Expenditures in schools need to be made public and transparent.

(Baonhean.vn) - This was a remark made by Comrade Ho Phuc Hop - Member of the Standing Committee, Head of the Provincial Party Committee's Propaganda Department, and Head of the Culture and Social Affairs Department.During a survey of revenue and expenditure at Huong Son Kindergarten and Tan Ky 3 High School in Tan Ky district on the afternoon of October 19th.

Accompanying them were Comrade Nguyen Nhu Khoi - Member of the Provincial Party Committee, Director of Nghe An Radio and Television Station, representatives of the Tan Ky District People's Committee and a number of relevant departments and agencies.

Huong Son Kindergarten is located in a particularly disadvantaged commune of Tan Ky district. The area is large, transportation is difficult, and the percentage of poor and near-poor households exceeds 50%. Two hamlets are inhabited by ethnic minorities. The school's facilities are inadequate, and students have to study at four different school locations.

In the 2016-2017 school year, Huong Son Kindergarten had 374 students, including 9 classes with 299 children in the preschool group; 18 teachers, of which 15 were permanent staff and 5 were contract staff. The school had 12 classrooms (1 classroom was borrowed), 114 children were exempt from tuition fees, and 68 children received reduced tuition fees.

The delegation visited a classroom at Huong Son Kindergarten.

In the 2015-2016 school year, the school's total tuition revenue exceeded 129 million VND, at a rate of 40,000 VND per child per month. Other agreed-upon fees included an average membership fee of 50,000 VND per child per year; a contracted seasonal cook fee of 30,000 VND per child per year, with a monthly salary of 2 million VND for the cook; the projected fee for the 2016-2017 school year is 44,000 VND per child per year.

In the 2015-2016 school year, the school mobilized over 125 million VND through social contributions to education, and it is projected to mobilize over 136 million VND in the 2016-2017 school year.

Ms. Le Thi Loan, the school principal, stated that the current tuition fee is appropriate to the people's ability to contribute. However, fundraising efforts have faced many difficulties; the highest donation was around 400,000 VND, while the lowest was 50,000 VND, and many families are unable to contribute. To date, the school has not collected any of the expected social contributions. Therefore, regarding tuition fees, teachers and representatives of the commune government hope that there will be no increase.

Mr. Nguyen Van Chau, a parent of a student, requested that the school milk program not be implemented and that tuition fees not be increased.

Comrade Ho Phuc Hop noted that the school should not only implement social mobilization in revenue collection but also focus on transparency in expenditures.

In the 2016-2017 school year, Tan Ky 3 High School had 33 classes with 1147 students, averaging 34.8 students per class. The school had 91 teachers, of whom 82 were on the permanent staff. In the 2015-2016 school year, total revenue amounted to 2 billion VND; of which tuition fees accounted for over 440 million VND, and educational social contributions accounted for over 554 million VND.

While working at Tan Ky 3 High School, the survey team listened to the school's suggestions and proposals. Accordingly, the school wishes to increase tuition fees by approximately 10%.

The delegation worked with Tan Ky 3 High School.

Comrade Ho Phuc Hop, on behalf of the survey team, acknowledged the feedback from the grassroots level. The Culture and Social Affairs Committee will compile this information and report it to the relevant authorities in the next program of the Provincial People's Council.

Hoai Thu