THE PRIME MINISTER

DECIDES:

Article 1.- Tasks of preschool education development till 2010

1. The State shall continue increasing investment in preschool education development and at the same time boost the preschool education socialization, expand the system of creches and kindergartens in all population areas; give priority to the investment in the development of preschool education in communes meeting with socio-economic difficulties as well as high-mountain and island communes; enhance the dissemination of childcare knowledge to families, thus raising the quality of the care for and education of children before they reach 6 years of age, creating conditions for children to develop all-sidedly in terms of physical strength, emotion, intelligence and aesthetics, and forming the first elements of their personalities.

2. Specific tasks:

a/ By 2005:

- The percentage of under-3 children going to creche to reach at least 15%;

- The percentage of children aged between 3 and 5 going to kindergarten to reach at least 58%;

- The percentage of children aged 5 going to kindergarten to reach at least 85%.

b/ By 2010:

- The percentage of under-3 children going to creche to reach 18%;

- The percentage of children aged between 3 and 5 going to kindergarten to reach 67%;

- The percentage of children aged 5 going to kindergarten to reach 95%.

Article 2.- Orientations for the development of forms of preschool education establishment till 2010

1. Forms of preschool education establishment:

a/ Public preschool education establishments, including creches and kindergartens funded with the State budget for material foundations, facilities, contingent of teachers and operation.

b/ Semi-public preschool education establishments, including:

Preschool education establishments with the State�s investment in initial material foundations, preschool education establishments in rural areas previously invested by agricultural cooperatives but now directly managed by the commune/ward/township People�s Committees, which operate on the basis of self-management of finance and human resources or enjoy necessary support from local budgets to ensure the educational quality.

c/ People-founded preschool education establishments, including creches and kindergartens allowed to be set up and/or invested by social organizations, socio-professional organizations or economic organizations with non-State budget capital.

d/ Private preschool education establishments, including creches and kindergartens allowed to be set up and/or invested by individuals or groups of individuals.

2. Development orientations:

a/ Public preschool education establishments shall be built mainly in communes meeting with exceptional socio-economic difficulties in mountainous, border, deep-lying and remote areas on the lists prescribed by the Prime Minister;

b/ Semi-public preschool education establishments shall be built mainly in rural areas other than those mentioned at Point a above and in the areas with low living standards in cities, provincial towns or district townships;

c/ To encourage the setting up of people-founded and private creches and kindergartens in cities, provincial towns, district townships, industrial zones and socio-economically developed areas;

d/ To transform public creches and kindergartens in socio-economically developed areas, cities, provincial towns, district townships and industrial zones into non-public ones or non-business units with revenues under the State�s regulations.

Article 3.- Elaboration of preschool education program

The preschool education program shall be compiled under the direction and implemented under the guidance, of the Ministry of Education and Training. The program must suit to the psycho-physiological development of preschoolers; create basis for them to develop all-sidedly in terms of physical strength, sentiment, intelligence and aesthetics, and formulate the first elements of their personalities; and serve the transitional period between kindergarten and the first grade of general education.

Article 4.- Development of the contingent of preschool teachers

1. The preschool teacher payroll:

a/ The preschool teacher payroll shall be allocated mainly to communes meeting with exceptional socio-economic difficulties, high mountain and island communes, who shall play the core role in profession, operation and management of the development of preschool education in such localities.

b/ The percentage of preschool teachers on the State payroll must be defined and arranged according to characteristics of zones, regions and population density, step by step overcoming irrationalities in the current structure of preschool teacher payroll.

c/ In socio-economically developed areas like cities, provincial towns, district townships and areas where exist industrial parks, factories and/or enterprises, preschool teachers shall be recruited to work under labor contracts.

d/ In 2002 and 2003, efforts shall be concentrated on directing public schools in socio-economic difficulty-hit communes to have principals, vice-principals and a number of key teachers on the payroll; and semi-public preschool institutions in rural areas to have principals and vice-principals on the payroll.

e/ Preschool education establishments short of teachers under the State�s regulations shall be entitled to recruit enough teachers to work under labor contracts (hereinafter called contractual teachers for short).

