Joint Circular No. 35/2003/TTLT/BTC-BGD guiding certain contents and expenditure levels of the Primary School Teacher Development Project

JOINT CIRCULAR

Guidelines for certain contents and expenditure levels of the Project

Primary School Teacher Development

Pursuant to the Credit Agreement No. 3594-VN dated 2/4/2002; the Non-Reimbursable Aid Trust Fund Agreement No. TF 023861 dated 2/4/2002 between the Government of Vietnam Male and the World Bank (WB) regarding financial support for the Primary School Teacher Development Project;

Pursuant to Decision No. 906/QD-TTg dated 24/7/2001 of the Prime Minister on investment (Phase I) of the "Primary School Teacher Development" Project;

Pursuant to Decision No. 112/2001/QĐ-BTC dated November 9, 2001 of the Minister of Finance on issuing certain consumption standards applicable to Projects using Official Development Assistance (ODA) loan funds;

Pursuant to Decision No. 6051/QĐ-BGD&ĐT-TCCB dated 5/11/2001 of the Minister of Education and Training on establishing the Project Coordination Board for the Primary School Teacher Development Project;

The Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Education and Training jointly issue guidelines for certain contents and expenditure levels of the Primary School Teacher Development Project as follows:

I. The Project Owner is the Ministry of Planning and Investment, People's Committees of Hoa Binh, Son La, Lao Cai, Yen Bai, Phu Tho, and Bac Giang provinces. To implement the project and coordinate activities within the Project, the Project Owners establish the Project Management Board.

1- The Ministry of Education and Training is the managing agency of the Primary School Teacher Development Project.

The Project Coordination Board for the Primary School Teacher Development Project (hereinafter referred to as the Project Coordination Board) shall undertake the tasks of organizing implementation and coordinating activities of the Project.

2- The Project Implementation Budget for the Primary School Teacher Development Project includes:

Loan from the World Bank (WB);

Non-repayable aid from the United Kingdom's Department for International Development (DFID);

Counterpart funding from the Government of Vietnam.

3- The provisions of this Circular only apply to the Primary School Teacher Development Project.

II. SPECIFIC PROVISIONS:

1- Allocation of Expenditure Items:

1.1- WB Loan:

Purchase of goods, materials, equipment, and tools for teaching and learning pilot programs;

Training both domestically and internationally, including: seminars, workshops, teacher training, pilot teaching, framework program development, textbook compilation.

1.2- Non-repayable aid from DFID:

Domestic consultancy costs (including salaries of contractual staff for professional and technical positions with written approval from DFID and WB) and international consultancy costs;

Overseas training.

1.3- Counterpart funding from the Government of Vietnam:

Regular activities expenses of the Project Coordination Board: rental, office supplies, electricity and water payments, communication, contract payments, leasing, tax payments...

Salaries for contractual drivers and service staff...

Domestic training: seminars, workshops, teacher training, pilot teaching, framework program development, textbook compilation;

Purchase of goods, materials, equipment, and tools for teaching and learning pilot programs.

1.4- The use of Project funds for the above tasks must comply with the ratios specified in the Credit Agreement and the Non-Repayable Aid Agreement.

2- Contents and Expenditure Levels of the Project:

2.1- Expenses for domestic conferences, seminars, workshops, and training:

The Project Coordination Board shall prepare detailed reports on the content, number of participants, duration, and location suitable for project implementation requirements and the provisions of the Credit Agreement and the Non-Repayable Aid Agreement.

The duration of conferences and seminars shall not exceed three days, and training sessions shall not exceed ten days. The expenditure for these tasks shall be implemented according to Decision No. 112/2001/QĐ-BTC of the Minister of Finance on issuing certain consumption standards applicable to Projects using Official Development Assistance (ODA) loan funds.

For training courses lasting more than ten days and domestic training programs, the expenditure shall be carried out according to contracts between the training institution and the Project, approved by the Ministry of Education and Training.

2.2- Expenses for pilot teaching and responsibility allowances for teachers and school management personnel at selected teacher training colleges and primary schools:

Expenditure for training model teachers: 10,000 VND/session of model teaching.

Allowance for teachers conducting pilot lessons: 5,000 VND per lesson.

Responsibility allowance for school management personnel (principals and vice-principals directly participating in project activities) at selected teacher training colleges and primary schools, members of the steering committees at various levels implementing pilot projects (if any), maximum 150,000 VND per person per month.

