DECIDES:

Article 1.- To promulgate together with this Decision the "Regulation on Recognition of National- Standard Secondary Schools (the 2001- 2010 period)."

Article 2.- This Decision takes effect 15 days after its signing. The Secondary Education Department shall have to guide and monitor the implementation of this Regulation.

Article 3.- The presidents of the People�s Committees of the provinces and centrally-run cities, the director of the Office, the director of the Secondary Education Department, the heads of the concerned units, of the Ministry, and directors of the provincial/municipal Education and Training Services shall have to implement this Decision.

Minister of Education and Training
NGUYEN MINH HIEN

Article 1.- Scope of regulation

This Regulation prescribes the criteria and the organization of consideration and recognition of the junior secondary schools and the senior secondary schools (hereinafter referred collectively to as the secondary schools), which are up to the national standards in the 2001-2010 period.

Article 2.- Considering the recognition

1. Basing themselves on the prescribed standards, the public, semi-public, people-founded or private secondary schools which have earned the advanced school title for five consecutive years immediately before the year of proposing the recognition of national-standard schools may make self-evaluation and request the competent authorities to recognize their achievement of the national standards.

2. The Minister of Education and Training shall decide on the recognition of senior secondary schools being up to the national standards.

The presidents of the People�s Committees of the provinces and centrally-run cities shall decide on the recognition of junior secondary schools being up to the national standards.

Article 3.- Recognition time limits

The time limit for recognition of secondary schools reaching the national standards shall be 5 years as from the date of signing the recognition decision.

Within 5 years, if recognized national-standard schools commit standard-related errors, they shall be considered for continued recognition or non-recognition of national-standard schools, depending on the nature and serious of their errors.

Article 4.- Responsibilities of the district Education and Training Sections and the provincial/municipal Education and Training Services

The district Education and Training Sections as well as the provincial/municipal Education and Training Services shall, within the scope of their functions and assigned tasks, have to select and invest in building up national-standard schools on the basis of the existing schools and at the same time advise the local administrations on investing in building up new schools under the prescribed standards and in conformity with the plannings and plans on local education development.

Chapter II

CRITERIA OF NATIONAL-STANDARD SECONDARY SCHOOLS

Article 5.- Criterion 1- The school organization.

1. Class rooms.

a/ Having enough class groups of the educational level.

b/ Having 45 class rooms at most.

c/ Each class room has no more than 45 pupils.

2. Professional teams:

a/ Annually to focus on solving at least one professional content with effect to raise the quality and efficiency of teaching and learning.

b/ To draw up plans on fostering to raise the teachers� professional levels and achieving the academic year�s norms set for the fostering, short-term fostering, long-term fostering and training.

3. The bureaucratic-administration team:

a/ The bureaucratic-administration team is adequately staffed for the bureaucratic affairs, administration work, clerical work, archival work, accountancy, cashier, school health work, security, services, store-keeping under the current provisions of the Regulation on Secondary Schools.

b/ Having adequate books, records in service of managerial work, using them strictly according to the provisions of the Regulation on Secondary Schools and the provisions in the instructions on the use of each type of book.

c/ Well fulfilling all tasks, having no personnel disciplined at the warning or heavier level.

4. Various councils and boards of representatives of pupils� parents

These councils and boards in the schools operate according to plans and schedules so as to achieve the efficiency of practically contributing to raising the educational quality and building up school order and discipline.

5. Party and mass organizations

a/ In schools where exist teams or cells of the Communist Party of Vietnam, these Party organizations must be recognized as reaching the standards of clean, firm and strong Party organizations. In schools where the Party organizations are yet available, plans must be drawn up to achieve concrete norms on admission of new Party members in each academic year and build up the grassroots Party organizations.

b/ The educational service�s trade union organizations, the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union organizations and the Ho Chi Minh Young Pioneers organizations of the schools must be recognized by authorities of the district or higher level as being strong in their organization and progressive in their activities in localities.

Article 6.- Criterion 2 - Administrators, teachers and personnel

1. The principals and deputy-principals must satisfy the criteria prescribed in the Statute of Secondary Schools; well observe the regulation on democracy in activities of schools and be ranked by the immediate educational administration authorities as good or excellent in professional capability and effective in management.

2. Having enough subject teachers reaching the training standards under the current regulations, at least 20% of them reaching the standard of good teaching at the district or higher level and having good morality; having no teachers ranked professionally and morally weak.

3. Having enough teachers or personnel in charge of library, laboratories, subject practicing rooms, who are professionally trained or fostered. These teachers and personnel always well fulfill their tasks.

