Joint Circular No. 130/2013/TTLT-BTC-BGDĐT guiding the financial regime for implementing Decision No. 911/QĐ-TTg dated June 17, 2010 of the Prime Minister on the Project "Training Doctorate-level Lecturers for Universities and Colleges during the Period 2010-2020".

JOINT CIRCULAR

Guidelines on the content and expenditure levels for implementing Decision No. 911/QĐ-TTg dated June 17, 2010 of the Prime Minister regarding the Project "Training lecturers with doctoral degrees for universities and colleges during the period 2010-2020"Implementing Decision No. 911/QĐ-TTg dated June 17, 2010 of the Prime Minister regarding the Project "Training lecturers with doctoral degrees for universities and colleges during the period 2010-2020"The Minister of Finance and the Minister of Education and Training issue this Circular to guide the content and expenditure levels for implementing Decision No. 911/QĐ-TTg dated June 17, 2010 of the Prime Minister regarding the Project "Training lecturers with doctoral degrees for universities and colleges during the period 2010-2020" as follows:

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Pursuant to Decree No. 118/2008/NĐ-CP dated November 27, 2008, of the Government stipulating the functions, tasks, powers, and organizational structure of the Ministry of Finance;

Pursuant to Decree No. 32/2008/NĐ-CP dated March 19, 2008 of the Government stipulating the functions, tasks, powers, and organizational structure of the Ministry of Education and Training;

Pursuant to Decree No. 60/2003/NĐ-CP dated June 6, 2003, promulgated by the Government detailing and guiding the implementation of the Law on State Budget;

Article 1. This Circular guides financial management for the Project "Training lecturers with doctoral degrees for universities and colleges during the period 2010-2020" as stipulated in Decision No. 911/QĐ-TTg dated June 17, 2010 of the Prime Minister (hereinafter referred to as Project 911).

Article 2. The subjects to which this Circular applies are universities, colleges, agencies, units, and individuals assigned tasks to implement training under Project 911 by the Ministry of Education and Training; individuals selected for doctoral student training under Project 911.

PART I

GENERAL PROVISIONS

Article 1. Scope of Regulation and Applicability

Article 3. Sources of funds for implementing Project 911:Clause 1. State budget (SB) supports universities and training institutions assigned tasks to train doctoral students under Project 911 based on the number of doctoral students (DS) admitted and trained according to the target groups, fields within the framework of training quotas assigned by competent authorities and the training expenditure levels prescribed in this Circular.

Clause 2. Tuition revenue from training:

The Ministry of Education and Training and training institutions assigned tasks to implement training under Project 911 shall determine tuition fees applicable to each training specialty based on Decree No. 49/2010/NĐ-CP dated May 14, 2010 of the Government on exemption, reduction of tuition fees, support for educational expenses, and mechanisms for collecting and using tuition fees for the national education system from the academic year 2010-2011 to the academic year 2014-2015 (Decree 49) and related legal documents.

CONTENT AND EXPENDITURE LEVELS

Article 4. Provisions on financial management for full-time training abroad:

Clause 1. Regarding tuition fee collection:

3. Other legitimate sources of revenue.

Chapter II

The Ministry of Education and Training shall establish tuition fee levels based on the domestic tuition fee levels for doctoral training as prescribed in Decree 49.

From 2014, successful DS candidates of Project 911 are responsible for paying tuition fees to the Ministry of Education and Training (the unit assigned the task of managing overseas students) once for the entire study period abroad before being dispatched. The Ministry of Education and Training shall deposit the collected tuition fees into the State Treasury as prescribed and use these revenues to cover management, annual summary, and evaluation costs of the Project implementation. Annually, the Ministry of Education and Training shall prepare a budget for expenditures from tuition fees for the Project to be reviewed by the Ministry of Finance prior to implementation. The Ministry of Education and Training shall remit the State budget for the remaining tuition fee revenues from overseas training after deducting management and project summary costs.

