THE PRIME MINISTER

DECIDES:

Article 1.- To approve the scheme on consolidation of schools and classrooms and public-duty houses for teachers during 2008-2012 with the following principal contents:

1. Objectives:

- To abolish three-shift and makeshift classrooms (including thatched, bamboo or leaf-made classrooms, makeshift classrooms made of different materials, semi-permanent classrooms which are too old and seriously dilapidated and need to be re-built).

- To allocate public-duty houses for teachers in deep-lying, remote and exceptional difficulty-hit communes in northern mountainous provinces, mountainous districts in Central Vietnam provinces, Central Highlands provinces, communes inhabited by many ethnic minority people in the Mekong River delta and some other localities.

2. Requirements:

- The scheme on consolidation of schools and classrooms and public-duty houses for teachers shall be implemented from preschool education establishments to general education ones nationwide; priority will be given to communes hit by exceptional socio-economic difficulties, poor communes in northern mountainous areas, the Central Highlands, Central Vietnam, frequently flooded areas, areas inhabited by large numbers of ethnic minority people in the Mekong River delta and some other localities.

- Schools and classrooms shall be consolidated according to construction standards and regulations with reference to typical designs promulgated by the Ministry of Construction.

- The scheme shall be implemented at the same time with adjusting the planning on the network of schools and standardization of schools and classrooms.

3. Scale of construction investment:

- The total number of to-be-built classrooms is around 141,300, of which:

+ 1,200 classrooms will additionally be built to replace three-shift classrooms, with an investment capital amount of around VND 200 billion;

+ 140,100 classrooms will be built to replace makeshift classrooms, with an investment capital amount of around VND 22.2 trillion.

- The area of public-duty houses for teachers is estimated at around 1.6 million m2, with an investment capital amount of around VND 2.8 trillion.

4. Investment capital sources:

Total investment capital for the scheme implementation is around VND 25.2 trillion, including:

+ Central budget raised from government bonds to support localities: around VND 16.2 trillion;

+ Local annual budgets: around VND 7 trillion;

+ Contributions mobilized in different forms from enterprises of all economic sectors, international organizations and domestic and foreign donors: around VND 2 trillion.

5. Organization of implementation:

a/ To set up the Central Steering Committee for implementation of the scheme on consolidation of schools and classrooms with the Minister of Education and Training as its head. The Steering Committee's members include representatives of leaderships of the Ministry of Education and Training, the Ministry of Planning and Investment, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Construction, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, the Government Office, socio-political organizations and some mass media agencies.

b/ The Ministry of Education and Training, which manages the scheme and acts as its standing body, shall:

- Determine the number of to-be-consolidated classrooms under the scheme in the whole country and each locality;

- Formulate a master plan and annual plans on implementation of the scheme;

- Identify demands for, and work out plans on annual central budget allocations to support localities in the scheme implementation, and submit them to the Prime Minister for decision;

- Direct and guide localities in the scheme implementation;

- Examine and assess the progress of scheme implementation by localities, and biannually and annually report on implementation results to the Prime Minister.

c/ The Ministry of Planning and Investment shall:

- Coordinate with the Ministry of Finance in balancing capital sources for the scheme implementation;

- Coordinate with the Ministry of Education and Training and the Ministry of Finance in working out plans on central budget allocations to support localities in the scheme implementation;

- Inspect and assess the results of the scheme implementation by localities.

d/ The Ministry of Finance shall:

- Arrange central budget allocations to support localities in the scheme implementation according to annual plans;

- Coordinate with the Ministry of Education and Training and the Ministry of Planning and Investment in drawing up plans on central budget allocations to support localities in the scheme implementation;

- Coordinate with the Ministry of Education and Training and the Ministry of Planning and Investment in guiding mechanisms for management and use of capital sources for the scheme implementation.

e/ The Ministry of Construction shall:

- Assume the prime responsibility for, and coordinate with the Ministry of Education and Training in, studying, supplementing or promulgating construction standards and regulations and typical designs of schools and classrooms of each type;

- Guide construction designing suitable to regional conditions, meeting the requirements on renovating general education contents and curricula.

f/ The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment shall assume the prime responsibility for, and coordinate with the Ministry of Education and Training in, guiding localities to formulate and implement plannings and plans on the use of land for construction of schools and classrooms.

g/ Provincial/municipal People's Committees shall:

- Check, and identify the number and list of three-shift and makeshift classrooms to be replaced and public-duty houses for teachers to be built.

- Elaborate and approve local plans on scheme implementation from 2008 to 2012, estimate total and annual funds for the scheme implementation (including proposals on central budget and local budget allocations), then report them to provincial/municipal People's Councils, the Ministry of Education and Training, the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Planning and Investment.

- Direct and organize the scheme implementation in localities with the examination and supervision by People's Councils, delegations of National Assembly deputies, Vietnam Fatherland Front committees and socio-political organizations for the achievement of the scheme's objectives according to schedule and regulations, ensuring the quality of construction works and preventing loss and negative practices.

- Quarterly, biannually and annually hold briefings on and preliminarily review implementation results, and report them to the Ministry of Education and Training for synthesization and report to the Prime Minister.

h/ Central and local mass media agencies shall disseminate this scheme to the entire society for implementation, examination and supervision.

Article 2.- This Decision takes effect 15 days after its publication in "CONG BAO."

Article 3.- Ministers, heads of ministerial-level agencies, heads of government-attached agencies and presidents of provincial/municipal People's Committees shall implement this Decision.