Localities publicize revenues and collection levels to control overcharging.

Publicity goes hand in hand with inspection and supervision

Mr. Tran The Cuong, Director of the Hanoi Department of Education and Training (DET), said: "The Department has publicly announced 9 types of fees that are allowed to be collected at the beginning of the 2023-2024 school year, including: Fees and expenses for boarding services; Fees and expenses for studying 2 sessions/day; Fees and expenses for school supplies; Fees and expenses for drinking water for students; Fees and expenses for student health insurance; Fees and expenses for extra teaching and learning in schools; Fees and expenses for aid, gifts, donations, and grants; Fees and expenses for sponsorship; Fees and expenses for uniforms, sportswear, and badges."

According to a representative of the Hanoi Department of Education and Training, the tuition fee collection level is implemented according to Resolution No. 03 dated July 4, 2023 of the City People's Council, regulating tuition fees for preschools and public general schools in the area for the 2023-2024 school year.

Educational institutions that collect and spend other revenues must ensure the principles of collecting enough, spending enough, for the right purpose, and in accordance with the socio-economic conditions and income in each locality. The collection level is based on the cost estimate and expenditure content, and must be agreed upon in writing by parents of students on a voluntary basis, with the consensus of the school board and the superior management agency (People's Committee of the district, town or Department of Education and Training according to the management hierarchy) before promulgation.

"When the industry has such clear guidelines and regulations but still allows illegal collection, school principals will be held responsible before the competent authorities. When there is public information and the inspection unit discovers that the facility is violating the principles of collection and expenditure, the responsibility also belongs to the head of that educational institution," Mr. Tran The Cuong emphasized.

In the 2023-2024 school year, the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Education and Training stipulates 26 collections, belonging to 4 main groups, including: Collections for educational activities outside of regular school hours according to regulations; Collections for educational activities implemented according to approved projects; Collections for services serving boarding activities; Collections to support individual students.

Regarding the collection level, the Department of Education and Training of Ho Chi Minh City requires that all names of service collections serving and supporting educational activities (excluding tuition fees) must ensure the correct names of 26 collection contents belonging to 4 groups according to the classification of the City People's Council (collections serving educational activities outside of regular school hours; collections serving educational activities implemented according to projects; service collections serving boarding activities; collections supporting individual students).

The fee is applied to 2 groups of students: Group 1 is students at schools in Thu Duc City and districts: 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10, 11, 12, Binh Thanh, Phu Nhuan, Go Vap, Tan Binh, Tan Phu, Binh Tan. Group 2 is students at schools in districts: Binh Chanh, Hoc Mon, Cu Chi, Nha Be and Can Gio.

The Ho Chi Minh City Department of Education and Training requires that all revenues must be publicly and fully announced in writing to parents, students, and pupils; the school's finance department collects money, issues receipts, and invoices for each student. Schools do not assign teachers to directly collect and spend money and at the same time fully implement financial management regimes according to regulations. At the same time, all revenues must be guaranteed to be paid without cash.

Mr. Nguyen Van Hieu, Director of the Department of Education and Training of Ho Chi Minh City said: "In addition to the very detailed regulations for each collection item as above, to ensure that there is no overcharging at the beginning of the year, the education sector must also strengthen inspection, examination, and supervision of the revenue and expenditure situation at the beginning of the school year at affiliated educational institutions according to the management hierarchy, promptly correcting the situation of collecting illegal fees."

The Department of Education and Training of Ca Mau has directed units and schools to absolutely not allow teachers and representatives of parents to create content that is against regulations in order to suggest and force parents to contribute to revenues outside of regulations. For sources of aid, sponsorship, and gifts, units and schools must make plans at the beginning of the school year and submit them to competent authorities for consideration and approval.

The Department requires that all collections must be fully and publicly announced in writing to parents and students by the units (clearly stating the content of the collections according to regulations and the collections according to agreements); the school's finance department collects money, issues receipts and invoices for each student, does not assign teachers to directly collect and spend money, and fully implements financial management regimes according to regulations.

Heads of units and schools must be responsible before the law and before the Director of the Department of Education and Training if there are any illegal collections at the management unit.

The Department of Education and Training of Bac Lieu has issued regulations for public educational institutions, the lowest ceiling for revenue is 5,000 VND, the highest is 100,000 VND such as: Meal money; childcare after hours, Saturdays, Sundays; students getting acquainted with English; teaching gifted subjects for children outside of regular school hours; hiring workers to clean the school; extra teaching and learning in school...

For fees that do not have a ceiling, educational institutions must agree with parents in need (in writing) on ​​a voluntary basis, agreeing on the fees such as: Meal fees; compensation for direct caregivers; purchase of equipment, supplies, and learning tools; implementation of supplementary educational activities, enhancement, and nurturing of students' talents outside of regular school hours...

In addition to the prescribed fees, educational institutions are not allowed to negotiate with parents to collect other fees.

Clarifying the role of the parent-teacher association

The collection and expenditure at the beginning of the school year are clearly regulated by the Ministry of Education and Training in Circular 55. Especially, it is related to the parent-teacher association.

According to the representative of the Ministry of Education and Training, Circular 55 of the Ministry of Education and Training lists in detail 7 amounts of money that the parent representative board is not allowed to collect, including: Protecting school facilities, ensuring school security; supervising students' vehicles; cleaning classrooms, cleaning schools; rewarding school administrators, teachers and staff. The Ministry of Education and Training also requires that money not be collected for purchasing machinery, equipment, teaching aids for schools, classrooms or for school administrators, teachers and staff; supporting management work, organizing teaching and learning and educational activities; repairing, upgrading, and building new school facilities.

However, according to Clause 2, Article 4 of Circular 55 of the Ministry of Education and Training, the parents' representative board has the following rights: Decide to convene parent-teacher meetings according to regulations (except for the meeting at the beginning of the school year to elect the class's parents' representative board) after agreeing with the homeroom teacher; Organize to collect opinions from parents of students in the class on measures to manage student education to make specific recommendations to the homeroom teacher and subject teachers on measures to improve the quality of moral education and teaching quality; Coordinate the organization of extracurricular educational activities, traditional education, cultural, artistic and sports activities to achieve the goal of comprehensive education for students after agreeing with the homeroom teacher.