Bylaws of the Taiwan Society for Educational Communication and Technology
Passed at the 46th Meeting of the Board of Directors and Supervisors, 4th Session, October 31, 2015
Passed by the General Meeting of Members on November 21, 2015
Amended and passed at the 49th Annual General Meeting of Members, 1st Session, December 5, 2020
Chapter 1 General Provisions
Article 1: Association Name
This association is officially named the "Taiwan Association for Educational Communications and Technology" (TAECT), hereinafter referred to as "the Association" (hereinafter referred to as "the Association"). The Association was originally named the "National Audio-Visual Education Association of China, Taipei, ROC," registered in 1959.
Article 2: Purpose
This association is a legally established, non-profit social organization. Its purpose is to research, advocate, and promote educational technology and audiovisual communication.
Article 3: Region
This association is organized within the national administrative regions.
Article 4: Meeting Site
The association's headquarters shall be located in the region where the competent authority is situated, and may establish branch offices with the approval of the competent authority. The organizational rules for the aforementioned branch offices shall be drafted by the council and submitted to the competent authority for approval before implementation. The addresses of the headquarters and branch offices shall be reported to the competent authority for record-keeping upon establishment or change.
Article 5: The tasks of this association are as follows:
(a) Research on the theory of educational technology and audiovisual communication.
(ii) Advocate the implementation of educational technology and audiovisual communication.
(iii) Promote the application of educational technology and audiovisual communication in teaching.
(iv) Assist in the production of audiovisual media and computer teaching materials and equipment.
(v) Publish educational science and technology and audiovisual communication journals.
(vi) To organize other activities related to education, technology and audiovisual communication.
Article 6: Competent Authority
The competent authority of this association is the Ministry of the Interior. The primary competent authority for the purposes and tasks outlined in its charter is the Ministry of Education. The purposes and tasks of this association shall be subject to the guidance and supervision of the respective competent authorities.
Chapter Two: Members
Article 7: Membership Categories and Eligibility Requirements
Anyone who agrees with the association's objectives and meets the following conditions may apply for membership, as listed below:
I. Individual Members: Anyone engaged in education and culture work, interested in educational technology and audiovisual communication, must be at least 20 years old, have Republic of China citizenship or residency visa, and be introduced by two or more members of this association, and approved by the board of directors to become an individual member of this association.
II. Group Members: Schools, social education institutions, academic groups, or audiovisual media and computer teaching materials and equipment production organizations that are enthusiastic about supporting the association's affairs may become group members of the association upon introduction by three members of the association and approval by the board of directors. Group members shall appoint one representative to exercise the rights of membership.
III. Sponsoring Members: Individuals or groups that sponsor the work of this association may become sponsoring members upon review and approval by the council.
IV. Honorary Members: Individuals who have made special contributions to the education, technology and academic fields in Taiwan or to the development of this association may be invited to become honorary members upon recommendation by the council and approval by the general meeting of members.
V. Student Members: Any student enrolled in a relevant department of a university or graduate school may apply to become a student member.
Article 8:
All types of members must fill out a membership application form when applying, which must be approved by the council. Except for sponsoring members and honorary members, all members must pay membership fees in order to obtain membership.
Article 9:
Membership obligations
Members have the obligation to abide by the association's charter and resolutions and pay membership dues; those who fail to pay membership dues shall not enjoy the rights of members; those who fail to pay membership dues for two consecutive years shall be deemed to have automatically withdrawn from the association; if a member who has been expelled, withdrawn from the association or suspended from the association wishes to apply for reinstatement or restoration of rights, he or she shall pay at least two years' worth of outstanding membership dues unless there is a legitimate reason.
Article 10:
Members (or their representatives) have the right to vote, elect, be elected, and be removed from office; each member (or representative) has one right. However, sponsoring members, honorary members, and student members do not have the aforementioned rights.
Article 11:
If a member violates laws, the articles of association, or fails to comply with resolutions of the general meeting of members, the violation may be corrected or the member's membership suspended upon a two-thirds majority vote of the directors present at the meeting. Members whose actions seriously harm the organization may be expelled from the organization upon a resolution passed by the general meeting of members.
Article 12:
Members may submit a written statement to the council declaring their withdrawal from the association.
Chapter Three Organization
Article 13:
The General Meeting of Members is the highest authority of this association, under which are the Board of Directors and the Supervisory Board. During the recess of the General Meeting of Members, the Board of Directors performs the association's affairs, while the Supervisory Board serves as the oversight body. The Board of Directors has a Chairman and Vice-Chairmen, and the Supervisory Board has Standing Supervisors.
