSTITUTES OF EDUCATION ACT, 1711

Presented by Felipe de Almagro, Deputy from North Lyrica, (FHP)

Ordered, by the Cortes Federales of Nouvelle Alexandrie,
to be Printed, 1711 AN.
BE IT ENACTED by the King’s Most Excellent Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Cortes Federales, in this present 1st session assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:-

1. CITATION.

1. This Act may be cited in all purposes as the “Grand Institutes of Education Act, 1711.”

2. DEFINITION AND ESTABLISHMENT

1. A Grand Institute is an establishment and building, with an academic staff and a student body, specialising in the following areas of study:
   1. science and engineering;
   2. humanities;
   3. business;
   4. public policy, administration, and the political sciences.
2. A Grand Institute must be established in the administrative seat of government of each Region.
3. Additional Grand Institutes may be established in each notified city (possessed of a municipal authority and notified to the Micras Cartography Society) of each Region, and in the administrative seats of government for the States of each Region.
4. A Grand Institute will be established as a corporate body by means of a Charter drafted by the Regional Government of the Region in which it has been established. Charters shall be submitted to His Majesty by the Regional Governments for Promulgation into Law.

3. FUNDING

1. Grand Institutes shall, in the main, be funded by tuition fees paid by the student body of said Grand Institutes.
2. Grand Institutes may take on loans and financial instruments for the purpose of capital expenditure on infrastructure and for academic purposes.
   1. Any debts or financial liabilities taken on by a Grand Institute must not exceed twenty-five percent (25%) of the revenue derived from the fee paying student body.
3. Grand Institutes may apply for amicable financial grants to the Federal Government and the Regional Government from whence their charter originated, subject to the assessment of the feasibility of the purposes for which the amicable financial grant is sought.
   1. Amicable financial grants may be one-time or recurring, but must be subject to regular audit and oversight by the granting authorities.

4. REMIT AND AWARD OF QUALIFICATIONS

1. Grand Institutes will provide a four year education in their area of specialism, culminating in the award of a Superior Diploma. Graduates of the Grand Institutes must complete a minimum of four years of public service in the regional governments or the Federal Forces before they return to the Grand Institutes for a further four years of study so as to attain their Master Doctorates. On attaining their Master Doctorates the successful graduates shall be eligible to join the Higher Cadres of the Federal Civil Service.

5. DUE FAITH AND CREDIT

1. The Federal Government, Regional and State Governments, Municipal Authorities, and all institutions that derive their legitimacy thereof, shall afford all due faith and credence to the Superior Diplomas and Master Doctorates awarded by the Grand Institutes established under this Act.
2. All Universities and Higher Education Institutions of the Federation are instructed under this Act to accord full recognition to the Superior Diplomas and Master Doctorates awarded by the Grand Institutes established under this Act.

6. ENROLEMENT AND TUITION

1. Enrolment in a Grand Institute will be open to all citizens aged between sixteen and eighteen years of age who score 90% or higher in competitive written and oral exams conducted by the Federal Government and who pass an examination of their mental, physical, and genetic health. Those who meet the enrolment criteria will then be subject to a further competitive examination conducted by the Grand Institute itself, appropriate to its area of specialism, from which the top 1% percent will be called forth and offered a place at the Grand Institute.
2. Annual tuition costs and administrative fees for the students of the Grand Institutes will be paid in monthly increments by the individual members of the student body. The costs incurred by students thereby shall be met by annual academic grants paid to them by the Regional Governments at the commencement of each academic year, with a further means-tested bursary to cover the living costs of any student whose parents earn less than 40,000 ecus per annum as a combined income.
3. Enrolment with a Grand Institute shall not preclude any member of the Federal Forces from benefiting from any other relevant Federal Higher Education programme to which they would be eligible.

7. SUPERIOR PREPARATORY SCHOOLS

1. At their discretion, Regional Governments will be encouraged to establish Superior Preparatory Schools for children aged twelve to sixteen so that those individuals, irrespective of background, who are identified through competitive examination as being of superior intellectual attainment are prioritised for a developed education preparatory for entering into the competitive examination process for gaining placement with the Grand Institutes.
2. Superior Preparatory Schools may issue bronze, silver and gold baccalaureates, with the bronze baccalaureate being understood to be equivalent to a passing grade of the regular high school diplomas and the silver and gold accordingly to be more prestigious in turn.
3. In each regional municipality the most promising twenty-five percent of children in each cohort at the age of twelve, identified through competitive examination, should be called forward to a placement at a Superior Preparatory School.

8. GOVERNENCE AND OVERSIGHT

1. Grand Institutes and Superior Preparatory Schools shall be under the administrative oversight of the Regional Government which chartered their establishment.
2. Regional Governments must appoint a dedicated Ombudsman, reporting to their dedicated education authority, to ensure compliance with all statutory obligations, including student welfare safeguarding and financial assurance and probity.
3. The Member of the Government responsible for Education shall appoint an Inspector General to each Region with responsibility for monitoring the compliance of Grand Institutes and Superior Preparatory Schools with the educational standards mandated by the Member of the Government responsible for Education under law.
4. The Inspector Generals may appoint subordinate inspectors to carry on visits at the state level in each Region.
5. Ombudsmen and inspectors who discover, in the course of their duties, evidence of criminal conduct, including especially any instance of corruption or institutional malpractice, must report every instance of such occurrences to the Federal Gendarmerie for formal investigation.

9. COMMENCEMENT AND APPLICATION

1. This Bill shall apply to all of the Federation of Nouvelle Alexandrie.
2. This Bill shall not become law unless it has been given Royal Assent.
3. This Bill shall be published and made publicly available.
4. In the event any provision or part of this Bill is found to be invalid or unenforceable, only that particular provision or part so found, and not the entire Bill, will be inoperative.