Clause 2. Regarding training content and expenditure levels:

Implementation shall follow the provisions of Joint Circular No. 144/2007/TTLT-BTC-BGDĐT-BNG dated December 5, 2007 of the Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Education and Training, and Ministry of Foreign Affairs guiding the issuance and management of funding for overseas Vietnamese student training using state budget funds, and Joint Circular No. 206/2010/TTLT-BTC-BGDĐT-BNG dated December 15, 2010 of the Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Education and Training, and Ministry of Foreign Affairs amending and supplementing Joint Circular No. 144/2007/TTLT-BTC-BGDĐT-BNG, and any subsequent amendments and supplements (if any).

Clause 3. Annually, the Ministry of Education and Training shall clearly define the demand for the number of DS to be trained in each training field for the planned year, detailing by country where DS will be trained (specifically including current DS, new DS to enroll, and DS to complete studies and return), and based on the tuition fee levels and training expenditure levels prescribed in Clauses 1 and 2 of this Article, build a budget for implementing Project 911 for the planned year to be submitted to the Ministry of Finance as a basis for consolidation and allocation of the budget for funding.

2. Regarding the content and funding levels for training:

Implement in accordance with the provisions of Circular Joint Circular No. 144/2007/TTLT-BTC-BGDĐT-BNG dated December 5, 2007, issued by the Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Education and Training, and Ministry of Foreign Affairs guiding the issuance and management of training funds for Vietnamese overseas students from state budget sources, and Joint Circular No. 206/2010/TTLT-BTC-BGDĐT-BNG dated December 15, 2010, issued by the Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Education and Training, and Ministry of Foreign Affairs amending and supplementing Joint Circular No. 144/2007/TTLT-BTC-BGDĐT-BNG, and any additional amendments and supplements (if applicable).

3. Annually, the Ministry of Education and Training shall clearly determine the number of postgraduate students required for each field of study in the planning year, detailing to each country sending postgraduate students (detailed according to the number of students currently studying, the number of new incoming students, and the number of students completing their studies and returning home), and based on the collection rates and funding levels specified in Clause 1 and Clause 2 of this Article, prepare the budget estimate for implementing Project 911 in the planning year to be submitted to the Ministry of Finance as the basis for consolidation and allocation of the budget for funding.

Article 4. Financial management regulations for NCS and training institutions under Project 911 in full-time domestic training mode

Clause 2. Regarding training content and expenditure levels:

Based on the characteristics and development requirements of the training sector and the training method (full-time domestic training or combined training), in accordance with Decree 49 and related legal documents; training institutions assigned the task of training NCS under Project 911 shall independently establish tuition fees commensurate with the training costs. In this regard:

- Training institutions directly under central ministries and sectors shall establish tuition fee levels and report to their respective supervising ministries for consolidation and obtain written consensus from the Ministry of Education and Training before implementation.

- Training institutions under local management shall establish tuition fee levels and submit them to the provincial People's Committee for approval by the provincial People's Council before implementation.

NCS under Project 911 are responsible for paying full tuition fees to the training institution on a monthly basis (maximum not exceeding 10 months/year); in cases where NCS voluntarily agree, the training institution may collect the fees once for the entire semester or academic year. In cases where credit-based study systems are organized, the training institution shall convert the fees to be collected based on credits but the total tuition fees collected according to credits for the entire course shall not exceed the tuition fees stipulated for the course if collected annually.

Training institutions are responsible for implementing the regulation on publicly disclosing the tuition fee collection standards for the entire course as prescribed by the Ministry of Education and Training and depositing the collected tuition fees into the State Treasury as prescribed.

2. Regarding the level of financial support from the State Budget:

The State Budget will provide funding for training institutions assigned the task of implementing Project 911 based on the actual number of NCS enrolled within the training quota assigned by the Ministry of Education and Training and the expenditure rate for each specialized training field. The specific amounts are as follows:

- For the medical and pharmaceutical fields: VND 16 million/NCS/year;

- For the natural sciences, engineering, technology, agriculture, forestry, fisheries, physical education, and arts fields: VND 14 million/NCS/year;

- For the social sciences, economics, law, hotel management, tourism, and other fields (excluding those mentioned above): VND 10 million/NCS/year.