When the number of members exceeds three hundred, member representatives shall be elected proportionally by region, and a general meeting of member representatives shall be convened to exercise the powers of the general meeting of members. The term of office for member representatives is two years, and the number of representatives and the election method shall be drafted by the board of directors and submitted to the competent authority for approval before implementation.
Article 14:
The powers of the General Meeting of Members are as follows:
I. Establishment and amendment of the articles of association.
II. Election or removal of directors and supervisors.
III. To decide on the amount and method of annual dues, operating expenses, and member donations.
IV. To deliberate and approve the annual work plan, report, budget, and final accounts.
V. Resolution to expel a member.
VI. Decide on the disposition of property.
VII. Resolution to dissolve the group.
8. Resolutions on other major matters relating to the rights and obligations of members.
The scope of the major matters in paragraph 8 above shall be determined by the Board of Directors.
Article 15:
Council
The association shall have seventeen directors, elected by members (or member representatives), forming the council. When electing the aforementioned directors, five alternate directors may also be elected based on the vote count. Vacancies will be filled in order of merit. The current council may propose a preliminary list of candidates for the next council. Directors may be elected by mail; however, this process may not be repeated. The method for mail election shall be approved by the council and submitted to the competent authority for record before implementation.
Article 16:
Supervisory Board
This association shall appoint five supervisors, elected by members (or member representatives), to form a supervisory board. When electing the aforementioned supervisors, two alternate supervisors may also be elected based on the vote count. In the event of a vacancy, these alternate supervisors shall be appointed in order of merit. The current supervisory board may propose a preliminary list of candidates for the next term. Supervisors may be elected by correspondence; however, this process may not be repeated consecutively. The procedure for election by correspondence shall be approved by the board of directors and submitted to the competent authority for record before implementation.
Article 17:
Standing Supervisor
The board of supervisors shall have one standing supervisor, elected by the supervisors themselves, who shall oversee daily affairs and serve as the convener and chairperson of supervisory meetings. If a standing supervisor is unable to perform his/her duties, he/she shall appoint another supervisor to act on his/her behalf. If no supervisor can be appointed or no supervisor can be appointed, the supervisors shall elect one supervisor to act on his/her behalf. If a standing supervisor position becomes vacant, a replacement shall be elected within one month.
Article 18:
Chairman, Vice Chairman and Honorary Chairman
The council shall have one president and one vice president, elected by the council members. Their terms of office are the same as those of the council members, and they may be re-elected. The president is responsible for the overall management and supervision of the association's affairs internally, represents the association externally, and serves as the chairperson of the general meeting and the council meeting. If the president is unable to perform their duties, the vice president shall act in their place. When a vacancy arises for either the president or vice president, a replacement shall be elected within one month.
The association may appoint one honorary chairman as needed for its business operations. The candidate for honorary chairman shall be recommended by the board of directors and the board of supervisors and approved by the meeting.
Article 19:
Both directors and supervisors are unpaid, serve a two-year term, and may be re-elected once.
Article 20:
The powers of the council are as follows:
I. Resolution on matters concerning the convening of the General Meeting of Members.
II. Determine the eligibility of members.
III. Election or removal of the chairman or vice-chairman.
IV. Resolution on the resignation of a director, chairman, or vice chairman.
V. Resolution on the correction, suspension or reinstatement of members' rights.
VI. Discuss and submit the expulsion proposal to the General Meeting of Members for a resolution.
VII. Appointment and Removal of Staff.
8. Draft annual work plans, reports, budgets, and final accounts.
IX. Other matters to be implemented.
Article 21:
The powers of the supervisory board are as follows:
1. In accordance with the organization's bylaws, regularly monitor the implementation of the council's work.
II. Regularly monitor accounting operations.
III. Review the annual financial statements.
IV. Election or removal of standing supervisors.
V. Resolution on the resignation of supervisors or standing supervisors.
VI. Other matters that should be monitored.
Article 22:
If any director or supervisor of this association falls under any of the following categories, the board of directors or the board of supervisors shall respectively submit a proposal to the general meeting of members to remove them from office:
1. Those who have lost their membership (or membership representative) status.
II. Those who resign due to unforeseen circumstances and whose resignation is approved by a resolution of the board of directors or the board of supervisors.
III. Those who are dismissed or removed from office.
IV. Those who have been suspended from their positions for more than half of their term.
Fifth, those who neglect their duties.
VI. Those who violate laws and regulations, thereby damaging the reputation of this association.
7. Those who fail to attend board or supervisor meetings more than twice without a valid reason.
Article 23:
Secretary General and staff
This association shall have one Secretary-General, who shall handle the association's affairs on the orders of the Chairman. Several other staff members shall be nominated by the Chairman, appointed and dismissed by the Board of Directors, and their appointments and dismissals shall be reported to the competent authority for record. However, the dismissal of the Secretary-General shall first be reported to the competent authority for approval. The aforementioned staff members shall not be elected officials. The powers, responsibilities, and hierarchical division of duties among staff members shall be separately determined by the Board of Directors.