Article 7.- Criterion 3 - Educational quality

In the academic year preceding the year of proposing the recognition and in five years of recognition as reaching the national standards, the following norms must be achieved:

1. The percentage of annual school dropouts does not exceed 1% and the percentage of class-repeaters does not exceed 5%.

2. Educational quality:

a/ Knowledge standards:

3% or more of the pupils ranked as reaching the excellent knowledge standard.

30% or more of the pupils ranked as reaching the good knowledge standard.

5% or less of the pupils ranked as being at low knowledge standard.

b/ Conduct:

80% or more of the pupils ranked as good or excellent.

Not more than 2% of the pupils ranked as bad.

3. Educational activities:

Strictly complying with the Ministry�s regulations on organization and contents of educational activities inside and outside classrooms.

Each academic year organizing at least one collective activity on the entire school scale.

4. Fulfilling the assigned tasks in the local plans for unversalization of junior secondary education.

Article 8.- Criteria 4- Material foundation and equipment.

1. For schools set up before this Regulation takes effect:

a/ The school premise is a separate area surrounded by fences, having school gate, school signboard, and all sections in the school are rationally arranged, kept clean and beautiful.

b/ The structure of construction blocs in the school includes:

b1. Area of classrooms, study subject- practice rooms:

- Having enough classrooms for one-shift classes; the classrooms are well-ventilated, airy, well lit; the pupils� tables and chairs as well as the teachers� desks and chairs and writing boards are up to the current standards.

- Having laboratory, practice rooms for such study subjects as physics, biology, chemistry, informatics, which are equipped under the provisions in the Regulation on educational equipment in pre-schools, general education schools, promulgated by the Ministry of Education and Training.

- Having language-learning rooms, audio-visual rooms.

b2. The study-service area:

Having library of currently prescribed standards for the organization and operation of school library, the tradition room, the physical training and sport ground, the working rooms for the education trade union organization, the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union organization and the Ho Chi Minh Young Pioneers organization.

b3. The bureaucratic- administration area:

Having working rooms for the principal and vice-principals, the school office, teachers� meeting hall, warehouse, reception room.

b4. The playground is clean, hygienic and planted with shady trees.

b5. The toilets are arranged separately for teachers, male pupils, female pupils, without causing pollution to the environment inside and outside the school.

b6. Having separate parking lots for teachers, for each class, in the school premise, ensuring order and safety.

b7. Being supplied with enough clean water for teaching-learning activities, educational activities, for daily use by teachers and pupils; being furnished with hygienic water drainage system.

2. For schools set up after this Regulation takes effect:

Their material foundations shall comply with the provisions in Chapter VI of the Charter of Secondary Schools and enclosed guiding documents issued by the Ministry of Education and Training.

Article 9.- Criterion 5 - The work of educational socialization

Actively advising the local Party Committees and administrations on educational work. Applying various forms of mobilizing social forces for the building of a healthy educational environment, contributing to raising the quality of all-sided education; maintaining the close educational ties between the school, pupils� parents and the communities as provided for in Chapter VII of the Regulation on Secondary Schools; mobilizing the social forces to contribute to building the material foundations of schools.

Chapter III

ORGANIZING THE CONSIDERATION AND RECOGNITION OF NATIONAL-STANDARD SCHOOLS

Article 10.- Dossiers

Secondary schools requesting to be considered and recognized as schools of national standards must compile the dossiers, comprising:

1. The written request for being considered and recognized as national-standard school.

2. The report on the fulfillment of the criteria prescribed in Chapter II of this Regulation, enclosed with the diagram on the structure of construction blocs of the school.

3. The inspection records, the written proposal for being considered and recognized as national-standard secondary school of the district- or provincial-level Consideration and Recommendation Councils.

Article 11.- Consideration and Recommendation Councils and inspection teams

The district- or provincial-level Consideration and Recommendation Councils and the Ministry�s inspection teams shall be set up annually; their operation duration shall be stated in the decisions on their establishment to consider and recommend the recognition of national-standard secondary schools.

The compositions and tasks of the district- or provincial-level Consideration and Recommendation Councils as well as the inspection teams of the Ministry of Education and Training are prescribed as follows:

1. The district-level Consideration and Recommendation Council:

a/ Composition:

- Chairman: A vice-president of the district-level People�s Committee.

- 2 vice-chairmen:

+ The head of the district Education and Training Section acts as the standing vice-chairman.

+ The president of the district-level Educational Service�s Trade Union organization.

