Are schools allowed to socialize so that parents can buy computers for teachers?

No donations from students and parents to purchase machinery and teaching aids for administrators and teachers.

In 2011, Circular 55 of the Ministry of Education and Training (MOET) clearly stipulated the contents that parent-teacher associations are not allowed to collect donations from students and parents.

One is "non-voluntary donations".

Second, "donations that do not directly support the activities of the Parents' Association."

These "prohibited" donations are listed in detail, including "purchasing machinery, equipment, and teaching aids for schools, classrooms, or for school administrators, teachers, and staff."

Thus, although the teacher's laptop is used for teaching purposes, the parents' association cannot donate it to the teacher personally.

Do not solicit funding to pay for expenses directly related to administrators and teachers.

In 2018, the Ministry of Education and Training issued Circular 16, regulating funding for public educational institutions. This Circular clearly states the contents of mobilizing, receiving, managing and using funding from domestic and foreign agencies, organizations and individuals for schools.

Specifically, the school is mobilized and receives funding to equip equipment and supplies for teaching and learning; equipment for scientific research; renovate, repair, and construct construction items serving educational activities.

Conversely, schools are not allowed to solicit funding to pay teaching salaries and directly related expenses for administrators, teachers, lecturers and staff.

Chuong Duong Primary School, where the incident occurred, the parents' committee donated money for the homeroom teacher to buy a personal computer (Photo: Nguyen Huyen).

Other non-socialized contents include: remuneration for security and protection activities; remuneration for looking after students' vehicles; remuneration for maintaining classroom and school hygiene; rewards for managers, teachers, and staff; and costs to support the management of educational institutions.

Circular 16 also does not have any content allowing individual teachers to mobilize social resources.

The mobilization of social resources must be planned by the school based on the school year plan and budget estimates assigned by the state.

The fundraising plan must be reported to the Department of Education and Training or the Department of Education and Training for approval, then announced and publicly posted at the school.

Regarding the form of sponsorship, Circular 16 stipulates that sponsors transfer cash to the school through the school's bank account or transfer in kind.

Transferring money to personal accounts of managers or teachers is not regulated.

Circular 16 also clearly states: "Agencies, organizations, individuals and heads of educational institutions receiving funding who carry out the process of mobilizing, receiving, managing and using funding contrary to the provisions of this Circular will, depending on the level of violation, be subject to administrative sanctions or criminal prosecution in accordance with the provisions of law."

"The parents' association's donation to buy laptops for teachers is not within the regulations"

Recently, at Chuong Duong Primary School (District 1, Ho Chi Minh City), a 4th grade homeroom teacher asked parents for money to buy a laptop. The laptop she intended to buy cost more than 11 million VND, she asked parents for 6 million VND from the parent committee fund, and she paid the rest herself.

Later, because 3 parents did not agree, the teacher did not accept the computer.

The principal of a primary school in Hanoi commented: "The Parents' Association collecting money from other parents to buy laptops for individual teachers is not within the regulations."

According to this principal, the computer is an educational device.

Depending on each specific case, schools may be allowed to mobilize social resources to sponsor computers for classrooms and functional rooms to serve the teaching and learning of students.

"However, the assets mobilized from socialization are collective assets. Mobilizing socialization from parents to sponsor individual teachers, staff, and school administrators is not included in any document or circular of the education sector," said the principal.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/giao-duc/nha-truong-co-duoc-xa-hoi-hoa-de-phu-huynh-mua-may-tinh-cho-co-giao-20241001093256344.htm