Joint Circular No. 126/1998/TTLT-BTC-BGDĐT guiding certain financial regimes for students at boarding schools for ethnic minorities and preparatory universities

JOINT CIRCULAR

Guidelines on certain financial regimes for students at boarding schools for ethnic minorities and preparatory universities

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Pursuant to Decision No. 1121/1997/QĐ-TTg dated December 28, 1997 of the Prime Minister regarding "Scholarships and social allowances for students at public training institutions."

Pursuant to Decree No. 28/CP dated April 29, 1995 of the Government concerning "Guidelines for implementing certain provisions of the Ordinance on preferential treatment for revolutionary activists, martyrs, families of martyrs, wounded veterans, disabled veterans, those who participated in the resistance war, and those who contributed to the revolution."

To promptly amend and supplement Circular No. 30/TT-LB dated August 28, 1974 of the Ministry of Finance and Education and Training on "Guidelines for implementing expenditure regulations for educational affairs in mountainous areas."

The Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Education and Training provide guidelines on financial regimes for boarding schools for ethnic minorities and preparatory universities as follows:

I-OBJECTS:

The subjects entitled to the benefits prescribed in this Circular are students meeting the admission criteria currently studying at central, provincial, and district-level boarding schools for ethnic minorities and preparatory universities.

II- REGIME FOR STUDENTS

Students currently studying at the aforementioned schools shall enjoy the following preferential regimes:

1. Tuition Fees:

Students within the above-mentioned category shall be exempt from tuition fees and other types of registration fees.

2. Scholarships:

- Students within the above-mentioned category studying at the aforementioned schools shall receive a policy scholarship of 120,000 VND/month and shall be entitled to 12 months of scholarship annually according to Point b of Article 1 of Decision No. 1121/1997/QĐ-TTg dated December 23, 1997 of the Prime Minister regarding "Scholarships and social allowances for students and trainees at public training institutions."

- In cases where students fail to advance to the next grade (retained), they shall only receive half of the scholarship amount for that academic year. If they still do not meet the requirements after three years, they will be returned to their place of origin. Each student may only be retained once per educational level.

- Students at boarding schools for ethnic minorities and preparatory universities who are eligible for policy scholarships but are also entitled to social allowances and preferential benefits under Article 66 of Decree No. 28/CP dated April 29, 1995 of the Government concerning "Guidelines for implementing certain provisions of the Ordinance on preferential treatment for revolutionary activists, martyrs, families of martyrs, wounded veterans, disabled veterans, those who participated in the resistance war, and those who contributed to the revolution," shall only be entitled to one benefit with the highest allowance rate.

3. Reward regime:

Students who excel in their studies and moral education, achieving satisfactory results or better (in the previous academic year), shall be rewarded once a year by the school as follows:

a. 120,000 VND if they achieve satisfactory results

b. 180,000 VND if they achieve good results

c. 240,000 VND if they achieve excellent results.

4. Provision of physical items:

When entering school, students facing economic difficulties (confirmed by local authorities) shall be supported financially to purchase personal items as follows:

+ Personal quilt

+ Personal curtain

+ Down jacket

+ Personal mat

+ Raincoat

+ Long-sleeved uniform shirt and pants

The maximum financial support provided once during the entire period of study is 360,000 VND/student.

5. Transportation expenses: Students shall be provided with transportation funds once a year (for both the trip to and from home) to visit their families during Tet or summer break.

6. Support for learning materials: Annually, students shall be supported financially for learning materials based on the standards for each educational level as follows:

Depending on specific circumstances, the school may issue these items either physically or in cash to students on a semester basis during the academic year. The maximum support level is defined as follows:

+ Elementary School (Grade 1): 30,000 VND/student/year

+ Lower Secondary School (Grade 2): 40,000 VND/student/year

+ Upper Secondary School and Preparatory University: 50,000 VND/student/year.