- Members and secretary of the Council: shall be representatives of the concerned functional bodies, appointed by the president of the district People�s Committee.

b/ Founding competence

The president of the district-level People�s Committee shall decide on the setting up of the district-level Consideration and Recommendation Council.

c/ Tasks

- Organizing the inspection of junior secondary schools proposed for consideration and recognition of reaching the national standards, based on the dossiers transferred by the district Education and Training Section.

- Considering and proposing in writing the provincial-level Consideration and Commendation Council to consider and recognize the junior secondary schools of national standards.

2. The provincial-level Consideration and Recommendation Council

a/ Composition:

- Chairman: A vice-president of the provincial-level People�s Committee.

- 2 vice-chairmen:

+ The director of the provincial Education and Training Service to act as the standing vice chairman.

+ The president of the provincial-level Educational Service�s Trade Union organization.

- Members and secretary of the Council: shall be representatives of the concerned functional bodies, appointed by the president of the provincial-level People�s Committee.

b/ Founding competence

The president of the provincial-level People�s Committee shall decide on the setting up of the provincial-level Consideration and Recommendation Council.

c/ Tasks:

- Considering and proposing in writing the president of the provincial-level People�s Committee to decide on the recognition of junior secondary schools reaching the national standards.

- Examining, considering and proposing in writing the Ministry of Education and Training to recognize senior secondary schools of national standards, after getting the consent of the president of the provincial-level People�s Committee.

3. The Education and Training Ministry�s inspection team

a/ Composition:

It is composed of representatives of the Secondary Education Department, the Education Inspectorate, the Education and Training Service�s Trade Union, and concerned units of the Ministry, who are appointed by the Minister of Education and Training.

b/ Founding competence

The Minister of Education and Training shall decide the setting up of inspection teams of the Ministry of Education and Training.

c/ Tasks:

- Inspecting the senior secondary schools proposed to be recognized as having reached the national standards according to the dossiers transferred by the provincial-level Consideration and Recommendation Councils.

- Considering and proposing in writing the Minister of Education and Training to consider and decide on the recognition of national-standard senior secondary schools.

4. Standing bodies

a/ Pending the establishment of Consideration and Recommendation Councils and inspection teams of the Ministry of Education and Training, there shall be agencies acting as standing bodies at the district or provincial level and the Ministry of Education and Training

- The district level: The Education and Training Section.

- The provincial level: The provincial/municipal Education and Training Service.

- The Ministry of Education and Training: The Secondary Education Department.

b/ The standing bodies shall have the following tasks:

- Guiding the secondary schools which fully meet the conditions to compile dossiers requesting the consideration and recognition of national-standard schools, organizing recognition ceremonies for schools recognized as having achieved the national standards.

- Receiving dossiers requesting the consideration and recognition of secondary schools in the areas under their respective management.

- Projecting lists of members of the Consideration and Recommendation Councils as well as inspection teams for submission to competent authorities for decision.

- Monitoring the activities, detecting and proposing the handling of, errors (if any) committed by recognized national-standard schools.

Article 12.- Implementation steps

1. For junior secondary schools

a/ The district-level Education and Training Sections shall have to receive and evaluate dossiers of junior secondary schools requesting the consideration and recognition of reaching the national standards, then transfer them to the district-level Consideration and Recommendation Councils.

b/ The district-level Consideration and Recommendation Councils shall organize the examination and consideration and make written recommendations to be sent to the provincial-level Consideration and Recommendation Council, together with the examination records and the dossiers prescribed in Article 10 of this Regulation.

c/ The provincial-level Consideration and Recommendation Councils shall examine and consider them, then submit to the presidents of the provincial-level People�s Committees for considering and deciding on the recognition.

2. For senior secondary schools

a/ The provincial/municipal Education and Training Services shall have to receive and evaluate the dossiers requesting the consideration and recognition of reaching the national standards, reach agreement in writing with the district-level People�s Committees and forward them to the provincial-level Consideration and Recommendation Councils.

b/ The provincial-level Consideration and Recommendation Councils shall organize the examination and consideration, and make written recommendations to be submitted to the Ministry of Education and Training for recognition of national-standard senior secondary schools, enclosed with the examination records and the dossiers prescribed in Article 10 of this Regulation.

c/ The inspection teams of the Ministry of Education and Training shall directly inspect the senior secondary schools recommended by the provincial-level Consideration and Recommendation Councils and make written reports to the Minister of Education and Training for considering and deciding on the recognition.

3. After each round of consideration and recognition, the competent authorities shall have to reply in writing the secondary schools not yet recognized for reaching the national standards regarding specific criteria so that such schools will work out orientations to strive for the recognition in the subsequent academic year.

Minister of Education and Training
NGUYEN MINH HIEN