Directive No. 02/1998/CT-TTg On Strengthening the Work of Popularizing and Educating the Law in the Current Period

DIRECTIVE

On Strengthening the Work of Popularizing and Educating Law

in the Current Period

The work of popularizing and educating law always holds an important position in social life. In the current renewal process of our country, this work has even more significant roles in many aspects.

The Resolution of the Eighth National Congress of the Party has affirmed: "To vigorously implement the work of propaganda and education on law; to mobilize the forces of political and social organizations, occupational groups, and mass media to participate in campaigns to establish order and discipline and regular activities to build lifestyles and work according to the law in state agencies and society."

In recent years, many ministries and central agencies, as well as local authorities at all levels, have made efforts in organizing the popularization and education of law, achieving good results that meet some requirements for strengthening management by law.

However, the work of popularizing and educating law has not been placed at the level required for managing society by law, has not been carried out continuously, systematically, comprehensively, widely, and with focus. There is still a lack of mechanisms and plans for close and systematic coordination among agencies and organizations, between different levels and sectors to mobilize the strength of the entire political system and the participation of the whole society. Due to these limitations, the demand for information about laws from the people in recent times has not been fully met.

To innovate and strengthen the work of popularizing and educating law, thereby enhancing understanding and respect for the law, ensuring the effectiveness of law enforcement in accordance with the spirit of the above-mentioned Resolution of the Party, the Prime Minister issues the following directive:

1. Each civil servant must clearly recognize that studying and researching to understand the law and strictly implementing it is their responsibility. Civil servants must be exemplary in maintaining national discipline and contribute to popularizing and educating the law among the people.

2. Ministers, Heads of Ministries equivalent to Ministries, Heads of Government Agencies, Chairmen of Provincial People's Committees directly under the Central Government shall be responsible for timely directing and regularly inspecting the implementation of the work of popularizing and educating law within their respective ministries, sectors, and localities according to the Program attached to this Directive.

In the short term, each Ministry, Ministry-equivalent Agency, Government Agency, and Provincial People's Committee directly under the Central Government must do the following:

a) Improve the organization to implement the task of popularizing and educating law from the central to local levels, taking the legal affairs organization of the sector and judicial organs as the core; allocate legal professionals to monitor and implement the work of popularizing and educating law in central and local agencies and organizations.

b) Pay attention to oral forms of propaganda in disseminating necessary legal documents to specific targets, especially grassroots administrative cadres and various strata of the people.

c) Mobilize a large number of cadres from state agencies, political-social organizations, and mass organizations to participate in this activity.

3. The Ministry of Justice shall be responsible for coordinating with other ministries, sectors, political-social organizations, social organizations, and occupational groups to guide local authorities at all levels to institutionalize this work. It is necessary to focus on developing outlines and guidelines for disseminating legal normative documents to specific targets, and to strengthen training for legal propaganda staff. Efforts should be made to coordinate with the Committee for Ethnic Minorities and Mountainous Areas and the Vietnam Farmers' Union to organize the dissemination and education of law for cadres and people in rural areas, highlands, remote areas, and ethnic minority regions; implement the policy of combining literacy with legal literacy for the people.

4. The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism shall take the lead in coordinating with the Ministry of Justice to direct mass media to allocate appropriate time for the dissemination and education of law through special pages and sections on law with suitable forms. Increase the number of reporters, editors, and contributors writing about law for central and local newspapers and radio stations. Timely correct deviations to ensure that the dissemination and education of law are implemented correctly and achieve high results; urgently adopt measures to strengthen the management of publishing and printing of books and newspapers on law to promptly and adequately meet the people's need for legal knowledge.

5. The Ministry of Education and Training shall take the lead in coordinating with the Ministry of Justice to intensify the teaching of law in schools. Promptly research and complete the content of the legal education curriculum with a reasonable proportion of units of study, compile textbooks, teaching materials, and course materials for law subjects for students and university students in the national education system. It is necessary to organize training and upgrading of knowledge and teaching methods for law teachers in schools. Law must be recognized as a compulsory subject in all educational levels and grades; there must be examinations, moving towards final exams. The results of this subject will be considered one of the important bases for evaluating the moral character and conduct of students and university students.

6. The Government Organizational-Cadre Department shall take the lead in coordinating with the Ministry of Justice and the National Academy of Public Administration to direct the research and development of programs and the compilation of teaching materials on law for the purpose of upgrading and training civil servants at administrative schools, political schools, and management cadre schools of various sectors and mass organizations. Coordination with ministries and sectors must include the content of law in civil servant recruitment, promotion, and transfer examinations suitable for different types of candidates. Emphasis should be placed on regular specialized training on law for cadres and staff in central state management agencies and local authorities.

7. The Ministry of National Defense and the Ministry of Public Security shall coordinate with the Ministry of Justice to uniformly direct the content and methods of popularizing and educating the law among the people's armed forces.

8. People's Committees at all levels shall be responsible for regularly directing and organizing inspections on the implementation of work to popularize and educate the law within their respective localities.

9. Based on the Implementation Plan for Popularizing and Educating the Law issued together with Decision No. 03/1998/QĐ-TTg dated January 7, 1998, and the guidance of the Ministry of Justice, ministries, sectors, and local authorities at all levels shall develop specific plans to implement the work of popularizing and educating the law according to assigned tasks and budget estimates for implementing this Plan in accordance with the guidance of the Ministry of Finance. For units funded by the state budget, the costs of popularizing and educating the law shall be included within the annual state budget estimate in accordance with the State Budget Law and guiding documents.

10. It is requested that the agencies of the Party, the Vietnam Fatherland Front Central Committee, the Vietnam Women's Union Central Committee, the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Central Committee, the Vietnam General Confederation of Labor, the Vietnam Farmers' Association Central Committee, the Vietnam Bar Association Central Committee, and other members of the Front closely cooperate with government agencies to organize the implementation of work to popularize and educate the law.

11. The Ministry of Justice shall monitor and inspect the implementation of this Directive; periodically report the results to the Prime Minister; and implement the reward system prescribed by the State for collectives and individuals who have outstanding achievements in the work of popularizing and educating the law.