Transparency of beginning of school year collections

Pursuant to Resolution 13 of the Ho Chi Minh City People's Council issued on the fees applicable for the 2024-2025 school year, the People's Council has clearly defined the fees for 9 service fees. Based on the comments of the Department of Finance, the Department of Education and Training has specifically stipulated a list of 17 other fees for educational activities in schools, according to each level of education.

Localities in Ho Chi Minh City are building collection levels for the new school year according to the principles of publicity, transparency, and democracy.

PHOTO: DAO NGOC THACH

DO NOT EQUALIZE THE INCOME LEVELS

From the prescribed list, the Department of Education and Training requires that in localities, the Department of Education and Training coordinates with the Department of Finance and Planning, based on the operational plan, revenue and expenditure estimates and proposed collection levels of each educational unit to unify the collection level framework suitable to the actual situation of each place. The Department also requires not to equalize the collection levels before organizing implementation, and at the same time must control to not let any collection arise outside of the regulations...

Mr. Ho Tan Minh, Chief of Office of the Department of Education and Training of Ho Chi Minh City, noted that localities should ensure that the content and collection levels are consistent with the regulations from the 2023-2024 school year. From the beginning of the school year, public educational institutions, based on the actual situation, material conditions and needs of students, proactively develop revenue and expenditure estimates for each collection content as a basis for calculating specific collection levels, ensuring the principle of sufficient collection and sufficient expenditure and using the collected amounts for the right purposes. Publicly disclose the collection and expenditure plans for each collection item to parents before implementation. The collection level must be commensurate with the quality of education and training services. The increase in collection levels for the 2024-2025 school year (if any) shall not exceed 15% compared to the 2023-2024 school year.

N AGREEMENTS WITH PARENTS

Currently, schools in Ho Chi Minh City are consulting parents about the fees for this school year.

According to Thanh Nien Newspaper reporters, in District 1, all schools from kindergarten to junior high school kept the same fees as the previous school year, except for the lunch fee for boarding students.

Ms. Tran Be Hong Hanh, Principal of Nguyen Thai Hoc Primary School (District 1), said that after meeting with parents, they agreed that the fees collected in the school will remain the same as the previous school year. As for the lunch fee, parents proposed to adjust it from 35,000 VND/day to 40,000 VND/day for this school year.

At the secondary school level, Ms. Nguyen Doan Trang, Principal of Nguyen Du Secondary School (District 1), said: Before the 2023-2024 school year, Nguyen Du Secondary School and public schools in District 1 applied a lunch fee of 40,000 VND/day. When implementing Resolution 04, it is 35,000 VND/day. Therefore, schools must balance and cut some dishes to suit. Meanwhile, parents want and are willing to pay the same amount as before so that school meals for their children are rich and diverse. However, schools cannot meet this requirement.

By the 2024-2025 school year, when Resolution 13 is applied, the boarding meal fee will be an amount that the school is allowed to negotiate with parents. Therefore, Nguyen Du Secondary School has organized to collect opinions from parents of students in all grades to agree to return to the boarding meal fee of 40,000 VND/day. Ms. Trang said that this change is appropriate in the context that each locality and school has its own characteristics in terms of residential area, economic conditions as well as student subjects.

Ms. Ngo Nguyen Thien Trang, Principal of Ly Thuong Kiet Secondary School (Tan Binh District), said that the school will discuss and agree with parents to adjust the lunch fee from 33,000 VND/day to 35,000 VND/day.

Similarly, according to Mr. Pham Dang Khoa, Head of the Department of Education and Training of District 3, schools in this district are currently holding meetings and agreeing on fees. The policy of the schools is to maintain the fees, except for boarding fees. Schools will negotiate with parents on a price that is appropriate to the reality and the location of the accommodation, while ensuring adequate nutrition for each level of education and food safety and hygiene. If schools make any adjustments compared to the previous year, they must explain, be transparent and have the consent of parents.

Boarding meal fee is one of the fees that schools collect according to the agreement with parents.

Q RESOLUTIONARY FIGHT AGAINST INFLATION

Mr. Duong Van Dan, Head of the Department of Education and Training of District 8, said that the principle of establishing the fee levels is to ensure that schools have sufficient conditions to implement, ensure service quality and not be a burden to parents. At the same time, he also said that parents must participate from the beginning in establishing the fee levels to minimize future questions as well as the occurrence of overcharging in schools.

Director of the Department of Education and Training of Ho Chi Minh City Nguyen Van Hieu noted that with the agreed collection fees in the 2024-2025 school year, schools must ensure the principle of agreement with parents, based on the needs of students, with the sole purpose of serving the interests of students and improving the quality of education. Therefore, it must be transparent, clear, public, democratic...

Mr. Hieu requested that each principal must focus on implementing the right spirit. All revenues must be approved by the school board, with the participation of parents from the beginning.

"For example, when purchasing uniforms, parents must participate and discuss the design, material, and price. As with teaching services with foreign teachers, the school must demonstrate the teaching results in the previous school year, discuss with teachers and parents to implement, and create consensus among parents. The principal is the one who decides and is responsible for the decision," the Director of the Department of Education and Training cited.

The head of the city's education sector requires that there absolutely be no unclear or non-transparent revenue and expenditure activities in schools at the beginning of the year. "If any principal makes a mistake, the Department of Education and Training must take measures to handle it. If high school principals make a mistake, I will directly handle it. We must be resolute with each other like that, first of all for the benefit of students but also for the honor of teachers. At the beginning of the school year and when organizing the first semester summary, we should only look at how much the school has done for students, not sit back and review whether this school did this right or that wrong...", Mr. Hieu emphasized.

9 service fees that public schools are allowed to collect

Services for organizing and managing boarding hygiene; Breakfast service; After-hours care and nurturing services (including caretaking services before and after school hours, excluding meals); After-hours care and nurturing services (including caretaking services during holidays, excluding holidays and Tet, excluding meals); Caregiving staff services; Initial student health check-up services; Air-conditioning services; Utility services applying information technology and digital transformation; Car pick-up and drop-off services for children and students.

17 revenues for educational activities in schools

Money for organizing 2 sessions/day; Money for organizing extra foreign language teaching; Money for organizing computer science teaching; Money for organizing life skills education activities and school programs; Money for organizing vocational training at regular education institutions; Money for organizing supplementary knowledge teaching at regular education institutions; Money for organizing classes according to the project "Teaching and learning math, science and English subjects integrating English and Vietnamese programs"; Money for organizing classes according to the project "Improving capacity, knowledge, and skills in applying computer science for high school students in Ho Chi Minh City according to international standards, period 2021 - 2030"; Money for organizing the implementation of the project "Schools implementing high-quality programs, advanced schools, international integration"; Money for implementing investment stimulus programs; Money for purchasing equipment and supplies for boarding students; Money for purchasing student uniforms; Money for school supplies - teaching tools - learning materials; Money for boarding lunch; Breakfast fee (VND/student/day); Drinking water fee (VND/student/month); Student parking fee (VND/vehicle/trip).

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/minh-bach-cac-khoan-thu-dau-nam-hoc-185240915190321798.htm