Circular No. 09/2024/TT-BGDĐT stipulates on transparency in the activities of educational institutions within the national education system.

CIRCULAR

Article 24regulating transparency in operations

of educational institutionswithin the national education system 

Pursuant to the Education Law dated June 14, 2019;

Pursuant to the Higher Education Law on June 18, 2012;

Pursuant to the Law Amending and Supplementing Certain Provisions of the Higher Education Law on November 19, 2018;

Pursuant to the Law on Vocational Education dated November 27, 2014;

Pursuant to Decree No. 86/2022/NĐ-CP dated October 24, 2022 of the Government stipulating the functions, tasks, powers, and organizational structure of the Ministry of Education and Training;

Based on the proposal of the Director of the Quality Management Department;

The Minister of Education and Training issues this Circular regulating transparency in the operations of educational institutions within the national education system.

PART I

GENERAL PROVISIONS

Article 1. Scope of Regulation and Applicability

1. This Circular regulates transparency in the operations of educational institutions within the national education system, including: content to be disclosed, methods and timing of disclosure, and implementation organization.

2. This Circular applies to preschool educational institutions, general educational institutions, continuing educational institutions, higher educational institutions, colleges with early childhood education training programs at the college level, specialized schools, and other educational institutions conducting educational activities under the management responsibility of the Ministry of Education and Training (hereinafter referred to as educational institutions); other organizations and individuals related thereto.

3. Implementation of transparency for contents not specified in this Circular shall be carried out in accordance with relevant laws.

4. The provisions on transparency in this Circular do not apply to information classified as state secrets, work secrets, or information that has not been disclosed according to the provisions of the law.

Article 2. Purpose of Transparency

1. To ensure clarity of information related to educational institutions so that teachers, educational administrators, employees, students, parents of students, and society can know and participate in supervising the activities of educational institutions.

2. To enhance the accountability of educational institutions.

Article 3. Principles of Transparency Implementation

1. The implementation of transparency must comply with the provisions of this Circular and relevant laws.

2. Disclosed information must be accurate, clear, complete, timely, and easily accessible.

Chapter II

CONTENTS OF TRANSPARENCY

Section 1

GENERAL TRANSPARENCY FOR EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS

Article 4. General Information about Educational Institutions

1. Name of the educational institution (including name in foreign language, if applicable).

2. Main address and other operational addresses of the educational institution, telephone number, email address, electronic portal or website of the educational institution (hereinafter collectively referred to as electronic portal).

3. Type of the educational institution, directly managing agency or owner; name of the investor establishing the educational institution, country/region (for educational institutions with foreign investment); list of organizations and individuals contributing capital (if any).

4. Mission, vision, objectives of the educational institution.

5. Summary of the formation and development process of the educational institution.

6. Information on the legal representative or spokesperson or contact person, including: full name, position, workplace address; telephone number, email address.

7. Organizational structure:

a) Decision on establishment, permission to establish, merger, division, separation, permission to operate education, suspension of educational operation of the educational institution or its branch (if any);

b) Decision recognizing the school council, chairman of the school council, and list of school council members;

c) Decision on transfer, appointment, recognition of principal, deputy principal, director, deputy director, or head, deputy head of the educational institution;

d) Regulation on organizational structure and operation of the educational institution; functions, tasks, powers of the educational institution and its affiliated units (if any); organizational chart of the educational institution;

đ) Decision on establishment, merger, division, dissolution of affiliated units (if any);

e) Full name, position, telephone number, email address, workplace address, duties, responsibilities of leaders of the educational institution and leaders of affiliated units of the educational institution (if any).

8. Other documents of the educational institution: Development strategy of the educational institution; democratic regulations of the educational institution; resolutions of the school council; regulations on administrative management, personnel, finance; policies for attracting and developing the teaching staff and educational administrators; recruitment plans and announcements of the educational institution and other internal regulations (if any).

Article 5. Financial Revenue and Expenditure

1. The financial situation of educational institutions in the fiscal year immediately preceding the reporting period as prescribed by law, including the structure of revenue and expenditure items as follows:

a) Revenue items classified according to sources (state budget, investor support; tuition fees, registration fees, and other revenues from students; sponsorship funds and contracts with external parties; other sources) and types of activities (education and training; science and technology; other activities);

b) Expenditure items classified according to: salary and income (wages, allowances, additional wages, and other expenditures similar to wages for teachers, lecturers, managers, staff, etc.); physical infrastructure and service costs (costs for purchasing, maintenance, repair, and operation of facilities, equipment, hiring services directly serving education, training, research, and workforce development, etc.); student support costs (scholarships, subsidies, living support, extracurricular activities, competitions, awards, etc.); other expenses.

