Chapter 45/2007/CT-BGDĐT On Strengthening Legal Awareness and Education Work in the Education Sector

DIRECTIVE

On strengthening the work of popularizing and educating the law in the education sector

Implementing Directive No. 32/CT-TW dated December 9, 2003 of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam on strengthening the leadership of the Party in the work of popularizing and educating the law, raising the awareness of compliance with the law among cadres, people, and other guiding documents of the Party and State regarding the work of popularizing and educating the law (PBGDPL); in recent times, the education sector has implemented PBGDPL through various forms to gradually improve the quality and effectiveness of this work throughout the sector. As a result, the legal awareness of cadres, teachers, workers, and students has gradually increased, making a significant contribution to stabilizing the educational environment and improving the overall quality of education for the younger generation.

However, the PBGDPL work of the sector still has many shortcomings, manifested in the understanding of some units about the position, role, and importance of this work not being adequate; the PBGDPL program and content are scattered, heavy on theory, and inconsistent across universities and colleges that are not specialized in law; the form and methods of PBGDPL have not been updated quickly enough; extracurricular PBGDPL activities remain monotonous and unattractive; the teaching staff and cadres engaged in PBGDPL are insufficient in number, and the capabilities of some cadres do not meet new requirements; funding, materials, and equipment serving PBGDPL are still facing many difficulties; the mechanism for coordinating forces to carry out PBGDPL for students and trainees has not been truly effective.

Implementing the Conclusion of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam on continuing to implement Directive No. 32-CT/TW, the entire education sector needs to strengthen PBGDPL work, elevating this work to a higher level to meet the requirements of building a socialist rule-of-law state and international integration. To improve the quality and effectiveness of PBGDPL work in the new situation, the Minister of Education and Training issues the following directive:

1. Continue to thoroughly implement Directive No. 32-CT/TW, guiding documents of the Party and State on PBGDPL, enhancing the understanding of the position, role, and importance of PBGDPL work throughout the sector. It is necessary to recognize PBGDPL as part of political and ideological education work, a regular task of the entire sector under the leadership of the Party's committees, direct guidance from management agencies and educational institutions at all levels. Each cadre, teacher, worker, and student in the sector must clearly understand that studying and researching to understand and strictly comply with the law is their responsibility. It is necessary to combine PBGDPL work with the promotion of the Party's policies. Link the implementation of Directive No. 32-CT/TW with the implementation of the Resolution of the 10th National Congress of the Communist Party of Vietnam, the movement "Learning and Practicing the Moral Example of President Ho Chi Minh", the implementation of Directive No. 33/2006/CT-TTg dated September 8, 2006 of the Prime Minister on combating corruption and eliminating the disease of achievement-seeking in education, and the programs and action plans of the education sector in each period.

2. The content of propaganda, dissemination, and education should be selected reasonably and systematically to ensure practical effectiveness for each target group.

a) For cadres, teachers, and workers in the sector: Focus on basic contents such as laws on education; anti-corruption; thrift and waste prevention; civil servants; labor; administrative reform; grassroots democracy; international integration, and regulations related to the specific professional tasks of each group;

b) For students: Focus on basic contents such as the rights and obligations of citizens; fundamental theories of law to facilitate understanding and implementation of the law. In the short term, focus on PBGDPL on traffic safety, drug prevention, environmental protection, examination rules, and specific regulations related to daily life and study suitable for each educational level and training program.

3. Forms and methods

a) Standardize and improve the quality of teaching and learning legal knowledge in regular curricula.

- For preschool and general education: review, build, adjust, and guide the implementation of legal education programs suitable for the target groups and specific situations. Reform teaching and learning methods towards increasing practice and promoting the initiative of learners;

- For higher education, college, and vocational education: develop and complete course programs to incorporate basic and general legal knowledge into the curriculum of all training fields. Study incorporating appropriate legal content into non-law fields. Improve the quality of law training, paying attention to international legal content;

- For lifelong education: study incorporating basic, concise, practical, and suitable legal content for different target groups in lifelong education institutions.

b) Reform and improve the quality of extracurricular PBGDPL forms: integrate PBGDPL content into extracurricular activities; provide PBGDPL materials and establish legal libraries; organize specialized reports on the law; organize quizzes; integrate into cultural, artistic activities, and political campaigns... Extracurricular PBGDPL activities must be carried out based on regular plans and special topics ensuring systematicity and effectiveness.

c) Strengthen the dissemination and education of the law through mass media within the sector. Coordinate in promoting and disseminating education-related laws to cadres and the public.