2. Regimes and policies for preschool teachers

The contractual teachers shall enjoy wages, allowances, social insurance and health insurance regimes; be entitled to professional training and fostering, may be awarded the teacher�s honorable titles like teachers on the payroll. Their wages, allowances and payable insurance premiums shall be covered by the sources of tuition fees and other lawful collections.

For semi-public preschool education establishments, if the above-mentioned revenue sources are not enough to pay wages, social and health insurance premiums for contractual teachers, the deficit shall be made up for by the State budget so as to ensure the payment of social and health insurance premiums for such teachers and that the payment of their wages which must not be lower than the State-prescribed minimum wage.

Article 5.- Investment policies and planning for development of preschool education

1. The Ministry of Education and Training and the People�s Committees of the provinces and centrally-run cities shall have to work out and direct the implementation of preschool education development planning on the basis of the socio-economic development planning and the demand for raising the quality of all-round education of the young generation.

The building of schools and classes; the procurement of facilities and equipment for preschool education development shall be effected on the principle of the State�s and people�s joint efforts. The State shall concentrate its investment in socio-economic difficulty-hit areas, high-mountain and island areas.

2. The People�s Committees of all levels shall work out plans to build and consolidate material foundations for preschool education establishments, increase their facilities and equipment, utensils and toys, thereby meeting the requirements of renovation of the preschool education contents, programs and methods. To strive to have 20% of preschool institutions up to the national standards by 2005, and 50% by 2010.

3. The State shall earmark part of the annual budget for preschool education development. The financial sources for preschool education development include:

a/ The State budget;

b/ The tuition fees and contributions to school construction under current regulations.

c/ The financial assistance, aids and donations of organizations and individuals at home and abroad.

d/ The capital contributed by organizations and individuals for investment in the construction, improvement, expansion and upgrading of material foundations.

e/ The capital borrowed from banks and credit institution at preferential interest rates.

f/ Other lawful revenues.

Article 6.- Responsibilities of the State management agencies

1. The Ministries of: Education and Training; Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs; the Interior; Finance; Planning and Development shall, based on their functions and tasks, guide the implementation of this Decision.

2. The People�s Committees of the provinces and centrally-run cities shall direct:

a/ The planning of the network of public and non-public creches and kindergartens suited to the local socio-economic conditions, and the determination of a land fund for building of creches and kindergartens in each commune.

b/ The implementation of the plans on the building of creches and kindergartens according to the network planning; the increase of facilities and equipment, teaching aids and toys for preschool education establishments, thus meeting the requirements of renovation of preschool education contents, programs and methods.

c/ The decision on the tuition fee levels and contributions to the building of public and semi-public creches and kindergartens in accordance with the State�s current regulations and suited to the local socio-economic conditions on the basis of approval of the People�s Councils of the same level.

d/ The elaboration of plans and implementation of specific solutions for training and fostering of preschool teachers who attain the standard qualifications as prescribed by the Education Law.

e/ The elaboration and implementation of annual plans on payroll and contractual preschool teachers and reporting of the results to the Ministry of the Interior and the Ministry of Education and Planning.

f/ The reservation of budget to ensure the implementation of policies and regimes for teachers under the State�s regulations; the support of wages, social insurance and health insurance premiums for preschool teachers working under labor contracts at public and semi-public preschool education establishments.

3. The district-level People�s Committees shall have the responsibility:

To work out preschool education development programs and projects under direction of the superior People�s Committees; to elaborate planning and plans on land use and capital construction of preschool education establishments in localities and organize the implementation thereof after they are approved by competent agencies; to ensure the compliance with the criteria on regimes and policies for preschool teachers in localities.

To realize the socialization of preschool education in localities.

4. The commune, ward or township People�s Committees shall direct the building of public and semi-public creches and kindergartens in their respective communes, wards and district townships.

Article 7.- This Decision takes effect 15 days after its singing. All previous regulations contrary to this Decision are hereby annulled.

The ministers, the heads of the ministerial-level agencies, the heads of the agencies attached to the Government and the presidents of the People�s Committees of the provinces and centrally-run cities shall have to implement this Decision.

For the Prime Minister
Deputy Prime Minister
PHAM GIA KHIEM