Strengthening revenue and expenditure management in public educational institutions

The Department of Education and Training (DET) has just sent a document to the People's Committees of communes, wards, special zones, and public service units under the department on strengthening state management of revenues and expenditures in public educational institutions in the 2025-2026 school year. In particular, it is noted to strictly manage, publicly and transparently manage revenues and expenditures to ensure compliance with regulations and the rights of students.

Education policy has many notable points.

Comrade Vo Hoan Hai - Member of the Provincial Party Standing Committee, Director of the Department of Education and Training said: In the 2025 - 2026 school year, the education policy has a number of notable points, which are humane, contributing to reducing the financial burden on students. Specifically, according to Decree No. 238, dated September 3, 2025 of the Government regulating tuition policies, exemption, reduction, tuition support, support for learning costs and service prices in the field of education and training, from the 2025 - 2026 school year, preschool children, high school students, and students of general education programs in public educational institutions are exempted from tuition fees. The Department of Education and Training is advising the Provincial People's Committee to submit to the Provincial People's Council to issue a Resolution regulating tuition fees as a basis for the budget to compensate for tuition exemption and reduction for educational institutions.

Students of a primary school in Bac Nha Trang ward.

Regarding the collection and service fees for educational activities, the implementation is based on Resolution No. 76/2025 of the National Assembly Standing Committee on the arrangement of administrative units in 2025. Specifically, the scope, subjects and content of the regimes and policies according to the regulations of the Central and local governments applied to the administrative units as before the arrangement will remain the same until there is another decision by the competent authority. Therefore, while waiting for the Provincial People's Committee to issue regulations on collection levels, service fees, and support for educational activities in public educational institutions, schools in the area will continue to implement according to current regulations.

Regarding the issue of extra teaching and learning, the Department of Education and Training noted that schools must comply with the provisions of Circular No. 29/2024 of the Ministry of Education and Training on extra teaching and learning and must not collect fees from students. Funding for organizing extra teaching and learning in schools is from the state budget and other legal sources of funding.

Another notable point is that in the 2025-2026 school year, the health insurance premium for students will change, which is to increase the support level from the state budget from 30% to a minimum of 50%. Accordingly, for schools in the former Khanh Hoa province, the state budget will support 80% (including 50% according to Decree No. 188/2025 of the Government detailing and guiding the implementation of a number of articles of the Law on Health Insurance; 30% according to Resolution No. 03/2025 of the Provincial People's Council regulating the health insurance premium support level for students studying at public schools under the province's management). For schools in the former Ninh Thuan province, the state budget will support 50% according to Decree No. 188. For personal insurance, this is a voluntary fee; parents have the right to choose the type of insurance to buy.

Note on the activities of the Parents' Representative Board and socialization

One of the issues that parents are concerned about today is the regulations on the collection of fees of the Parents' Association. To avoid overcharging in schools, the Department of Education and Training has requested public educational institutions and Parents' Associations to comply with the regulations in Circular No. 55/2011 of the Ministry of Education and Training promulgating the Regulations on Parents' Associations. Accordingly, schools are not allowed to take advantage of the name of the Parents' Association to collect fees outside of regulations; are not allowed to use the representative board to perform services, joint ventures, associations, or use public assets contrary to regulations. The Parents' Associations are only allowed to collect fees directly serving the activities of the board; the average level of support funding is not regulated. In addition, schools are not allowed to regulate fees related to the operating costs of the Parents' Association; homeroom teachers are not allowed to collect operating costs on behalf of the Parents' Associations; The board's operating budget may not be used to pay for the following expenses: Protecting school facilities, ensuring school security; supervising student transportation; cleaning classrooms and schools; rewarding administrators, teachers and staff; purchasing machinery, equipment and teaching aids for schools, classes or for administrators, teachers and staff; supporting management work, organizing teaching and educational activities; repairing, upgrading and constructing new school facilities.

Regarding socialized revenues and expenditures, the Department of Education and Training requires schools to comply with the provisions of Circular No. 16/2018 of the Ministry of Education and Training regulating funding for educational institutions in the national education system. Before implementation, the school must assess the current status of facilities and related issues, and determine the need to mobilize funding. On that basis, develop a funding mobilization plan, through the School Council; submit it to the management agency (Department of Education and Training or People's Committee of communes, wards, and special zones according to decentralization) for appraisal and approval; establish a funding receiving team. When using the funding, the school must make a plan, publicly post it, and implement it correctly for the purpose, standards, prescribed norms, and procedures for construction, procurement, and bidding. After implementation, it must report and make public the finances.

To reduce pressure on students' families, the Department of Education and Training requires schools not to force parents to pay many fees at the beginning of the school year, but to consider and organize multiple collections during the school year. In addition to the prescribed fees, schools are not allowed to arbitrarily set up other fees in any other form. "The Department of Education and Training and the People's Committees of communes and wards will inspect and handle violations, and handle the responsibility of the heads when there are illegal revenues and expenditures in educational institutions," said Mr. Vo Hoan Hai.

H.NGAN

Source: https://baokhanhhoa.vn/xa-hoi/202509/tang-cuong-quan-ly-thu-chi-trong-co-so-giao-duc-cong-lap-e9478ce/