2. Revenue items and rates applicable to students, including: tuition fees, registration fees, all other revenue items and rates outside of tuition fees and registration fees (if any) during the academic year and projected for each subsequent academic year of the educational level or course offered by the institution before admission or enrollment.

3. Annual policies and implementation results regarding subsidies and reductions or exemptions in tuition fees and scholarships for students.

4. Balances of funds as prescribed, including special-purpose funds (if any).

5. Other financial disclosure contents implemented in accordance with laws on finance, budget, accounting, auditing, and grassroots democracy.

Section 2

FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE FOR EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION

Article 6. Conditions Ensuring Quality of Early Childhood Education Activities

1. Information about the teaching staff, management personnel, and employees:

a) The number of teachers, management personnel, and employees categorized by job positions and levels of education attained;

b) The number and proportion of teachers and management personnel meeting professional standards;

c) The number and proportion of teachers, management personnel, and employees completing annual training as prescribed.

2. Information about physical infrastructure:

a) Area of land for school construction, branch schools, minimum average area per child; comparison with the minimum requirements prescribed;

b) The number and categories of rooms within administrative management blocks; childcare and early childhood education blocks; dining room blocks (applicable to educational institutions that organize meal preparation); auxiliary blocks; technical infrastructure; comparison with the minimum requirements prescribed;

c) The number of existing equipment, teaching aids, and toys; comparison with the minimum requirements prescribed;

d) The number of outdoor toys, some equipment, and conditions for childcare, nurturing, and education.

3. Information about the results of quality assessment and accreditation:

a) Self-assessment results of educational quality of the educational institution; improvement plan following self-assessment;

b) External evaluation results and recognition of achieving educational quality accreditation and national standards of the educational institution over time; improvement plan and results over the next five years and annually following external evaluation.

4. Educational institutions implementing foreign education programs or integrated education programs shall disclose the following additional contents:

a) Name of the program, country providing the program, detailed information about the educational partners implementing the integrated education program;

b) Name of the organization, body accrediting educational quality or the competent authority of the foreign country recognizing educational quality;

c) Language used for educational activities.

Article 7. Plan and Results of Early Childhood Education Activities

1. Information on the education activity plan of the educational institution for the school year:

a) Enrollment activity plan, specifying clearly the target group, enrollment quota, enrollment method, key dates for enrollment, and related information;

b) Care, nurturing, and education plan;

c) Regulations on cooperation between early childhood education institutions and families and society;

d) Daily menu for children;

đ) Early childhood education services as prescribed (if applicable).

2. Information on the results of care, nurturing, and education of children from the previous school year:

a) Total number of children; total number of groups and classes; average number of children per group or class (or combined groups or classes);

b) Number of children enrolled in combined groups or classes (if applicable);

c) Number of children attending two sessions per day;

d) Number of children participating in boarding meals;

đ) Number of children monitored for health growth using growth charts and regular health check-ups;

e) Results of universalizing early childhood education for five-year-old children;

g) Number of children with disabilities.

3. Educational institutions implementing foreign education programs or integrated education programs shall publicly disclose additional information: the number of students currently enrolled (separated by the number of Vietnamese students and the number of foreign students).

Section 3

PUBLICITY FOR GENERAL EDUCATION

Article 8. Conditions Ensuring Quality of General Education Activities

1. Information about the teaching staff, management personnel, and employees:

a) Number of teachers, managers, and staff divided by job position groups and level of training;

b) Number and ratio of teachers and managers meeting professional standards as prescribed;

c) Number and ratio of teachers, managers, and staff completing annual training as prescribed.

2. Information on infrastructure and commonly used learning materials:

a) Area of land for school construction, branch schools, minimum area per student; comparison with the minimum requirements as prescribed;

b) Quantity and categories of administrative management rooms; teaching rooms; supporting teaching rooms; auxiliary rooms; playgrounds, sports areas; service rooms; technical infrastructure; comparison with the minimum requirements as prescribed;

c) Current teaching equipment; comparison with the minimum requirements as prescribed;

d) List of textbooks used in the educational institution approved by the competent authority; list and quantity of reference publications selected and used according to the regulations of the Ministry of Education and Training.

3. Information about the results of quality assessment and accreditation:

a) Self-assessment results of educational quality of the educational institution; improvement plan following self-assessment;

b) External evaluation results and recognition of quality education accreditation and national standards of the educational institution at various time points; plans and results of quality improvement following external evaluations over five years and annually.