2.3- Expenses for developing framework programs for majors and compiling subject curricula:

Drafting guiding documents, draft discussion papers, and conclusions of curriculum development councils: 50,000 VND per page.

Developing framework programs and subject curricula:

Compiling curricula              : 55,000 VND per hour.

Editing and overall revision      : 30,000 VND per hour.

Reading and reviewing comments             : 25,000 VND per hour.

Compiling textbooks:

Writing textbooks                           : 50,000 VND per page.

Editing and revising                   : 25,000 VND per page.

Reading and reviewing comments             : 20,000 VND per page.

2.4- Translation cost standards:

Implemented according to Decision No. 112/2001/QĐ-BTC of the Minister of Finance on issuing certain consumption standards applicable to Projects using Official Development Assistance (ODA) loan funds, specifically as follows:

(1) Written translation:

Translating materials from foreign languages into Vietnamese: not exceeding 35,000 VND per page of 300 words.

Translating materials from Vietnamese into foreign languages: not exceeding 40,000 VND per page of 300 words.

(2) Interpreting:

General interpreting: not exceeding 70,000 VND per hour per person, equivalent to not exceeding 560,000 VND per day per person working 8 hours.

Simultaneous interpreting: not exceeding 150,000 VND per hour per person, equivalent to not exceeding 1,200,000 VND per day per person working 8 hours.

The aforementioned translation expenditure standards only apply when the Project needs to hire external translators and interpreters; they do not apply to translators and interpreters who are Project staff.

2.5- Expenses for short-term and long-term overseas seminars and training:

The level of expenditure for officials participating in short-term overseas seminars, training, and education shall be in accordance with Circular No. 45/1999/TT-BTC dated May 4, 1999 of the Ministry of Finance "Regulations on travel expenses for state officials going on short-term missions abroad" and Circular No. 108/1999/TT-BTC dated September 4, 1999 of the Ministry of Finance providing supplementary guidance on some points of Circular No. 45/1999/TT-BTC.

For long-term overseas training tasks:

Based on the regulations of the Ministry of Education and Training regarding the selection of scholarship students under the "Training Scientific and Technical Personnel at Foreign Educational Institutions Using State Budget Funds" Program, the Project Coordination Board shall develop regulations for selecting scholarship students for long-term overseas training to be submitted to the Ministry of Education and Training for approval.

The level of expenditure shall be applied in accordance with the provisions of Circular Joint No. 88/2001/TTLT/BTC-BGD&ĐT-BNG dated November 6, 2001, issued by the Joint Ministry of Finance - Ministry of Education and Training - Ministry of Foreign Affairs guiding the management and allocation of state budget funds for the Project "Training scientific and technical cadres at foreign training institutions using state budget funds," and Circular Joint No. 28/2003/TTLT/BTC-BGD&ĐT dated April 4, 2003, issued by the Joint Ministry of Finance - Ministry of Education and Training, "Regulating the collection and use of examination fees and application fees (admission fees) for educational institutions under the national education system."

The obligations of overseas students shall be implemented in accordance with the provisions of Circular Joint No. 75/2000/TTLB/BTC-BGD&ĐT dated July 20, 2000, issued by the Joint Ministry of Finance - Ministry of Education and Training, "Guiding the reimbursement of training costs for individuals sent abroad but who did not return to the country on schedule," and other provisions of the Project.

2.6- For domestic investigations within the components of the Project, they shall be carried out based on the agreement between the Project Coordination Board and the domestic consulting unit according to the requirements of the investigation. The levels of expenditure for these tasks shall be determined by the Project Coordination Board based on the levels of expenditure stipulated in Circular No. 114/2000/TT-BTC dated November 27, 2000, issued by the Ministry of Finance, "Guiding the management of funds for investigations from state budget sources."

2.7- Expenditure for overtime work: shall be applied in accordance with the provisions of the Labor Law and Circular No. 18/LĐTBXH-TT dated of the Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs guiding the implementation of wage, overtime, and night shift allowances. 2/6/1993 of the Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs guiding the implementation of wage payment regimes, overtime work, and night shift allowances.

2.8- The quota for mobile phone expenses is as follows:

The Project Coordination Board Leader shall pay no more than 300,000 VND/month.

The Assistant Project Leader shall be paid no more than 200,000 VND/month.

2.9- The monthly travel allowance quota for staff members who frequently use personal vehicles for official business trips shall not exceed 100,000 VND/month/person.