Article 24:
The Association may establish various committees, groups or other internal operating organizations, the rules of which shall be implemented after being approved by the Board of Directors, and the same applies to any changes thereto.
Chapter Four: Meeting
Article 25:
The General Meeting of Members of this Association consists of regular meetings and extraordinary meetings. Regular meetings are held annually, and may be combined with academic symposiums. They are convened by the Chairman of the Board, who must provide written notice fifteen days in advance. Extraordinary meetings are convened when the Board of Directors deems it necessary, or upon the request of more than one-fifth of the members (or their representatives), or upon a request from the Supervisory Board. After the Association completes its corporate registration, extraordinary general meetings will be convened upon the request of more than one-tenth of the members.
Article 26:
If a member is unable to attend the meeting in person, he/she may appoint another member in writing to act on his/her behalf, with each member limited to acting on behalf of only one person.
Article 27:
Resolutions of the general meeting of members shall be passed with the consent of more than half of the members present and a majority of those present. However, the drafting and amendment of the articles of association, the expulsion of members, the removal of directors and supervisors, the disposal of property, the dissolution of the organization, and other major matters relating to the rights and obligations of members shall require the consent of more than two-thirds of those present. After the association has completed its corporate registration, amendments to the articles of association shall be passed with the consent of more than three-quarters of those present or with the written consent of more than two-thirds of all members; the dissolution of the association shall be passed with the approval of more than two-thirds of all members.
Article 28:
The Board of Directors and the Supervisory Board shall each hold a meeting at least once every six months, and may convene joint meetings or extraordinary meetings as necessary. Except for extraordinary meetings, written notice shall be given seven days in advance of the convening of the aforementioned meetings, and resolutions of each meeting shall be made with the consent of more than half of the directors and supervisors present and the majority of those present.
Article 29:
Directors should attend board meetings, and supervisors should attend supervisory meetings; proxy attendance is not permitted. Board meetings, supervisory meetings, and joint meetings of directors and supervisors may be convened via video conference. Attendance by directors and supervisors at any video conference shall be considered as personal attendance, and the methods of attendance and voting shall be adapted to the capabilities of the video conferencing equipment. However, matters involving elections, by-elections, removals, and the establishment of organizational rules shall not be conducted via video conference. A director or supervisor who is absent from two consecutive board or supervisory meetings without a valid reason shall be deemed to have resigned.
Chapter 5 Funding and Finance
Article 30:
The expenses of this association shall be covered by the following funds:
1. Membership Fee: NT$500 for individual members, NT$1,000 for group members, and NT$300 for student members, payable upon joining.
II. Annual membership fees: NT$1,000 for individual members (a one-time payment of NT$10,000 grants lifetime exemption from annual membership fees), NT$8,000 for group members, and NT$500 for student members.
III. Operating Expenses.
IV. Member donations.
V. Commission income.
VI. Funds and their proceeds.
VII. Other income.
Article 31:
The accounting year of this association is based on the previous year, from January 1st to December 31st of each year.
Article 32:
Two months before the start of each fiscal year, the Board of Directors prepares an annual work plan, a budget statement, and an employee benefits statement, which are then submitted to the General Meeting of Members for approval (if the General Meeting of Members cannot be held as scheduled, it shall be submitted to the Joint Meeting of Directors and Supervisors for approval first). These documents are then submitted to the competent authority for record before the start of the fiscal year. Within two months after the end of the fiscal year, the Board of Directors prepares an annual work report, a final statement of income and expenditure, a cash disbursement statement, a balance sheet, an inventory of assets, and a statement of fund income and expenditure. These documents are then submitted to the Supervisory Board for review, and an audit opinion is prepared and returned to the Board of Directors for approval. These documents are then submitted to the General Meeting of Members for record before the end of March (if the General Meeting of Members cannot be held as scheduled, it shall be submitted to the competent authority first).
Article 33:
Upon dissolution of this association, the remaining assets shall belong to the local self-governing body or the agency or organization designated by the competent authority.
Chapter Six Supplementary Provisions
Article 34:
Matters not covered by this association's charter shall be handled in accordance with relevant laws and regulations.
Article 35:
The rules of procedure for this association shall be determined by the council.
Article 36:
This charter shall come into effect after being adopted by the members' (members' representatives') meeting and submitted to the competent authority for approval and filing. The same applies to any revisions.
Article 37:
This charter was adopted at the 46th General Meeting of Members of this Association and approved for reference by the Ministry of the Interior, dated May 12, 2016, under letter number 1050034200.