We are working on a brand new version of the game! If you want to stay informed, read our blog and register for our mailing list.
Bill: Commonwealth Education Consistency Act of 2961
Details
Submitted by[?]: Subsidiarity Party
Status[?]: passed
Votes: This is an ordinary bill. It requires more yes votes than no votes. This bill will not pass any sooner than the deadline.
Voting deadline: July 2962
Description[?]:
| A bill providing a more consistent legal framework for the education of the youth of the Commonwealth of Rutania, better reflecting the traditions of the people and providing agreement of the whole corpus of Rutanian educational law: SECTION I - Since the Commonwealth of Rutania has seen fit to leave much of the educational law to local government, it is fitting that all national law reflect that resolution. The wisdom of Rutanian law has seen fit to allow home schooling, but has maintained a national standardized testing requirement that all students are held to. In light of the prior laws providing freedom to choose educational quality and philosophy to Rutanians, it is resolved that the government will not produce standardized tests, but will only maintain a standard while leaving testing to localities. SECTION II - Despite the allowance of various school types, methods of teaching and local initiatives to encourage and enhance education, a nationwide standard for discipline in the classroom is still in effect, not taking into account the invasion of privacy that is inherent in such a law coexistent with law legalizing home schooling. Therefore, it is resolved that the discipline levels be set by the individual schools, in place of a national requirement. SECTION III - The national government of the Commonwealth does not finance, subsidize or maintain any institutions of higher education, leaving only private institutions to provide for the higher education of Rutanians. This law, enacted to provide an atmosphere of competition and to allow the free market to drive down the price of higher education, also provides a boon to the Commonwealth by allowing higher education to be available without crippling cost to the state, and ultimately, the taxpayers. However, it is still the case that the Commonwealth is providing higher education student loans to students of private institutions of higher education, with long repayment dates reaching far into the future following graduation. This current situation exposes the taxpayers to risk, as there is no guarantee that money loaned will be repaid in a timely fashion, or at all. In light of this, it is resolved that the Commonwealth will finance only a portion of tuition costs, leaving students to make up the deficit. Scholarship programs will also be included, extending financial aid to those who perform best and will be most likely to repay debt they incur. SECTION IV - The national government of the Commonwealth currently finances a vast system of libraries for the edification and cultural enrichment of Rutanians. This, while laudable, exposes the libraries to risk when the national government must cut spending due to macroeconomic downturns or budgetary constrictions. Further, it represents an inefficient system to meet the diverse needs for the different regions of Rutania, as the difficulties of maintaining a national library system with deference to local culture or tradition mount with such a system. Because of this, it is resolved to devolve a measure of control to local government with the intent of providing a more efficient system for cultivating Rutanian culture and fostering reading comprehension and writing ability. The national government of the Commonwealth will continue to provide limited financial support for the library systems. |
Proposals
Article 1
Proposal[?] to change National Curriculum
Old value:: invalid choice
Current: There is a National Curriculum which all government schools are obliged to follow; non-government schools are partially exempt.
Proposed: invalid choice
Article 2
Proposal[?] to change The teacher's right to discipline children.
Old value:: Teachers are forbidden from striking children and may only use non-contact discipline (detention, expulsion etc).
Current: Teachers are forbidden from striking children and may only use non-contact discipline (detention, expulsion etc).
Proposed: Discipline levels are set by schools.
Article 3
Proposal[?] to change Higher education tuition policy.
Old value:: The government introduces means tested loans for higher education tuition, to be paid back by students after earnings reach a certain amount.
Current: The government subsidizes tuition only for students from families classified as low-income or poor.
Proposed: The government subsidizes higher education tuition to a certain amount, the rest is covered by the individual students. This includes scholarship programs.
Article 4
Proposal[?] to change The government's policy towards the funding of libraries.
Old value:: The national government controls a vast and comprehensive system of public libraries.
Current: Funding and operation of libraries is left entirely to local governments.
Proposed: The national government provides local governments with funding to operate libraries.
Debate
These messages have been posted to debate on this bill:
| Date | 23:13:14, June 28, 2010 CET | From | Rutanian Elitist Party | To | Debating the Commonwealth Education Consistency Act of 2961 |
| Message | We warmly welcome the SP on the political arena of the Commonwealth. We hope that our cooperation will be bright and will serve the interests of our nation. In what concerns the current legislative proposals, we fully back Articles 1 and 2. However we would like to maintain the status quo in what concerns the higher education tuition policy. I hope we could work out a compromise acceptable for both sides. Isabelle Bozarburg Prime Minister |
| Date | 01:24:03, June 29, 2010 CET | From | Subsidiarity Party | To | Debating the Commonwealth Education Consistency Act of 2961 |
| Message | We are thankful for the warm welcome of Mme. Prime Minister, and are willing to compromise on this bill going forward. The provisions on higher education are admittedly, of lower priority to us than the decentralization of elements in lower education. We feel that an equitable compromise could be reached on this point, as the net gain from our first two proposals would go a great distance toward achieving our goal of consistent education law. John Connolly Chairman, TSP |
| Date | 03:40:52, June 29, 2010 CET | From | Rutanian Restoration Party | To | Debating the Commonwealth Education Consistency Act of 2961 |
| Message | We are very open to all three proposals brought forward by the honorable member of the SP. This education legislation is, indeed, much needed. We will throw our full support behind this bill. |
| Date | 04:16:00, June 29, 2010 CET | From | Subsidiarity Party | To | Debating the Commonwealth Education Consistency Act of 2961 |
| Message | TSP thanks the OP leadership for their support, and we invite them to partake in the ongoing negotiations between our party and the REP concerning the development of this bill to a fruitful law for our Commonwealth. After consulting with party leadership, I am pleased to report that TSP is ready to forward a compromise regarding the higher education financing article. TSP is willing to substitute in its place a measure to split costs to libraries or museums with local governments. Seeing as how local the benefit of these programs are, it makes sense to TSP that the local authorities be given a measure of control over how the spending is used. This will have the added benefit of indirectly cutting nationwide costs for what are primarily educational institutions, which more than compensates for the spending incurred in higher education loans. We eagerly await the reaction of the REP to this proposal. John Connolly Chairman, TSP |
| Date | 23:12:49, June 29, 2010 CET | From | Rutanian Elitist Party | To | Debating the Commonwealth Education Consistency Act of 2961 |
| Message | The REP is extremely pleased to see the willingness of the TSP to make a deal on this issue. We are unconditionally in favour of devolution, thus we would surely support the initiative regarding libraries and museums. And seeing that the OP is not opposing the change in higher education tuition policy, I think we could give our consent to that as well. |
| Date | 00:40:49, June 30, 2010 CET | From | Subsidiarity Party | To | Debating the Commonwealth Education Consistency Act of 2961 |
| Message | In light of the amicable negotiations TSP has had with other parties on this bill, we present it to the legislature for a final review before scheduling a vote. |
subscribe to this discussion - unsubscribe
Voting
| Vote | Seats | |||
| yes | Total Seats: 500 | |||
| no | Total Seats: 0 | |||
| abstain | Total Seats: 0 |
| Random fact: Particracy isn't just a game, it also has a forum, where players meet up to discuss role-playing, talk about in-game stuff, run their own newspaper or organisation and even discuss non-game and real-life issues! Check it out: http://forum.particracy.net/ |
| Random quote: "Poverty is the parent of revolution and crime." - Aristotle |