Duration of support: Maximum not exceeding 3 years/NCS.

3. In addition to the State Budget funding provided to the aforementioned training institutions, to encourage quality improvement, the State Budget will provide additional funding according to the provisions of Clause 2 of this Article (corresponding to each specialized training field) to enable training institutions to directly support NCS currently enrolled who have good academic performance (meeting minimum conditions regarding academic results and research as specified in the attached Circular) to implement the following activities:

- Publishing scientific articles domestically or internationally;

- Conducting domestic surveys, practical experiments serving research topics;

- Attending international conferences and short-term internships abroad: The maximum number of NCS sent shall not exceed 25% of the total number of NCS enrolled at the training institution under Project 911 (the content and expenditure rates shall be applied according to current state regulations on travel expenses for civil servants undertaking short-term missions abroad funded by the State Budget).

Duration of support: During the time NCS are studying at the training institution (not exceeding 3 years).

In addition to State Budget support, training institutions can mobilize additional contributions from legitimate sources such as students and agencies sending NCS to study based on mutual agreement. Training institutions are responsible for establishing criteria and regulations for supporting NCS meeting the conditions to receive support for the aforementioned activities based on the training requirements for NCS set by the Ministry of Education and Training and the provisions of this Circular, and publicly announcing these regulations.

4. Methods of providing financial support from the State Budget to training institutions assigned the task of training under Project 911:

a) For the first year of being assigned the training task:

Based on the list and actual number of NCS admitted and enrolled in training institutions for each specialized training field, not exceeding the annual training quota assigned by the Ministry of Education and Training (confirmed by the Ministry of Education and Training), the State Budget will directly provide funding to the training institutions according to the actual number of NCS and the expenditure rates stipulated in Clauses 2 and 3 of this Article.

b) For subsequent years:

Based on the list and actual number of NCS currently enrolled and newly admitted and enrolled in training institutions, the State Budget will continue to provide funding for the NCS currently enrolled and new entrants according to the expenditure rates stipulated in Clauses 2 and 3 of this Article.

To ensure that the number of newly admitted NCS each year aligns with the State Budget's capacity, the maximum number of new admissions annually shall not exceed 30% of the actual number of NCS admitted in the previous year (starting from the implementation index of 2013). Based on the actual implementation, the Ministry of Education and Training will adjust and assign new admission quotas to training institutions ensuring they do not exceed the annual new admission quota of Project 911.

5. Management and utilization of funding sources:

a) Based on the funding sources used for Project 911, current financial expenditure regulations, and the provisions of this Circular, the heads of training institutions are responsible for issuing or amending internal financial expenditure regulations for NCS training under Project 911 and making them public within the institution.

b) The internal financial expenditure regulations for NCS training under Project 911 should include contents such as: remuneration for teaching and guiding NCS under Project 911 (or hiring domestic or foreign lecturers, if applicable); costs for compiling/completing programs and textbooks; costs for thesis examination boards, topic reviews, dissertation defense committees, and other related items; costs for supporting NCS to publish domestic and international articles; costs for supporting NCS to conduct domestic surveys, practical experiments, and laboratory tests serving research topics; costs for supporting NCS attending conferences, seminars, and short-term internships abroad; costs for upgrading facilities, laboratories, libraries, and other expenditures directly related to NCS training to ensure the quality of training as required by Project 911.

c) The budget for state financial support for training institutions that have not fully utilized their allocated funds by the end of the year shall be carried over to the following year for continued use.

Article 5. Financial regime for combined training methods

1. Combined training method:

The combined training method is a training method prescribed by the Ministry of Education and Training, under which doctoral students are trained part-time within the country and part-time abroad, with cooperation between domestic doctoral training institutions and foreign doctoral training institutions.

2. Regarding tuition fees:

- For the period when doctoral students are trained abroad: Implemented according to Clause 1, Article 3 of this Circular.

- For the period when doctoral students are trained domestically: Implemented according to Clause 1, Article 4 of this Circular.

3. Regarding training content and expenditure levels:

- For the period when doctoral students are trained abroad: Implemented according to Clause 2, Article 3 of this Circular.

