17.13.1 The Secretary has the power to grant or refuse study time.

17.13.2 Where the Secretary approves the grant of study time, the grant is subject to:

(i) The course being a course relevant to the Department and/or the public service; and

(ii) The time being taken at the convenience of the Department.

17.13.3 Study assistance of up to three hours per week may be granted on full pay to permanent or long-term temporary employees who are studying on a part-time basis.

17.13.4 Approval of study assistance will be at Departmental convenience. Study assistance may be used for:

(i) attending compulsory lectures or tutorials, where these are held during working hours; and/or

(ii) necessary travel outside working hours to attend lectures, tutorials, etc., held during or outside working hours; and/or

(iii) private study for an approved course.

17.13.5 Subject to the convenience of the school or centre, permanent or long-term temporary employees may choose to accumulate part or all of their hours of study assistance to attend compulsory field days or residential schools.

17.13.6 Accumulated study time may be taken in any manner or at any time, subject to operational requirements of the Department.

17.13.7 Where at the commencement of an academic year/semester an employee elects to accrue study time and that employee has consequently foregone the opportunity of taking weekly study time, the accrued period of time off must be granted even if changed work circumstances mean absence from duty would be inconvenient.

17.13.8 Employees attempting courses which provide for annual examinations, may vary the election as to accrual, made at the commencement of an academic year, effective from 1st July in that year.

17.13.9 Where an employee is employed after the commencement of the academic year, weekly study time may be granted with the option of electing to accrue study time from 1st July in the year of entry on duty or from the next academic year, whichever is the sooner.

17.13.10 Employees studying in semester based courses may vary their election as to accrual or otherwise from semester to semester.

17.13.11 Correspondence Courses - Study time for employees studying by correspondence accrues on the basis of half an hour for each hour of lecture/tutorial attendance involved in the corresponding face-to-face course, up to a maximum grant of 4 hours per week. Where there is no corresponding face-to-face course, the training institution should be asked to indicate what the attendance requirements would be if such a course existed.

17.13.12 Repeated subjects - Study time will not be granted for repeated subjects.

17.13.13 Expendable grant - Study time if not taken at the nominated time is forfeited. If the inability to take study time occurs as a result of a genuine emergency at work, study time for that week may be granted on another day during the same week.

17.13.14 Examination Leave - Examination leave is granted as special leave for all courses of study approved in accordance with this clause.

17.13.15 The period granted as examination leave includes:

(i) Time actually involved in the examination;

(ii) Necessary travelling time, in addition to examination leave,

but is limited to a maximum of 5 days in any one year. Examination leave is not available where an examination is conducted within the normal class timetable during the term/semester and study time has been granted to the staff member.

17.13.16 The examination leave is to be granted for deferred examinations and in respect of repeat studies.

17.13.17 Study Leave - Study leave for full-time study is granted to assist those employees who win scholarships/fellowships/awards or who wish to undertake full-time study and/or study tours. Study leave may be granted for studies at any level, including undergraduate study.

17.13.18 All employees are eligible to apply and no prior service requirements are necessary.

17.13.19 Study leave is to be granted without pay, except where the Secretary approves financial assistance. The extent of financial assistance to be provided will be determined by the Secretary according to the relevance of the study to the workplace and may be granted up to the amount equal to full salary.

17.13.20 Where financial assistance is approved by the Secretary for all or part of the study leave period, the period counts as service for all purposes in the same proportion as the quantum of financial assistance bears to full salary of the employee.

17.13.21 Scholarships for Part-Time Study - In addition to the study time/study leave provisions under this clause, the Department may choose to identify courses or educational programmes of particular relevance or value and establish a Departmental scholarship to encourage participation in these courses or programmes. The conditions under which such scholarships are provided should be consistent with the provisions of this clause.