Ho Chi Minh City Department of Education and Training tightens approval of plans to mobilize educational funding

Mr. Tran Khac Huy, Head of the Financial Planning Department, Department of Education and Training of Ho Chi Minh City, said that the Department is receiving plans to mobilize funding from about 40 affiliated high schools. These plans mainly focus on two main groups of content: investment in facilities and educational activities.

However, according to Mr. Huy, many units still have overlapping plans, including budget items that have been spent or have been estimated, but the school does not implement them but instead includes them in the fundraising plan.

“Faced with this situation, the Department of Education and Training of Ho Chi Minh City requires schools to review and re-evaluate their own mobilization plans; clearly identify which contents have been allocated by the budget and should not be included in the funding plan,” Mr. Huy emphasized.

For special educational activities, the Financial Planning Department will coordinate with specialized departments to assess and ensure that fundraising is necessary, appropriate and in accordance with regulations.

Mr. Huy added: “The planning of fundraising cannot be done in a massive way, but should only be applied to the content that is truly necessary, serving the practical needs of teaching and learning. Schools need to calculate carefully and clearly explain each item before submitting for approval.”

In addition, the Department of Education and Training of Ho Chi Minh City also noted that fundraising must be carried out throughout the school year, not concentrated at the beginning of the school year or focused on parents, to avoid putting pressure and financial burden on parents and affecting the image of the school as well as the education sector.

According to Mr. Tran Khac Huy, through the inspection of the revenue and expenditure situation at the beginning of the school year at a number of schools from the end of September until now, the Department of Education and Training of Ho Chi Minh City found that most schools have complied with regulations on revenue collection.

However, some schools still let the Parents' Representative Committee mobilize or collect sponsorship money, which violates Circular 16/2018/TT-BGDDT (on fundraising in educational institutions) and is inconsistent with Circular 55/2011/TT-BGDDT (on the charter of the Parents' Representative Committee).

“For activities to mobilize funding for facilities for classes and schools, the school must directly plan, submit to competent authorities for approval and implement. Absolutely do not let parents collect money or implement on their behalf. It is impossible to 'blame' parents in these cases,” Mr. Huy affirmed.

Source: https://giaoducthoidai.vn/so-gddt-tphcm-siet-phe-duyet-ke-hoach-van-dong-tai-tro-giao-duc-post751780.html