- For the period when doctoral students are trained domestically: Implemented according to Clauses 2, 3, 4, and 5, Article 4 of this Circular.

Article 6. Financial regime for training institutions assigned tasks to train pre-doctoral students by the Ministry of Education and Training

1. Pre-doctoral training institutions must meet the requirements and quality assurance conditions stipulated by the Ministry of Education and Training and be decided by the Ministry of Education and Training to undertake the task of pre-doctoral student training.

2. In principle, all expenses during the study period at pre-doctoral training institutions will be borne by the student or the agency sending the student.

a) Pre-doctoral training institutions may apply the provisions and cost standards for college and university training when training pre-doctoral classes; they may also apply the cost standards specified in Circular No. 123/2009/TT-BTC dated June 17, 2009, issued by the Ministry of Finance, regarding the content and level of expenditures for building framework programs and compiling textbooks for undergraduate, college, and vocational secondary education programs.

b) Pre-doctoral training institutions may collect tuition fees from students at a maximum rate not exceeding 150% of the regular tuition fees for the same level of education and the same field of study as prescribed in Decree 49.

c) To create conditions for improving the quality of training, the state finances will initially support pre-doctoral training institutions in upgrading facilities, training equipment, and compiling training textbooks, with a maximum support level not exceeding 1 billion VND per institution. Pre-doctoral training institutions need to develop a proposal to enhance training quality and submit it to the competent authority for approval and send it to the Ministry of Finance as a basis for considering financial support.

Chapter III

ESTABLISHING BUDGET ESTIMATES AND SETTLEMENT OF EXPENSES

Article 7. Budget preparation and approval

1. For full-time training abroad and the period of training abroad under the combined training method:

a) Based on the guidelines for annual budget preparation issued by the Ministry of Finance; based on the number of newly admitted doctoral students for full-time training abroad, the actual number of doctoral students currently studying abroad, and based on the consolidated reports from central agencies and localities regarding the expected number of new doctoral students to be sent abroad under the combined training method; the Ministry of Education and Training will prepare the budget for implementing Project 911, which will be included in the overall budget of the Ministry of Education and Training and submitted to the Ministry of Finance for approval by the competent authority as prescribed.

b) Annually, the Ministry of Education and Training guides the management agencies of training institutions tasked with implementing Project 911 to report the expected number of doctoral students to be sent abroad under the combined training method, to be submitted to the Ministry of Education and Training as a basis for preparing the budget.

c) The funding for Project 911 (for full-time training abroad and the period of training abroad under the combined training method) is allocated within the total annual budget of the Ministry of Education and Training to pay for training institutions and doctoral students abroad as prescribed.

2. For full-time training domestically and the period of training domestically under the combined training method:

a) Each year, training institutions tasked with implementing Project 911 will prepare the budget for the project, clearly explaining the state financial support requested and the self-funded portion, which will be consolidated into the budget of the training institution and submitted to the management agency and the Ministry of Education and Training for consolidation and submission to the Ministry of Finance for approval by the competent authority as prescribed.

b) Based on the approved annual budget, the Ministry of Education and Training and the management agencies of training institutions tasked with implementing Project 911 will allocate the budget for each institution based on the admission results, the actual number of doctoral students in the year for Project 911, and the proposed budget for implementation at affiliated training institutions.

3. For the year 2013, the Ministry of Education and Training will proactively arrange the budget already allocated to implement the contents as guided by this Circular.

Article 8. Management, utilization, and settlement of funds

1. Training institutions and units assigned the task of implementing Project 911 annually shall be responsible for compiling a list of PhD students under Project 911 to send to the managing agency for consolidation and reporting to the Ministry of Education and Training, which will then consolidate and report to the Ministry of Finance according to the number of PhD students in each training specialty and the amount of funds already implemented; send to the State Treasury where the unit conducts transactions as the basis for controlling and disbursing funds in accordance with guiding documents for the implementation of the Law on State Budget, current expenditure regulations, and specific provisions in this Circular.

