DECISION

OF THE PEOPLE’S COMMITTEE OF HO CHI MINH CITY ON SCHOOL NETWORK DEVELOPMENT PLANNING PROGRAM OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING SECTOR BY 2020.

THE PEOPLE’S COMMITTEE OF HO CHI MINH CITY

Pursuant to the Law on Organization of the People’s Councils and the People’s Committees dated June 21, 1994;

Pursuant to Decision No. 123/1998/QD-TTg dated July 10, 1998 of the Prime Minister on approval for adjustment of general planning of Ho Chi Minh City by 2020;

Pursuant to Decision No. 2380/QD-UB-QLDA dated April 27, 1999 of the People’s Committee of Ho Chi Minh City on approval for school network development planning program of education and training sector by 2020;

At the request of the Director of Department of Education and Training and Chief Architect of Ho Chi Minh City stated in the Official Dispatch No. 838/GDDT-KTST dated June 21, 2002;

HEREBY DECIDES

Article 1. - Approve the school network development planning program of the education and training sector of Ho Chi Minh City (hereinafter referred to as Network Planning) by 2020, in specific:

1. Objectives:

1.1 - Prepare basic conditions for implementation of the education and training development strategy of Ho Chi Minh City (hereinafter referred to as the City) by 2020: Improve comprehensive education, make fundamental changes in the school system, standardize, modernize and facilitate the private sector involvement in education and training.

1.2 - Determine pace, requirements and scope of school network development of the education and training sector in the City, following that determine the scope of investment equivalent to construction land and investment capital in the City’s overall development by 2020.

1.3 - Form the basis for the People’s Committee of the City, the People’s Committees of districts to plan the development, renovation, expansion, upgrade, reservation of land fund and raising of sources of funds, identify steps and solutions for implementation of the detailed Network Planning.

2. Details:

2.1 - Requirements to be met by 2020:

2.1.1 - Rearrange the school network in each district in conformity with history, geography and population aspects; in conformity with the city development planning.

2.1.2 - The Network Planning must be comprehensive with and complete in the national education structure and form the basis for the districts to make detailed planning and reserve the land fund for construction of schools.

2.1.3 - Renovate, expand, upgrade, and use up the premises of the existing schools to reach the standard for minimum area (m2) /student as prescribed. Newly-built schools must meet applicable standards for every education level and academic discipline. Until 2005, each district must have at least one school that meets the standards for each academic discipline or education level.

2.1.4 - Associate the construction of schools with equipping of modernized educational equipment to ensure quality of comprehensive education toward the orientation of teaching and learning 2 sessions per day in all educational levels and academic disciplines by 2010.

2.2 - Basic criteria:

2.2.1 - Maximum number of students per class:

+ Preschool: 25 students/class;

+ Elementary school: 35 students/class;

+ Lower secondary school: 45 students/class;

+ Upper secondary school: 45 students/class;

+ Other disciplines: from 35 to 45 students/class.

2.2.2 - Maximum number of classes per school:

+ Preschool: 20 groups/class/school;

+ Elementary school: 30 classes/school;

+ Lower secondary school: 45 classes/school;

+ Upper secondary school: 45 classes/school.

2.2.3 - Minimum area/student:

+ Zone 1 includes: districts 1, 3, 4, 5, 10, 11, Phu Nhuan and Tan Binh; minimum area/student: 4m2 to 5 m2;

+ Zone 2 includes: districts 6, 8, Go Vap and Binh Thanh; minimum area/student: 6m2 to 8m2;

+ Zone 3 includes: districts 2, 7, 9, 12 and Thu Duc; minimum area/student: 8m2 to 10m2;

+ Zone 4 includes: districts Hoc Mon, Binh Chanh, Nha Be, Cu Chi and Can Gio; minimum area/student 10m2 to 15 m2.

2.2.4 – These requirements apply to all education levels and academic disciplines.

2.3 - The land fund reserved for development of the city’s education and training sector:

Total land area reserved for the education and training sector in the City until 2020 is 1.904,2 ha; existing area: 496,8 ha, required additional land area:1.407,4 ha. In which, the required additional land area for preschool education and compulsory education by 2020 is 1.024,60 ha, which is allocated to the zones as follows (enclosed with the detailed plan allocation schedule):

+ Zone 1: existing land area: 120,07 ha, required additional land area by 2020: 216,98 ha (in which additional 183,85 ha is required by 2010).

+ Zone 2: existing land area: 68,83 ha, required additional land area by 2020: 239,02 ha (in which additional 168,20 ha is required by 2010).

+ Zone 3: existing land area: 112,77 ha, required additional land area by 2020: 493,7 ha (in which additional 281,97 ha is required by 2010).

+ Zone 4: existing land area: 195,08 ha, required additional land area by 2020: 954,5 ha (in which additional 390,58 ha is required by 2010).

2.4 - The need for facilities:

2.4.1 - Zone 1 and Zone 2:

+ Preschool: existing schools: 347; required additional schools: 69;

+ Elementary school: existing schools: 243; required additional schools: 54;

+ Lower secondary school: existing schools: 120; required additional schools: 19;

+ Upper secondary school: existing schools: 68; required additional schools: 30;

2.4.3 - Zone 3:

+ Preschool: existing schools: 134; required additional schools: 93;

+ Elementary school: existing schools: 69; required additional schools: 92;

+ Lower secondary school: existing schools: 37; required additional schools: 36;

+ Upper secondary school: existing schools: 13; required additional schools: 36;

2.4.3 - Zone 4:

+ Preschool: existing schools: 111; required additional schools: 260;

+ Elementary school: existing schools: 124; required additional schools: 138;

+ Lower secondary school: existing schools: 59; required additional schools: 58;

+ Upper secondary school: existing schools: 19; required additional schools: 61;

2.4.4 - Other academic disciplines: Each district is required to have a continuing education center, a school for people with disabilities, a center for general techniques-vocational guidance-vocational training; minimum land area of 1 ha to 3 ha per center.