4. Focus investment on conditions to ensure PBGDPL work

a) Regarding teachers and lecturers: Supplement the quantity and improve the quality of the team of teachers for citizenship education subjects at general education and law subjects at vocational colleges; lecturers for law subjects at universities and colleges. Develop policies to train, standardize, and provide appropriate incentives for the team of teachers and lecturers teaching law and citizenship education.

b) Regarding cadres engaged in legal dissemination and education: Continue implementing Directive No. 40/2004/CT-BGD&ĐT dated February 21, 2004, of the Minister of Education and Training on strengthening socialist rule of law in the organization and operation of the education sector. All departments of education and training, higher education institutions, and vocational colleges must appoint dedicated legal officers to carry out legal work, with the main task being to assist the heads of units in organizing legal dissemination and education work. Develop programs and organize training to enhance legal knowledge for cadres who have not undergone specialized legal training. Establish and promote the core role of the team of legal speakers from the Ministry down to educational institutions.

c) Regarding materials, equipment, and funding

Develop a list of equipment and basic material catalogues serving legal dissemination and education work to guide the compilation and issuance over the next few years. Strengthen the compilation and issuance of general legal dissemination and education materials; reference materials to serve the teaching and learning of legal knowledge; materials guiding the application of laws in a specific and practical manner. Implement mechanisms to reduce prices or provide free essential legal materials to individuals in remote, mountainous areas, and regions with particularly difficult economic conditions.

Develop a mechanism to allocate the budget specifically for legal dissemination and education work. Enhance the mobilization of funds from projects, target programs, and other sources to support legal dissemination and education work. Projects and plans of the Ministry should include components for building legal systems and promoting legal awareness.

d) Regarding institutional framework: Study and propose the Government to develop and implement a plan to strengthen legal dissemination and education work in schools. Continue maintaining annual planning for legal dissemination and education work to direct the entire sector. Issue joint circulars between the Ministry of Education and Training and the Ministry of Justice regarding cooperation in legal dissemination and education work in schools. Enact regulations on regular legal knowledge training for officials and educators.

5. Departments, Inspectorates, Offices, and subordinate units of the Ministry: Continue perfecting curricula, textbooks, and teaching materials for law and citizenship education courses. Coordinate with relevant ministries and sectors to perfect the institutional framework and policies for legal dissemination and education work generally and to strengthen the team of law lecturers and citizenship education teachers in the education sector specifically. Vigorously promote ongoing training to enhance the professional skills of teachers, lecturers, speakers, and cadres responsible for legal dissemination and education work. Compile common materials to serve legal dissemination and education work. Develop and implement projects under the Program of Work for the 2006-2010 period issued together with Decision No. 5836/QĐ-BGD&ĐT dated October 17, 2006, of the Minister of Education and Training.

6. Departments of education and training: Conduct reviews of the team of teachers teaching citizenship education subjects in general education institutions. Based on this, develop specific planning and plans proactively to advise People's Councils and People's Committees on supplementing, training, and enhancing the team of citizenship education teachers according to the Law on the Organization of People's Councils and People's Committees; Decree No. 166/2004/NĐ-CP dated September 16, 2004, of the Government on responsibilities for state management of education and related documents. Promptly complete the establishment of the Coordination Board (Committee) for legal dissemination and education work in 2007. Develop annual and thematic programs and plans for legal dissemination and education work to organize such work regularly and systematically. Allocate reasonable funding for legal dissemination and education work. Organize annual summaries and reports to the Ministry of Education and Training as prescribed.

7. Higher education and college institutions: Continue incorporating general law courses into the undergraduate curricula of all majors. Teacher training schools and teacher education departments should expand the scale and improve the quality of training teachers for citizenship education subjects at junior high and high schools. Vocational colleges should continue improving curricula, updating content, textbooks, and lectures while innovating teaching methods for law subjects. Higher education and college institutions, vocational colleges should annually organize summaries and reports to the Ministry of Education and Training and superior management agencies as prescribed.

8. The Ministry’s website, the Education and Times newspaper, the Education magazine, the New World magazine, and other mass media outlets within the sector should open special sections on legal dissemination and education and increase the volume of direct legal dissemination and education information.

9. The Legal Affairs Department shall be responsible for implementing legal dissemination and education work in the sector. Take the initiative in drafting outlines and guidelines for disseminating legal documents; coordinate with units primarily responsible for disseminating legal regulatory documents on education; coordinate with the Educational Management Academy and related units to train the legal cadre, speakers, and legal propagandists in the education sector. Coordinate with the Information Technology Department and related units to build a legal database on the Ministry’s website.

The Legal Affairs Department shall take the lead in monitoring and inspecting the implementation of this Directive, periodically organizing summaries and evaluations of legal dissemination and education work throughout the sector; proposing rewards for collectives and individuals with outstanding achievements in legal dissemination and education work as prescribed.

This Directive shall take effect fifteen days after its publication in the Official Gazette./.