The head of the training institution and units assigned the task of implementing Project 911 shall be responsible for the number and list of PhD students reported.

2. The use of funds to implement Project 911 must ensure complete documentation as required by current laws; be settled in accordance with the source of funds used and consistent with the corresponding budget item in the annual financial report of the training institution to be consolidated and sent to the managing agency, and submitted to the financial authority for review in accordance with the regulations.

3. The State Treasury shall disburse, settle, and control expenditures for implementing Project 911 based on the list of PhD students compiled and sent annually by training institutions, specific provisions in this Circular, and related guiding documents for the implementation of the Law on State Budget.

Chapter IV

RESPONSIBILITIES AND IMPLEMENTATION ORGANIZATION

Article 9. Responsibilities of the Ministry of Education and Training

1. Direct the organization and implementation of Project 911 to ensure quality and effectiveness; issue regulations ensuring the quality of domestic training methods and priority fields for overseas training.

2. Issue regulations on criteria, conditions, and target groups for selecting PhD students and training institutions that meet the training conditions stipulated in Project 911.

3. Develop a comprehensive training plan and overall budget estimate for the entire Project: detailing the number, training methods (full-time overseas training, combined training, full-time domestic training), and training plans along with the consolidated budget estimate for implementing Project 911 annually to submit to the Ministry of Finance for consideration and decision-making by the competent authority; be responsible for self-assuring the funding for implementing the Project in cases where admissions exceed training targets, new overseas training beyond the Project's implementation period, and funding for the entire phase exceeding the total level specified in Project 911.

4. Monitor, evaluate the progress and quality of Project implementation, and supervise the reception and job placement of Project 911 PhD students at training institutions; periodically summarize and evaluate the results and report.

Article 10. Responsibilities of the Ministry of Finance

1. Participate with the Ministry of Education and Training in the overall implementation plan for Project 911 regarding the number, field structure, training methods (full-time overseas training, combined training, full-time domestic training), and the budget estimate for implementing Project 911.

2. Annually, coordinate with the Ministry of Education and Training to consolidate and submit to the competent authority for approval the overall budget estimate for implementing Project 911.

3. Coordinate with the Ministry of Education and Training to inspect the management and use of funds for implementing Project 911 in accordance with intended purposes, target groups, and prescribed financial regulations.

Article 11. Responsibilities of Training Institutions

1. Annually report to the Ministry of Education and Training the training plan and targets for each specialty assigned with training tasks, admission results, and the list of postgraduate students actually studying at the training institution.

2. Ensure the quality of training in accordance with the requirements of the Ministry of Education and Training; manage and use the financial resources to implement Project 911 in compliance with the prescribed financial policies and regulations.

3. The training institution that sends lecturers to study under Project 911 shall be responsible for developing an annual plan for sending lecturers for training and arranging work for these lecturers within six months after they have completed the training program of Project 911. If the training institution does not issue a decision to accept or hire the lecturers as faculty members or arrange work for them beyond this period, the training institution shall be responsible for refunding the entire training costs according to the levels specified in this Circular to the State Budget.

The Ministry of Education and Training shall issue a decision requiring training institutions to compensate for training costs as stipulated.

Article 12. Responsibilities of Postgraduate Students

1. Complete the registered training program and return to the training institution that sent them to study after graduation to go through the procedures for reacceptance.

2. Pay tuition fees as prescribed by the training institution; ensure funding for training expenses corresponding to each group of majors as stipulated in Clause 2, Article 4 of this Circular for extended study periods (beyond three years as prescribed).

3. Be responsible for compensating for all training costs if they fail to complete the training program or do not comply with the assignments of the organization or agency that sent them for training after completing the training program. Compensation for training costs shall be carried out in accordance with current state regulations on scholarship compensation and training costs.

Article 13. Implementation Organization

This Circular takes effect from November 5, 2013.

2. During implementation, if the regulatory legal documents cited for application in this Joint Circular are amended, supplemented, or replaced by new documents, they shall be applied according to the new documents; in case of difficulties or obstacles, it is recommended that units promptly reflect them to the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Education and Training for research and resolution./.