2.4.5 - Build 4 new vocational institutions in District 9, Tan Binh District, Binh Chanh District and Cu Chi District (according to the standard:10m2/student).

2.4.6 Upgrade the existing professional secondary schools to junior colleges (Economics Secondary School, Preschool Pedagogy Secondary School, Ly Tu Trong Technical Secondary School).

2.4.7 - Upgrade the Ho Chi Minh City Pedagogy College to Sai Gon University, with area of 30 ha in District 8.

2.5 - Construct facilities by 2010:

2.5.1 - Number of classrooms to be newly built by 2010 for students learning 2 sessions a day: 22.207; allocated as follows:

+ Preschool: 6.805 classrooms (equivalent to 340 institutions);

+ Elementary school: 7.363 classrooms (equivalent to 245 institutions);

+ Lower secondary school: 5.004 classrooms (equivalent to 111 institutions);

+ Upper secondary school: 3.035 classrooms (equivalent to 67 institutions);

+ 4 professional secondary schools;

+ 15 continuing education centers, 12 early intervention centers - schools for people with disabilities.

2.5.2 - Required additional land fund for preschool education and compulsory education: 1.024,60 ha; other education: 61,5 ha.

2.6 - Construct facilities by 2005:

2.6.1 - Number of classrooms to be newly built by 2005 to ensure 50% of students learning 2 sessions a day, compulsory primary education, compulsory lower secondary education, upper secondary education, vocational training etc.: 9.343 classrooms, allocated as follows:

+ Preschool: 2.940 classrooms (equivalent to 120 institutions);

+ Elementary school: 2.250 classrooms (equivalent to 75 institutions);

+ Lower secondary school: 2.850 classrooms (equivalent to 92 institutions);

+ Upper secondary school: 1.303 classrooms (equivalent to 18 institutions);

+ Continuing education center: 15 institutions;

+ Early intervention centers – schools for people with disabilities: 12 institutions;

+ Professional secondary schools; 4 schools in District 9, Tan Binh District, Binh Chanh District and Cu Chi District.

2.6.2 - Required additional land area: 292 ha.

3. Solutions for development of the City’s education and training network:

3.1 - Land-related solutions:

3.1.1 - Zone 1 and Zone 2:

+ Convert, liquidate institutions that do not meet the standards, raise capital to build new institutions or upgrade old institutions with better conditions;

+ Seize the land area that is illegally appropriated in the school campus to expand the premises;

+ The schools, depending on their current conditions, propose solutions to preserve, renovate, expand or upgrade in combination with construction of more floors to save the land area for playgrounds, physical training grounds, etc. Focus on renovating, upgrading and investing new and modern equipment;

+ Propose cluster-orientated management plans regardless of administrative boundary; schools and clusters of schools may share common facilities such as physical training grounds, laboratories, school gardens, etc. ;

+ Newly-built schools must meet the statutory standards.

3.1.2 - Zone 3 and Zone 4:

+ Develop an overall network of schools in conformity with the detailed planning in the administrative division; use the public land fund to build schools, newly-built schools must meet the statutory standards as prescribed;

+ Upgrade existing schools.

3.2 - Solutions for fund raising:

3.2.1 - Liquidate institutions that do not meet the standards.

3.2.2 - Accelerate the private sector involvement in education, promote resources in the public, facilitate development of semi-public schools, people-founded schools, private school, etc.

3.2.3 - Promulgate regulations on contributions to utility fund for construction of schools from investors concerning housing development projects in residential planning areas in the administrative division.

3.2.4 - The City will find sources of ODA, low-interest loans, and issue bonds to develop schools.

Article 2. - Implementation:

2.1 - In the course of adjustment to general planning, layout drawing planning of the City and detailed planning in each district, the Chief Architect of the City is responsible for implementing the Network Planning by 2020 which is approved.

2.2 - The Department of Education and Training shall take charge and cooperate with the Chief Architect of the City, Department of Cadastral and Estate, Department of Planning and Investment, Institute of Construction Planning and the People’s Committees of districts shall continue to implement detailed planning of schools in each administrative division and propose solutions for effective coordination and management.

2.3 - After 6 (six) months from the effective date of this Decision, the President of People’s Committees of districts and the Director of Department of Education and Training shall send to the People’s Committee of the City a report on planning of particular places and premises; propose a plan to raise sources of funds for compensation to clear the ground and a plan for construction of schools in academic disciplines and educational levels in administrative division for every 5 years, from now to 2020.

According to the detailed planning of each district which is approved, the President of People’s Committee of each district shall take responsibility for measuring, demarcating and managing planned premises.

2.4 - The Institute of Economics shall take charge and cooperate with the Department of Finance and Pricing, the Department of Planning and Investment, the Department of Cadastral and Real Estate and the Department of Education and Training shall formulate the mechanism to raise funds, propose incentive policies in order for districts to compensate and clear the ground for building schools.

Article 3. - The Chief Officer of People’s Council and the People’s Committee of the City, the Chief Architect of the City, the Director of the Department of Planning and Investment, the Director of the Department of Finance and Pricing, the Director of Department of Construction, the Director of the Department of Cadastral and Real Estate, the Director of Department of Education and Training, the President of the People’s Committee of districts and heads of related agencies shall implement this Decision./.