7. Textbooks: The school shall establish a shared textbook library for each student to borrow a set of textbooks corresponding to their current class. The school has the responsibility to organize and manage the borrowing and preservation of textbooks for long-term and effective use; each year, the school can purchase additional textbooks equivalent to 10% of the total number of textbooks in the shared library.

8. Expenses for Tet and ethnic festivals:

The school may organize two events annually for students to stay at school instead of returning home during the Lunar New Year and traditional ethnic festivals, with an expense of 10,000 VND/student/event.

9. Expenses for cultural and sports activities:

a. Each class shall be provided with

1 local newspaper

1 youth or "Education and Era" newspaper or a literary magazine for ethnic groups.

b. Expenses for club recreational activities: cultural, artistic, physical education activities, and mass propaganda and mobilization activities organized by the school (budgeted within 5% of the student scholarship fund).

10. Health protection expenses:

+ Expenses for purchasing health check-up books and organizing annual health check-ups for students.

+ Expenses for purchasing health insurance and common medicines for students stored in the school's medicine cabinet.

11. Expenses for admissions and graduation examinations:

Admissions work and examination, promotion, graduation, and transfer procedures shall be carried out in accordance with the current regulations of the Ministry of Education and Training. The school shall prepare budgets for the following expenses:

+ Preparation of admission, enrollment, and graduation files according to current regulations.

+ Issuance of student cards and individual badges.

12. Electricity and water expenses for study and living:

The school shall prepare a budget for electricity and water expenses for study and living for students as follows:

+ Lighting electricity: average 25KW/month/student according to the local electricity price.

+ Water for daily use: average 4 cubic meters/month/student according to the local water price.

Where conditions do not allow for the provision of electricity and water services, the school may allocate funds for purchasing oil lamps, installing water pumps, or digging wells. Individual electricity and water expenses shall not be distributed.

13. Collective dining hall expenses: Annually, the school is allowed to purchase, supplement, and repair dining equipment at a rate of 15,000 VND per student per year.

14. Other provisions:

+ For students who cannot continue their studies at the school due to not graduating, being disciplined with compulsory withdrawal, or withdrawing due to long-term illness, they shall follow the current regulations of the Ministry of Education and Training and will not be entitled to continue receiving stipends as provided in this Circular.

+ In cases of temporary detention, during the period of detention, they will not be entitled to scholarships.

+ Students who miss classes for medical treatment still receive scholarships but not exceeding three months in total. If students must return home, travel expenses including those for accompanying personnel will be reimbursed.

III - FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT WORK:

1. Budget preparation work:

General schools for ethnic minorities residing within counties, provinces, central areas, and preparatory universities prepare annual expenditure budgets according to Circular No. 103/1998/TT-BTC dated July 18, 1998, issued by the Ministry of Finance, guiding the delegation, preparation, implementation, and settlement of state budget.

2. Accounting and settlement work:

General schools for ethnic minorities residing and preparatory universities implement Decree No. 87/CP dated December 19, 1996, issued by the Government detailing the delegation of management, preparation, implementation, and settlement of the state budget; Decision No. 999TC/QĐ/CĐKT dated November 2, 1996, issued by the Minister of Finance regarding the issuance of the accounting system for administrative and public services and current accounting regulations of the State.

3. Financial inspection and audit work:

+ Schools implement financial transparency, regularly organize self-inspection of accounting records and the use of funds within the school.

+ The higher-level educational management agency collaborates with the same-level finance agency to conduct regular inspections and approve settlements of the school according to current regulations.

IV- IMPLEMENTATION:

1. Funding for students in general schools for ethnic minorities residing and preparatory universities is included in the annual education and training budget.

2. This Circular takes effect from September 1, 1998, and replaces Circular No. 30/TT-LB dated August 28, 1974, issued jointly by the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Finance. Specifically, the scholarship regime for students in general schools for ethnic minorities residing and preparatory universities according to Decision No. 1121/1997/QĐ-TTg dated December 23, 1997, issued by the Prime Minister, will be implemented from January 1, 1998.

During implementation, if any issues arise, please report them to the relevant authorities for timely research and supplementation or amendment.