4. Educational institutions implementing foreign education programs or integrated education programs shall disclose the following additional contents:

a) Name of the program, country providing the program, detailed information about the educational partners implementing the integrated education program;

b) Name of the organization, body accrediting educational quality or the competent authority of the foreign country recognizing educational quality;

c) Language used for educational activities.

Article 9. Plan and Results of General Education Activities

1. Information on the education activity plan for the school year:

a) Enrollment plan of the educational institution, clearly showing the target group, enrollment quota, enrollment method, key dates for enrollment, and related information;

b) Education plan of the educational institution;

c) Regulations on cooperation between the educational institution and families and society in caring for and educating students;

d) Programs and activities supporting study, training, and student life at the educational institution;

đ) Daily menu for students (if applicable).

2. Information on actual education results from the previous school year:

a) Enrollment results; total number of students by grade; average number of students per class by grade; number of students attending two sessions per day; number of male and female students, ethnic minority students, disabled students; number of students transferring schools and being accepted at the school;

b) Statistics on student assessment results as prescribed by the Ministry of Education and Training; statistics on the number of students promoted and not promoted;

c) Number of students recognized as having completed the program and awarded graduation certificates; number of students admitted to vocational education institutions at the secondary and high school levels; number of students admitted to universities at the high school level.

3. Educational institutions implementing foreign education programs or integrated education programs shall publicly disclose additional information: the number of students currently enrolled (separated by the number of Vietnamese students and the number of foreign students).

Section 4

PUBLICITY FOR CONTINUOUS EDUCATION

Article 10. Conditions to ensure the quality of regular education activities

1. Information on the teaching staff, management personnel, and employees:

a) Number of teachers, managers, and staff divided by job position groups and level of training;

b) The number and ratio of teachers, management personnel, and employees evaluated annually as prescribed;

c) The number and proportion of teachers, management personnel, and employees completing annual training as prescribed.

2. Information about physical infrastructure:

a) The number and area of classrooms, subject rooms, functional rooms, and specialized rooms according to the organizational structure of the center;

b) The quantity of teaching equipment currently available according to the minimum teaching equipment list for secondary schools, compared with the minimum requirements as prescribed.

3. Information about the results of quality assessment and accreditation:

a) Self-assessment results of educational quality of the educational institution; improvement plan following self-assessment;

b) The results of external evaluations and recognition of meeting educational quality standards at various time points;

c) Plans and results of quality improvement following external evaluations over five years and annually.

4. Educational institutions implementing foreign education programs or integrated education programs must disclose the following additional contents:

a) Name of the program, country providing the program, detailed information about the educational partners implementing the integrated education program;

b) Name of the organization, body accrediting educational quality or the competent authority of the foreign country recognizing educational quality;

c) Language used for educational activities.

Article 11. Plan and Results of Regular Education Activities

1. Information on the education activity plan for the academic year:

a) The enrollment plan of the educational institution, specifying the target group, quota, enrollment method, key dates for enrollment, and related information;

b) Education plan of the educational institution;

c) The education programs implemented at the educational institution:

- List and information on regular education programs as prescribed, including: literacy programs; education programs meeting learners' requirements; knowledge and skill updates, technology transfer; vocational training and capacity enhancement programs; education programs leading to national education system certificates;

- List of joint training programs at the university, college, intermediate, and basic vocational levels, and regular education programs;

d) Requirements for cooperation between the educational institution and families and society regarding regular education programs for learners under 18 years old;

đ) Support activities for learners' study and life at the educational institution.

2. Information on the results of education activities in the previous academic year:

a) Enrollment results in the previous academic year;

b) Total number of learners in each course under regular education programs and joint training programs, the number of male/female learners, ethnic minority learners, and disabled learners at the reporting time;

c) For regular education programs at the lower secondary and upper secondary levels:

- Statistics on learning outcomes and discipline of learners at the end of the academic year, the number of learners winning prizes in student excellence competitions for regular education learners at the lower secondary and upper secondary levels;

- The number of learners eligible for or participating in graduation exams, recognized as having completed graduation or finished the education program; the percentage of learners recognized as having completed graduation at the lower secondary and upper secondary levels;

- The number of students admitted to vocational education institutions from the lower secondary and upper secondary levels; the number of students admitted to universities from the upper secondary level;

- The employment rate of graduates from regular education programs at the secondary level within one year after graduation;

3. Educational institutions implementing foreign education programs or integrated education programs must disclose additional content: the number of students enrolled (divided by the number of Vietnamese students and the number of foreign students).

