Directive No. 38/2004/CT-TTg on Promoting Training and Upgrading of Minority Languages for Officials and Civil Servants Working in Ethnic and Mountainous Areas

DIRECTIVE OF THE PRIME MINISTER

On enhancing training and improving ethnic minority languages for cadres and civil servants working in ethnic regions and mountainous areas officials, civil servants working in ethnic minority areas, mountainous regions
officials, civil servants working in ethnic minority areas, mountainous regions

In recent years, the Party and State have issued many policies and systems for the cadre and civil servant corps in general, and for those cadres and civil servants working in ethnic regions and mountainous areas in particular. Cadres and civil servants dispatched to work in ethnic regions and mountainous areas have closely collaborated with the ethnic minority cadre and civil servant corps, contributing to accelerating economic and social development, gradually improving the material and spiritual life of the people, maintaining political security, and social order and safety in localities.

However, most cadres and civil servants working in ethnic regions and mountainous areas still face numerous difficulties in their work and daily life, one of the reasons being their lack of knowledge of ethnic minority languages and insufficient understanding of the customs, traditions, and cultural practices of ethnic minorities. This limitation has significantly impacted the effectiveness of propaganda, mobilization, and persuasion of ethnic minority compatriots in implementing the Party's guidelines, policies, and state laws.

The urgent requirements of management and economic and social development, as well as national defense and security, demand that cadres and civil servants working in regions with ethnic minorities must know ethnic languages to communicate and use them in their work.

To make learning ethnic minority languages a regular task for cadres and civil servants working in ethnic regions and mountainous areas according to Decisions No. 253/QĐ-TTg dated March 5, 2003, and Decision No. 03/2004/QĐ-TTg dated January 7, 2004, the Prime Minister issues the following directive:

1. Ministries, ministerial-level agencies, agencies under the Government, and provincial people's committees need to:

a) Enhance awareness in the training and improvement of ethnic minority languages for cadres and civil servants, particularly for leaders and managers at the district and commune levels, state civil servants, officers, and soldiers in the police and military forces working in ethnic regions and mountainous areas. This is an important task and a mandatory requirement.

b) Develop plans for training ethnic minority languages suitable for the work requirements of cadres and civil servants under their management who regularly work in fields related to propaganda, mobilization of ethnic compatriots, population management, maintenance of political security and national defense, economic and social development, poverty reduction, and eradication of hunger in ethnic regions and mountainous areas.

2. People's Committees of provinces with ethnic minorities:

a) Develop plans and organize training and improvement of ethnic minority languages for cadres and civil servants at all levels and sectors currently and will be working in ethnic regions and mountainous areas in their locality.

b) Propose the ethnic languages needed for training and improvement in their locality and coordinate with the Ministry of Home Affairs, the Ethnic Minority Committee, and the Ministry of Education and Training to organize the compilation of textbooks and materials on ethnic languages at different levels, meeting the characteristics and training needs of cadres and civil servants, and fulfilling assigned tasks.

c) Coordinate with the Ministry of Education and Training to prepare teaching staff for ethnic language instruction, focusing on teachers from ethnic minorities; study assigning the task of training and improving ethnic languages for cadres and civil servants to training institutions under provincial management.

d) Proactively formulate and implement incentive systems for ethnic language teachers and learners in their locality in accordance with the State Budget Law and the guidance of the Ministry of Finance.

3. The Ministry of Home Affairs:

a) Amend and supplement current legal provisions related to cadres and civil servants such as the criteria for civil servant trainees, civil service grade criteria, position title criteria, appointment and promotion criteria, linked to the ethnic language criteria for cadres and civil servants working in ethnic regions and mountainous areas; linking benefits with the responsibilities and obligations of state cadres and civil servants.

b) Take the lead and coordinate with provincial people's committees, the Ethnic Minority Committee, and the Vietnam Institute of Social Sciences to decide on the selection of ethnic minority languages to be taught to cadres and civil servants in each locality. Lead and coordinate with the Ministry of Education and Training to guide localities in compiling, reviewing, and issuing ethnic language textbooks and materials at different levels to suit the specific conditions of ethnic regions and localities; guide localities with similar ethnic characteristics to use common textbooks and materials already compiled to avoid waste. Strive to have sufficient ethnic language training textbooks and materials nationwide by the end of 2005 to implement.

c) Take the lead and coordinate with the Ministry of Planning and Investment, the Ministry of Finance, to aggregate and develop plans for training and improving ethnic minority languages for cadres and civil servants in mountainous provinces and regions with ethnic minorities to include in the annual cadre and civil servant training and improvement plan.

4. Ministry of Education and Training:

a) Take the lead and coordinate with provincial people's committees in ethnic regions and mountainous areas to take responsibility for training ethnic language instructors as the core force to train and improve ethnic language teaching staff for localities.

b) Take the lead and coordinate with the Ministry of Home Affairs, the Ethnic Minority Committee, and localities to develop a framework program for training and improving ethnic minority languages.

c) Uniformly manage the development and issuance of ethnic language training certificates according to current regulations.

d) Take the lead and coordinate with relevant ministries and sectors to develop motivation systems and policies for ethnic language teaching staff, to be decided upon by competent authorities

5. The Ministry of Finance:

On the basis of the proposal from the Ministry of Public Security and localities regarding the financial needs for compiling textbooks and materials, and training and improving ethnic minority languages, in accordance with current regulations, allocate funds in the state budget estimate annually for relevant ministries, sectors, and localities, and submit to the competent authority for decision.

The Ministry of Public Security shall take the lead, coordinate with relevant ministries and sectors to guide, urge, and inspect the implementation of this directive by ministries, sectors, and localities; annually compile the results of implementation and report to the Prime Minister for timely guidance.

Ministers, heads of ministerial-level agencies, heads of government-affiliated agencies, Chairpersons of provincial and municipal People's Committees under the central government are responsible for immediately implementing tasks assigned; closely cooperate to ensure effectiveness in organizing the implementation of this directive; annually send reports to the Ministry of Public Security for compilation and reporting to the Prime Minister. /./