Ho Chi Minh City Department of Education and Training released a series of instructions to end "overcharging"

(Dan Tri) - The Department of Education and Training of Ho Chi Minh City has just issued a document providing additional guidance on the collection and disbursement of parent association funds and fundraising at educational institutions, aiming to tighten management and end overcharging.

Don't focus fundraising on parents

Accordingly, the document emphasizes that it is not allowed to authorize the Parents' Representative Committee (also known as the Parents' Association) to preside over fundraising, and strictly prohibits taking advantage of sponsorship to force parents to contribute.

The Department affirms that it does not consider fundraising as a condition for providing education and training services.

For fundraising (according to Circular 16/2018), the plan must be approved by the School Council and the Pedagogical Council before organizing the fundraising and can only be implemented after receiving official approval from the Department of Education and Training.

In particular, schools are not allowed to set average or minimum funding levels, and do not focus on mobilizing parents whose children are studying at the school.

Parents struggle with tuition fees at the beginning of the year (Illustration: Huyen Nguyen).

The Department aims to expand the target audience for sponsorship, including domestic and foreign enterprises, corporations, economic organizations; socio- political agencies and organizations, non-governmental organizations; individuals and philanthropists with a spirit of volunteerism.

The school is also not allowed to solicit sponsorship for purchases and repairs that can use state capital or the unit's career revenue. Cash sponsorship must be accounted for in detail. For valuable items, the unit must appraise and report to the Department for consideration and approval before putting them into use.

For financial sponsorships, educational institutions must approve the sponsorship receipt record with a list of signatures from parents of students whose children are studying at the school at the time of sponsorship receipt, and at the same time create a receipt, open a detailed accounting book to separately track the sponsored amount and record it in the accounting system according to regulations.

Regarding fundraising for facilities and equipment, the plan for approval must clearly define the purpose of the fundraising request.

The campaign content clearly states the campaign target for each category. Do not mobilize funding for purchasing and repair projects that educational institutions can budget for, use state capital, career revenue, and career development funds for annual purchases and repairs according to regulations;

The document states: Sponsors are encouraged to organize their own investment in construction, purchase equipment and complete installation to hand over to educational institutions according to the agreement and instructions of the educational institutions.

Units need to closely review the content of cultural products, books, newspapers, magazines and other documents to ensure that there are no factors that negatively affect students' education.

For donations of in-kind items with long-term use value or special characteristics, the receiving unit must conduct an appraisal, make a record, and report to the Department of Education and Training for consideration and approval before putting them into use, and at the same time be responsible for the suitability, safety, and effectiveness of the donated items.

For projects affecting the property structure of educational institutions, the unit attaches construction drawings.

Parents' association fund is managed and used by parents.

Regarding the operating costs of the parent-teacher association (according to Circular 55/2011), the Department strictly prohibits the use of the association's name to collect fees outside of regulations.

The Department notes that this fund is managed and used by the parents' representative committee and only serves the committee's direct activities.

Do not use the funds of the parents' representative committee for the following purposes: Protecting school facilities, ensuring school security, supervising students' vehicles, cleaning classrooms, cleaning the school, rewarding school administrators, teachers, and staff...

A parent meeting (Photo: TL).

The above list also includes: Purchasing machinery, equipment, teaching aids for schools, classes or for school administrators, teachers and staff, supporting management work, organizing teaching and educational activities, repairing, upgrading, and constructing new school facilities.

The principal and head of the unit shall agree with the head of the school's parents' representative board to decide on the plan for using the school's parents' representative board's funds and shall only use them after the entire school's parents' representative board has agreed (excluding sponsorship funds).

The People's Committees of wards, communes and special zones are responsible for organizing the implementation of regulations on funding for preschools, primary and secondary schools according to Article 15 of Circular No. 13/2025/TT-BGDDT.

The People's Committees of wards, communes and special zones shall deploy and guide the units in charge under their management authority to properly implement the provisions of Circular No. 16/2018/TT-BGDDT and Circular No. 55/2011/TT-BGDDT.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/giao-duc/so-gddt-tphcm-tung-loat-huong-dan-nham-cham-dut-lam-thu-20250930115925413.htm