Section 5

DISCLOSURE FOR HIGHER EDUCATION AND TEACHER TRAINING COLLEGES

Article 12. Conditions for Ensuring the Quality of Education and Research

1. Information on the level of compliance with the standards and criteria of the Basic Standard for Higher Education, consistent with the results announced by the Ministry of Education and Training (for higher education institutions).

2. Information on fields of study, training programs, and certification examinations:

a) List of active fields of study and detailed information according to the requirements for opening fields of study;

b) List of implemented training programs, detailed information according to the program standard requirements (output standards, input standards, conditions for implementing the training program), and sample diplomas and certificates issued upon graduation for each level, field, and form of training; for international joint training programs, additional information includes details about the partner higher education institution, duration of the joint training, and approval documents from competent authorities;

c) List of activities organizing international certification examinations and detailed information about the examination period, type of certificate, sample certificate issued, duration of the joint activity, and approval documents from competent authorities.

3. Information on the teaching staff, management personnel, and employees:

a) Number of management personnel and employees categorized by job position groups;

b) Full-time teaching staff number of the educational institution and each field of training categorized by educational level, professor, associate professor titles; list of permanent teaching staff by each specialized unit including: name, educational level, title, specialty, field of responsibility, main research direction;

c) Annual number of teaching staff, management personnel, and employees trained and developed according to regulations;

d) Student-to-permanent-teaching-staff ratio.

4. Information on shared physical facilities:

a) List of campuses and training locations; information on land area, address, primary purpose (education, research, services, etc.);

b) List of construction projects (conference halls, lecture buildings, dormitories, libraries, learning resource centers; office buildings, etc.) and physical facility components; information on campus area, floor space built, floor space used for education and research, and other purposes;

c) Library information (workspaces, reading rooms, etc.); number of books and copies of textbooks and monographs.

5. Information on the results of quality assessment and accreditation of the educational institution and training programs:

a) Self-assessment results of the educational institution; improvement plan following self-assessment;

b) Educational quality accreditation certificates issued by quality assurance organizations according to legal provisions at various time points.

c) Plans and results of quality improvement following external evaluations over five years and annually.

Article 13. Plan and Results of Training Activities and Scientific and Technological Activities

1. Information on the annual enrollment plan and organization of training for each level and form of training according to current enrollment and training regulations.

2. Information on the annual enrollment and training results for each level of training, covering the entire educational institution and categorized by field and form of training:

a) Scale of training, number of new enrollments, and number of graduates;

b) Enrollment rate compared to the plan, dropout rate, first-year dropout rate, graduation rate within two years or less compared to the standard study period, and on-time graduation rate (within the standard period);

c) Rate of university graduates obtaining suitable employment within twelve months after graduation.

3. Information on the results of scientific and technological activities in the year, covering the entire educational institution and categorized by field of science and technology:

a) List of scientific and technological projects, topics, or tasks led by the educational institution: Project, topic, task name; management level; principal investigator and participating members; domestic and international partners; implementation period; funding; summary of results and products achieved;

b) Number of scientific works published in reputable international publications and other scientific publications; number of granted patents and utility models;

c) Knowledge transfer results, technology transfer, and start-up support (if applicable).

Chapter III

METHODS AND TIME FOR PUBLIC DISCLOSURE

Article 14. Methods of Public Disclosure

1. Public disclosure on the electronic information portal of educational institutions:

Educational institutions (excluding preschool education institutions, schools, and classes for persons with disabilities that have not yet established an electronic information portal) shall implement public disclosure on their electronic information portals, including:

a) The contents to be publicly disclosed regarding educational activities conducted by the educational institution as stipulated in Chapter II of this Circular up to June each year;

b) Annual reports to publicly disclose comprehensive information about the results of the educational institution's operations up to December 31 each year in PDF format, containing at least the minimum contents prescribed in the appendices attached to this Circular:

- Appendix I: Model annual report for educational institutions implementing preschool education programs, general education programs, and continuing education programs;

- Appendix II: Model annual report for educational institutions implementing higher education programs and early childhood education programs at the college level;

c) The arrangement of the contents to be publicly disclosed as specified in points a and b of this Article on the electronic information portal shall be decided by the educational institution, ensuring convenience for accessing and obtaining information.

2. Preschool education institutions, schools, and classes for persons with disabilities that have not yet established an electronic information portal shall implement public posting at the educational institution as follows:

a) The contents as specified in point a, Clause 1 of this Article;

b) Annual reports including the contents as specified in point b, Clause 1 of this Article;

c) The location for public posting must ensure convenience for staff, teachers, civil servants, workers, students, families, and related individuals to access information. In cases where multiple documents need to be posted, the educational institution may post a summary notice of the contents to be publicly disclosed, accompanied by instructions on the source of the documents, ensuring convenience for accessing information.

