HCMC: Strictly handle principals if they allow illegal revenue and expenditure.

On September 19, the Department of Education and Training of Ho Chi Minh City issued a document requesting to strengthen the management of revenues and expenditures in the fields of education and training and the mobilization of funding for education in the 2025-2026 school year in Ho Chi Minh City.

Strictly handle heads who violate revenue and expenditure regulations.

According to the Department of Education and Training of Ho Chi Minh City, recently in Ho Chi Minh City, a number of schools have not properly implemented the instructions on organizing the collection of fees at the beginning of the school year as well as mobilizing sponsorship at public educational institutions.

The Department of Education and Training of Ho Chi Minh City requested agencies and schools to study and properly implement the guidance documents of the department, paying attention to specific contents on instructions for collecting and using tuition fees and other revenues at the beginning of the 2025-2026 school year.

Specifically, schools need to disseminate and properly implement regulations on tuition policy; exemption, reduction, and support of tuition fees and other revenues in the field of education and training for the 2025-2026 school year according to the provisions of Decree No. 238/2025/ND-CP and the direction of the Ministry of Education and Training in Official Dispatch No. 5542/BGDĐT-KHTC.

Heads of units must seriously disseminate the guiding documents on the collection and use of tuition fees and other revenues of the city's education and training sector in the 2025-2026 school year within school leaders and teachers, and at the same time fully, publicly and transparently inform parents, parent representatives and teachers about the revenues.

All fees must be fully and publicly announced in writing to parents and students by the school (do not let the Parents' Representative Board implement the unit's collection contents); absolutely do not change the name or arbitrarily add any additional fees that arise outside of the regulations.

Schools should pay attention to extending the collection time, not collecting multiple items at the same time and fully comply with financial management regulations as prescribed.

The Department of Education and Training of Ho Chi Minh City requested the People's Committees of wards, communes and special zones to strengthen the direction and management of state management on the implementation of revenue and expenditure in educational institutions in the area; be responsible for guiding, inspecting and applying measures to strictly handle the responsibilities of heads of educational institutions in cases of violations of regulations on revenue and expenditure in educational institutions in the area.

Do not "abuse sponsorship" into mandatory revenue

The mobilization, reception, management and use of funding sources at educational institutions shall comply with the provisions of Circular No. 16/2018/TT-BGDDT (dated August 3, 2018) of the Ministry of Education and Training on funding for educational institutions in the national education system; Circular No. 13/2025/TT-BGDDT (dated June 12, 2025) of the Ministry of Education and Training regulating the decentralization, delegation and assignment of authority to perform state management tasks of local authorities at two levels in the field of education.

In particular, schools planning to mobilize sponsorship must clearly define the content, purpose, beneficiaries, budget estimates and implementation plans for activities requiring sponsorship.

The mobilization plan must be approved by the People's Committee of the commune, ward or the Department of Education and Training of Ho Chi Minh City (according to the management hierarchy) before organizing the mobilization and must be voluntary, not equalized, and must not "abuse sponsorship" to become a mandatory revenue.

Educational institutions are responsible for establishing a Fundraising Reception Team, publicly disclosing the finances of the funds, opening a book to track the sponsored assets and expanding the sponsored objects, not focusing on mobilizing from parents, not arbitrarily setting up illegal fees, outside the list of instructions of the Department of Education and Training on behalf of the Parents' Representative Board.

Agencies, organizations, individuals and heads of educational institutions receiving funding who carry out the process of mobilizing, receiving, managing and using funding contrary to regulations will, depending on the level of violation, be subject to administrative sanctions or criminal prosecution according to the provisions of law.

Regarding the operating costs of the Parents' Representative Board, it is strictly forbidden to take advantage of the name of the Parents' Representative Board to collect fees other than those prescribed in Circular No. 55/2011/TT-BGDDT (dated November 22, 2011) of the Ministry of Education and Training.

Specifically, the budget is managed and used by the Parents' Representative Committee and only serves the direct activities of the committee.

Do not use the funds of the Parents' Representative Board for the following purposes: "Protecting school facilities, ensuring school security, supervising students' vehicles, cleaning classrooms, cleaning the school, rewarding school administrators, teachers, and staff, purchasing machinery, equipment, and 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 operating budget of the Parents' Association is approved through voluntary support, there is no regulation on the average support level for parents. The collection and disbursement of the association's budget must be transparent and democratic.

The Department of Education and Training of Ho Chi Minh City requests the People's Committees of communes, wards and special zones to strengthen inspection, supervision and be responsible for explaining to learners and society about the collection levels and revenues of educational institutions under their management in accordance with regulations;

Absolutely do not allow the situation of "overcharging" at the beginning of the school year to occur; direct and thoroughly instruct educational institutions to mobilize, manage and use funding in accordance with regulations. In particular, there must be strict sanctions against principals of educational institutions that collect and spend money in violation of regulations.

Source: https://giaoducthoidai.vn/tphcm-xu-ly-nghiem-hieu-truong-neu-de-xay-ra-thu-chi-khong-dung-quy-dinh-post749100.html