Do Luong Town Kindergarten: The current level of autonomy is approximately 30%.

(Baonghean.vn) - Ms. Duong Thi Nam - Principal, said that the school's current level of autonomy is over 30%, however, the school still faces many difficulties in terms of operating funds.

Do Luong Town Kindergarten is a national standard school at level II. Since September 2011, the school has been converted from a semi-public school to a high-quality public school with partial financial autonomy. Currently, the school has 35 employees (28 permanent staff and 7 contract workers under Circular No. 09/2013/TTLT-BGDĐT-BTC-BNV); 9 caregivers (contract workers for cooking) and 1 security guard. The total number of students is 532, spread across 16 classes, with 100% of students attending the daycare program.

The inspection team visits the kitchen facilities of Do Luong Town Kindergarten. Photo: Thu Nguyen.

Over the past period, the school has actively mobilized social resources and state budget to invest in and upgrade facilities, creating spacious, clean, and beautiful classrooms, and providing playgrounds and training areas for children; the kitchen is equipped with modern facilities, and the food supplied has clear origins and sources. In addition, the school also utilizes land within the campus to grow green vegetables to supply the children's meals.

The school's teaching staff and employees are competent, dedicated, and enthusiastic about their work. As a result, the school is a trusted place for parents in the area to entrust their children's education. The school's size and student enrollment have increased in recent years.

During the working session, the members of the supervisory delegation raised many issues related to the implementation of the autonomy mechanism in the school, such as: the effectiveness achieved from the social mobilization work in the school and the development of plans to mobilize social resources; the use of state budget funds for recurrent expenditures and retained tuition fees; additional income and the implementation of welfare funds for teachers and staff in the school; the current level of autonomy of the unit; the development of job position schemes and autonomy plans; teacher contracts; tuition fees; the school's joint ventures and partnerships with organizations and individuals to carry out service activities, etc.

During discussions with the Supervisory Delegation, Ms. Duong Thi Nam, the Principal, stated that the school's current level of autonomy is approximately over 30%. However, the school faces significant financial difficulties due to only being allowed to retain 10% of tuition fees and 17% of state budget allocations for other expenses, making it challenging to ensure all school activities are properly managed.

The teacher-to-class ratio is insufficient according to regulations, affecting the care and education of children. The school has to pay for contracted cooks using tuition fees and agreed-upon contributions from parents, as it does not receive funding from the state budget. Due to limited funds, the school lacks additional income and a welfare fund.

Concluding the meeting, Ms. Thai Thi An Chung highly appreciated the school's proactive and positive approach in mobilizing investment and contributing to the construction of facilities, improving the quality of childcare and education; strictly adhering to regulations on school organizational structure; ensuring transparent and proper financial management; and effectively managing and utilizing teachers and staff.

At the same time, Ms. Chung suggested that the school should soon develop and submit for approval a job position plan and a self-governance plan; have a plan and roadmap to gradually increase financial autonomy to self-sufficiency in recurrent expenditures; strengthen the management of the teaching staff, and if necessary, ensure that labor contracts are implemented in accordance with regulations; manage revenue sources and use them economically to increase income, and establish funds for career development, welfare, and rewards within the school.

Thu Nguyen