Featured policies effective from February

Since February, cars have been allowed to change their grilles and replace their headlights, schools have been allowed to choose their own textbooks, and secondary school graduation rankings have been abolished.

Cars have changed lights and grilles

Circular 43/2023 of the Ministry of Transport, effective from February 15, stipulates 9 cases of changing details on motor vehicles but not considered as renovation, including lights and radiator grilles. Vehicle owners are allowed to replace the front light cluster with a certified or declared compliant light cluster without having to process and change the structure of the vehicle to ensure installation.

In addition, vehicle owners can also replace the bulbs in the front lighting cluster with other bulbs of equivalent power consumption without having to intervene or change the structure of the cluster. Vehicle owners can remove the current cluster, replace it with a new cluster that has been certified by a specialized management agency, or install additional separate fog lights.

Changing the design of some details of the body including the front grille, spoiler, changing the passenger door, changing the structure of the cargo door, adding a cover to the cargo compartment of a pickup truck but not increasing the height, size, footrest, or exhaust pipe cover is not considered a vehicle modification.

Vehicle inspection center in Hanoi, December 2022. Photo: Ngoc Thanh

Schools choose their own textbooks

The Circular of the Ministry of Education and Training, effective from February 12, empowers schools to choose textbooks instead of the provincial People's Committee as currently. The school's textbook selection council is established by the principal, including: principal, vice principal, head of professional group, teacher representative, parent representative. The number of members is odd, minimum 11 people. Schools with less than 10 classes must have a minimum of 5 council members.

All teachers of each subject will participate in selecting the textbook for that subject. Teachers will study the books, write comments and evaluations. Then, the head of the professional group will meet with teachers to discuss and vote to select a book for each subject. The selected book must have more than 50% of the teachers voting. If this percentage is not reached, the professional group must discuss, analyze and vote again.

The textbooks offered for selection are from the list approved by the Ministry of Education and Training. Currently, there are three sets of books under the new program: Connecting knowledge with life, Creative horizons and Kite.

Candidates in Hanoi complete procedures for the 10th grade exam at the exam site of Tran Duy Hung Secondary School, Cau Giay District, Hanoi, June 2023. Photo: Tung Dinh

Eliminate secondary school graduation classification

Circular 31/2023 of the Ministry of Education and Training, effective from February 15, stipulates that from the 2024-2025 school year, students will be awarded a junior high school diploma when they complete the 9th grade study and training program and do not miss more than 45 classes a year. The graduation certificate will no longer include excellent, good, or average grades as it does now.

The provincial and municipal Departments of Education and Training will decide the number of times the locality will consider graduation, but not more than twice a year. The first time must be done immediately after the end of the school year, and the second time (if any) must be completed before the start of the new school year.

Currently, graduating from junior high school is a mandatory criterion for students to take the entrance exam to grade 10 of high school. According to many teachers, provinces and cities select public grade 10 students based on exam scores or academic records, so the classification on the junior high school graduation certificate is not necessary.

Some cars are exempt from road use fees.

Decree 90/2023 of the Government, effective from February 1, stipulates exemption of road use fees for ambulances; fire trucks; specialized vehicles for funerals; specialized vehicles for national defense with red background, white letters and numbers such as control vehicles, military inspection vehicles, specialized vehicles for transporting prisoners, rescue vehicles, satellite information vehicles and other special vehicles.

In addition, specialized vehicles of police units such as traffic police; 113 police; mobile police; duty transport vehicles; prisoner transport vehicles, rescue vehicles, and special police vehicles are also exempted from road use fees.

Decree 90 stipulates the calculation and payment of road use fees according to the inspection cycle. For vehicles with an inspection cycle of one year or less, the vehicle owner shall pay the fee for the entire cycle. If the inspection cycle is 18, 24 and 36 months, the vehicle owner shall pay the road use fee annually (12 months) or according to the corresponding cycle.

More cases are allowed to reserve unemployment insurance payment period

Circular 15/2023 of the Ministry of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs, effective from February 15, adds a case where unemployment insurance is reserved. That is, employees whose social insurance agency confirms additional unemployment insurance payment time after termination of unemployment benefits.

There are two cases where unemployment insurance payment period is not reserved and unemployment benefits are not yet received. Firstly, employees who have paid unemployment insurance for more than 144 months will only be entitled to a maximum of 12 months of unemployment benefits. The remaining months that have not been resolved for unemployment benefits will not be reserved.

Second, the odd number of months not yet enjoying unemployment insurance that are reserved in the decision to enjoy will not be reserved when the employee does not come to receive unemployment benefits; the decision to enjoy unemployment benefits is canceled; or unemployment benefits are terminated.

Son Ha - Vnexpress.net

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