3. Dissemination or distribution of materials on the contents to be publicly disclosed at the beginning of the academic term or new school year:

a) Educational institutions implementing preschool education programs, general education programs, and continuing education programs shall disseminate the contents to be publicly disclosed at meetings with parents of children or distribute materials on the contents to be publicly disclosed to parents of children in the first month of the new school year;

b) Educational institutions implementing higher education programs, early childhood education programs at the college level, and preparatory universities shall disseminate the contents to be publicly disclosed or distribute materials on the contents to be publicly disclosed to students in the first month of the new academic term or school year.

4. Other forms of public disclosure as prescribed by law.

Article 15. Timeframe for Public Disclosure

1. The time for public disclosure by educational institutions is as follows:

a) Announce the contents to be publicly disclosed as stipulated in points a, Clause 1 and point a, Clause 2, Article 14 of this Circular before June 30 each year. In cases where the contents to be publicly disclosed change or there is no information by June 30 each year due to objective reasons or other legal provisions, they must be updated and supplemented within no more than ten working days from the date of the information change or from the date of the official information;

For preschool education, additional public disclosure on the electronic information portal or posting at the educational institution (for preschool education institutions without an electronic information portal) must be made regarding monthly education plans before the 25th of the previous month; weekly education plans, daily menus, and weekly menu plans for children before Saturday of the previous week; for general education, additional public disclosure on the electronic information portal of the educational institution regarding daily menus and weekly menu plans for students (if applicable) before Saturday of the previous week.

b) Announce the annual report of the previous year as stipulated in points b, Clause 1 and point b, Clause 2, Article 14 of this Circular before June 30 each year. For financial data related to the previous year's financial report, it should be updated until the end of the settlement period by the competent authority.

2. The minimum duration for public disclosure on the electronic information portal is five years from the date of public announcement. The minimum duration for public posting (for preschool education institutions; schools, and classes for persons with disabilities without an electronic information portal) is 90 days, and after posting, the public disclosure materials must be retained to ensure access to information for at least five years from the date of posting.

3. In addition to implementing public disclosure as prescribed in Clauses 1 and 2 of this Article, educational institutions must also implement public disclosure according to current laws and regulations relevant to them.

Chapter IV

IMPLEMENTATION

Article 16. Responsibility for Organization and Implementation

1. Responsibilities of the Department of Education and Training:

a) Advise the People's Committee, Chairman of the People's Committee of provinces and centrally-administered cities to direct and guide the implementation of this Circular;

b) Guide, promote, disseminate, and organize the implementation of this Circular within the scope of state management over education;

c) Conduct inspections, investigations, handle complaints, resolve accusations, and deal with violations of the provisions of this Circular according to the law;

d) Summarize, evaluate the work of public disclosure, and develop directions and tasks for public disclosure in the annual (or school year) summary and evaluation of work and the directions and tasks for the next year (or school year) within the scope of state management over education;

e) Report on the work of public disclosure when requested in writing by the Ministry of Education and Training or by competent state management agencies.

2. Responsibilities of higher education institutions, other educational institutions offering various levels of higher education, and colleges offering early childhood education at the college level:

a) Based on this Circular, establish and promulgate specific regulations on public disclosure in the operation of the educational institution within ninety days from the effective date of this Circular;

b) Organize the implementation, summarize, evaluate the work of public disclosure, and develop directions and tasks for public disclosure in the annual (or school year) summary and evaluation of work and the directions and tasks for the next year (or school year) of the educational institution.

c) Report on transparency activities upon a written request from the Ministry of Education and Training or from a competent state management agency.

Article 17. Implementation Provisions

1. This Circular takes effect from July 19, 2024. This Circular replaces Circular No. 36/2017/TT-BGDĐT dated December 28, 2017 issued by the Minister of Education and Training on the regulations for implementing transparency for educational institutions under the national education system.

2. In cases where laws provide different provisions regarding the content, methods, time, and timing of transparency for specific information, such provisions shall be applied.

3. The Director of the Office; the Director of the Quality Management Department; the Heads of relevant units under the Ministry of Education and Training; the Directors of Provincial Departments of Education and Training; the Rectors of universities; the Principals of university colleges; the Principals of college-level early childhood education programs; the Heads of specialized schools and other educational institutions conducting educational activities under the management responsibility of the Ministry of Education and Training; other organizations and individuals related to this matter are responsible for implementing this Circular./