2.10- Expenses for testing and implementing professional standards and teacher training modules:

Draft guidelines for applying professional standards to evaluate primary school teachers;

Analyze the requirements for teacher training programs;

Develop training modules, training materials, audio tapes, video tapes, CDs, and web pages;

Draft and pilot new training programs and textbooks for primary school teacher training at teacher training colleges and primary schools...

On the basis of Based on the nature and content of the work, the Project Coordination Board Leader shall decide on the form of implementation (task-based contracts, time-based contracts, lump-sum contracts...) and the level of payment for each task in accordance with the project's financial capacity.

2.11- In addition to the above contents and expenditure levels, the Primary School Teacher Development Project may use grant funds from DFID to cover the following items: 

a- Wages for contractual employees working at the Project at the following rates:

Level 1: from 100 USD/person/month to 200 USD/person/month.

Level 2: from 200 USD/person/month to 250 USD/person/month.

Based on capability and job quality, the Project Coordination Board Leader shall report to the Minister of Education and Training for approval of wage payments to Project contractual employees.

b- Wages for domestic consultants (domestic consultants selected for positions specified in the Agreement; the selection process follows the World Bank's guidance, donor instructions, and Government of Vietnam's guidelines) at the following rates:

Level 1: from 250 USD/person/month to 450 USD/person/month.

Level 2: from 450 USD/person/month to 600 USD/person/month.

Level 3: from 600 USD/person/month to 800 USD/person/month.

Based on job requirements, consultant qualifications, and mutual agreement results, the Minister of Education and Training shall decide or delegate the Project Coordination Board Leader to decide on wage payments to domestic consultants.

3- Budget preparation, management, and settlement:

Budget preparation, management, allocation, and settlement procedures shall follow current regulations applicable to ODA operational funds.

3.1- Budget:

Annually, in accordance with the regulations on State Budget preparation, the Project Coordination Board shall prepare the Project's budget and submit it to the Ministry of Education and Training for consolidation into the Ministry's annual budget, which will then be submitted to the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Planning and Investment for consolidation and submission to the Government for approval by the National Assembly.

The annual budget of the Project must clearly define the loan capital, grant capital, and government matching fund (operational capital).

After the Prime Minister assigns the plan, the Ministry of Finance will notify the budget for state budget expenditures to the Ministry of Education and Training, including the Project's budget. The Ministry of Education and Training will allocate the budget to the Project in accordance with current regulations..

Based on the allocated annual budget, the Project Coordination Board will develop the Project's financial plan and submit it to the Ministry of Education and Training and the Ministry of Finance. Based on the Project's financial plan and the Ministry of Education and Training's comments, the Ministry of Finance will approve the financial plan in writing, sending it to both the Ministry of Education and Training and the State Treasury.

3.2- Expense control and fund allocation:

Procedures, formalities, and requirements for expense documentation shall be carried out in accordance with Circular No. 40/1998/TT-BTC dated March 31, 1998, issued by the Ministry of Finance, "Guiding the management, allocation, and settlement of state budget expenditures through the State Treasury," and related documents.

The State Treasury is responsible for controlling expenditures for activities within the scope of the Project carried out by the Project Coordination Board.

The disbursement of counterpart funds from the state budget for the Project shall be carried out in accordance with current regulations on the disbursement of state budget funds.

3.3- Withdrawal and use of World Bank (WB) loans:

Procedures and methods for withdrawing funds from WB loan sources shall be carried out in accordance with the provisions of Circular Joint No. 81/1998/TTLT-BTC-NHNN dated June 17, 1998, issued by the Joint Ministry of Finance - State Bank of Vietnam, "Guiding the procedures, formalities, and management of withdrawal for official development assistance funds"; Decision No. 96/2000/QĐ-BTC dated June 12, 2000, issued by the Minister of Finance, detailing the procedures and formalities for withdrawing ODA funds.

3.4- Accounting, settlement, and asset management shall be implemented according to the current regime for the administrative and public service sector.

Audit work shall be conducted in compliance with the provisions of the Agreement and the principles of the donor.

III. IMPLEMENTATION PROVISIONS:

This Circular takes effect fifteen days after its publication in the Official Gazette.

The funds temporarily advanced from the time the Project took effect until the effective date of this Circular shall be permitted to be settled according to the specific expenditure levels set forth in this Circular.

In case of difficulties during implementation, please report to the relevant ministries for consideration and resolution./.