Before the opening ceremony, clarify the bidding content of the school program

On the afternoon of August 27, the Department of Education and Training of Ho Chi Minh City held a dialogue conference with investment enterprises in the field of education and training.

At the conference, the issue that many delegates were interested in and expressed their opinions on was whether businesses and schools have to organize bidding for school programs or not?

Ms. Hoang Thi Lam Dung, General Director of Tri Linh Company, Manager of Intercontinental Language Center (I-CLC), said that currently, related businesses and schools are very worried about organizing the bidding for school programs.

“We really hope that the HCM City Department of Education and Training, the Department of Planning and Investment, and the Department of Finance will have the earliest response to the question of whether businesses will have to organize bidding this year? Because we are one of the units that have links with schools in the fields of English, Math, and Experimental Science ,” Ms. Dung asked.

Ms. Hoang Thi Lam Dung

At the dialogue, Mr. Trinh Vinh Thanh, Head of the Department of Education and Training of Go Vap District, said that the organization of bidding for school programs originated from the training sessions on the new Bidding Law recently organized by the Department of Planning and Investment. Mr. Thanh added that at these training sessions, the information that schools received was that all activities in schools must be bid, based on Article 2 of the Bidding Law issued in 2023, effective from January 1, 2024.

In which, the content mentioned that public service units have legal revenue so they must bid. Second, service units have revenue and expenditure estimates, on that basis, all activities in the school must be bid. The conference had the participation of the Department of Planning and Investment, so the department needed to have an official written response to the public about whether the activities in the school are bid or not. Because, if there is a bid, it will be related to the issue of collecting money from students.

Mr. Trinh Vinh Thanh, Head of Education and Training Department of Go Vap District

Specifically, for boarding kitchens, primary schools and kindergartens, if they cook by themselves and require bidding for food supplies, the cost of meals will certainly increase. If bidding for school programs is organized, the revenue will also have to increase to cover the bidding costs.

"Thus, we are required to advise the District People's Committee and the District People's Committee to issue fees that must take this content into account. This issue needs to be resolved before the school year. At the same time, it is necessary to clarify whether the programs that the school organizes to hire companies to provide teachers to teach are subject to bidding or not? Is the food supply in the kitchens that the school cooks itself subject to bidding?..." - Mr. Thanh said.

According to Mr. Nguyen Van Hieu, Director of the Department of Education and Training of Ho Chi Minh City, the hottest issue today is the concern about which content to implement in schools must be bid and which content is not. According to Mr. Hieu, regarding canteens and parking lots in schools, since 2019, the People's Committee of Ho Chi Minh City has issued a document guiding and requiring that when organizing canteens and parking lots, bidding must be transparent, public, and clear.

Recently, in a meeting between the City People's Committee and the Ho Chi Minh City Inspectorate, the Department of Justice, the Department of Education and Training and related departments also determined that canteens and parking lots are support services of theeducation sector, which cannot be absent in schools. The Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee has concluded that schools can continue to organize canteens and parking lots in schools. The problem is how schools can be transparent, clear, and follow the instructions of the Department of Finance.

Regarding the issue of schools having to organize bidding when implementing school programs, the Director of the Department of Education and Training of Ho Chi Minh City said that this is completely unreasonable because the principal is the person responsible for the quality of education in the school. The Department of Education and Training requires that when organizing a content in the school program, for example English, IT, the school must implement it to the end of that level, not this year choosing this unit to teach English, next year choosing another unit, then students have to get used to the roadmap, a different curriculum...

"If after each school year, the school bids for another unit that does not meet the school's requirements, who will be responsible for this result at the end of the school year?" - Mr. Hieu raised the issue.

At the conference, the head of the HCM City Department of Education and Training requested that the HCM City Department of Planning and Investment need to carefully study this issue, because it will be very difficult for the education and training sector.

The Department of Education and Training's Financial Planning Department must work with the City's Department of Planning and Investment, coordinate with relevant departments and agencies to sit down before the opening ceremony, to clearly distinguish which content in the school must be organized for bidding and how to bid.

"The meeting will have the participation of the Department of Education and Training, heads of financial planning departments of districts, towns and Thu Duc City to sit together to guide the implementation of educational activities in the new school year" - Mr. Nguyen Van Hieu requested.

Source: https://nld.com.vn/giam-doc-so-gd-dt-tp-hcm-truoc-khai-giang-lam-ro-noi-dung-dau-thau-chuong-trinh-nha-truong-196240827212117314.htm