Joint Circular No. 36/TT-LB guiding the budget for preparing examination questions and organizing examinations for excellent students and graduation exams.

CIRCULAR

OF THE JOINT CIRCULAR OF THE MINISTRY OF FINANCE AND THE MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING

Guidelines for expenditure standards for
examination question-setting work and organization of student excellence competitions and graduation examinations

Implementing Decree No. 87/CP dated December 19, 1996 of the Government guiding the implementation of decentralization management, budget preparation, execution, and settlement of the State budget. Based on Article 2 of Decision No. 241/TTg dated May 24, 1993 of the Prime Minister regarding the collection and use of tuition fees; to stabilize annual expenditures for final exams, graduation exams, and admissions exams organized by the Ministry of Education and Training and provincial education departments; the Joint Circular of the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Education and Training promulgates expenditure standards for examination question-setting work and organization of student excellence competitions and graduation examinations as follows:

I. SCOPE AND APPLICABLE SUBJECTS

1- Examinations organized by the Ministry of Education and Training

Central Examination Question-Setting Committee:

* Graduation examination for secondary school

* National student excellence competitions

2- Examinations organized by provincial education departments:

Local Examination Question-Setting Committee:

* Graduation examination for elementary school

* Graduation examination for lower secondary school and supplementary lower secondary school

* Admissions examination for first-year classes

* Student excellence competitions at district (county) and provincial (city) levels

II. SPECIFIC GUIDELINES

1- Contents of expenditures for examinations:

1.1- Expenditure for question-setting

Proposing questions (five proposed questions to select and build one official question set and only applicable to the Central Committee)

Official question setting

Inviting external experts to provide opinions on the official question set (if any)

The Examination Question-Setting Committee guides marking and scoring criteria

Chairman of the Committee reviews the questions and the "marking guide"

Collecting and duplicating tapes (for foreign language subjects)

Duplicating and sealing individual subject packets and common packets for each committee

1.2- Expenditure for marking examinations

Numbering and checking answer sheets

Marking examination papers (by two or more markers)

Matching answer sheets, entering scores, reviewing results, and awarding prizes

Responsibility allowance for examination marking team leaders

1.3- Expenditure for examination organization and management:

Renting working locations for the Examination Question-Setting Committee and marking committee (if any) according to actual contracts

Responsibility allowance for Chairmen, Vice-Chairmen, Secretaries of examination committees

Responsibility allowance for invigilators

Expenditure for members of the Examination Question-Setting Committee and duplicating question sets during special isolated periods (additional food allowance, newspaper purchase allowance, etc.)

Expenditure for hiring security guards, medical staff, technical personnel, and service staff in isolation areas during examination committee operations

Expenditure for inspection and supervision before, during, and after examinations - Organizing additional examination days (in special cases), re-marking examination papers

Expenditure for inspecting name lists, score sheets, reviewing examination results (graduation examinations, selecting excellent students), and awarding prizes

1.4- Other expenses:

Renting (or purchasing) equipment (if any)

Purchasing supplies (floppy disks, cassette tapes, security locks, etc.)

Expenditure for office supplies

Expenditure for printing certificates, examination papers, envelopes, etc.

2- Expenditure Standards:

2.1- Expenditure standards for question-setting and organizing graduation examinations for general secondary schools, supplementary secondary schools, and national student excellence competitions organized by the Ministry of Education and Training:

* Question-setting (unit of measurement is per question set)

* Marking examinations: (unit of measurement is per paper)

* Expenditure for responsibility allowances for those organizing and managing examinations (calculated by day of work)

- Renting software, security keys, and encryption (according to agreed contracts)

- Renting working and isolation areas (according to agreed contracts)

- Renting computers (if any) (according to contracts between both parties)

2.2- Expenditure standards for question-setting and organizing examinations conducted by provincial education departments:

- For elementary school graduation examinations, costs are calculated at 60% of the above standards.

- For lower secondary school graduation examinations, supplementary lower secondary school, admissions examinations for first-year classes, and student excellence competitions at district and provincial city levels, costs are calculated at 80% of the above standards.

2.3- The funds allocated for examinations organized by the Ministry of Education and Training and provincial education departments are included in the annual budget of the education sector. All revenue from examination fees and admission fees collected according to Decision No. 241/TTg dated May 24, 1993 of the Prime Minister regarding the collection and use of tuition fees shall be remitted to the State budget.

The Ministry of Education and Training and provincial education departments must prepare budgets for organizing these examinations within their annual budget plans and settle accounts with the State budget annually according to current regulations stipulated in the Accounting and Statistics Ordinance dated May 10, 1988; Decree No. 25/HĐBT dated March 18, 1989 of the Council of Ministers (now the Government) promulgating the Accounting Organization Regulations; Decree No. 87/CP dated December 19, 1996 of the Government detailing the decentralization management, budget preparation, execution, and settlement of the State budget; Circular No. 09-TC/NSNN dated March 18, 1997 of the Ministry of Finance: "Guidelines for decentralization, budget preparation, execution, and settlement of the State budget"; Decision No. 999 TC/QĐ/CĐKT dated November 2, 1996 of the Minister of Finance on issuing the accounting system for administrative and public services and current accounting guidelines issued by the State.

III - IMPLEMENTATION

• This circular takes effect from June 1, 1997.
• In the course of implementation, if there are difficulties or obstacles, it is recommended that the Department of Finance and Prices and the Department of Education and Training report to the Joint Ministry for timely supplementation and amendment.