Vietnam: Is the principal of a lower secondary school responsible for the educational quality of the school?

Is the principal of a lower secondary school responsible for the educational quality of the school?

According to point a, clause 1, Article 11 of the lower secondary school, upper secondary school and multi-level school charter issued together with Circular 32/2020/TT-BGDDT of the Ministry of Education and Training of Vietnam, it is stipulated as follows:

School principal and deputy principals

1. School principal

a) The principal of a secondary school shall organize, manage and direct the school's operations and take responsibility for the school’s educational quality.

b) In order to be appointed as the principal of a public secondary school or recognized as the principal of a private secondary school, one must meet the standards provided for in Clause 3 of this Article and other standards as per the law.

c) The tenure of a secondary school’s principal shall be 05 years. After each academic year, the principal shall receive feedback from the school's public employees and staff and be assessed by the competent authority as prescribed by law. A person shall not hold their post as the principal of a public secondary school for more than two consecutive tenures.

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The principal of a secondary school is responsible for organizing, managing, and operating the activities and the educational quality of the school.

Thus, the principal of a secondary school is responsible for the school's educational quality.

Is the principal of a lower secondary school responsible for the educational quality of the school? (Image from the Internet)

What Are the Duties of a Secondary School Principal?

According to point d, clause 1, Article 11 of the lower secondary school, upper secondary school and multi-level school charter issued together with Circular 32/2020/TT-BGDDT, the duties of a secondary school principal are as follows:

- Build and organize the school’s apparatus according to regulations in Article 9 of this charter; appoint department/unit heads and deputy heads; and establish the school council as per regulations in Points dd and e Clause 1 Article 10 of this charter;

- Formulate the school’s development planning, objectives, vision and strategies; the school’s organizational and operational regulations; and the school’s annual education plans, which shall be proposed to the school council for approval and implementation;

- Adopt the school council’s decisions or conclusions concerning the matters mentioned in Point c Clause 1 Article 10 of this Decree. In case the principal does not agree with a decision from the school council, obtain the opinion of the supervisory education authority. While waiting for said opinion, the principal must abide by the parts of the school council’s decision that are not against existing regulations of law and this charter;

- Submit reports on and assessment of implementation of the school’s education plan and decisions issued by the school council to the school council and competent authorities;

- Recruit and manage teachers and staff; sign labor contracts with teachers and staff, and receive and relocate teachers and staff; manage academic matters; assign tasks to teachers and staff, inspect and evaluate teachers and staff; and reward and discipline teachers and staff as prescribed by law;

- Manage students and student activities organized by the school; approve student assessment results, sign school report books, sign written confirmation of completion of primary education program for primary school students (if any) of multi-level schools, grant certificate of completion of general education program to upper secondary students (if any) and decide rewards and discipline for students;

- Manage the school’s finance and property;

- Provide state benefits for teachers, staff and students; comply with regulations on democracy and accountability of heads of educational institutions in organization of their institutions’ activities; facilitate privatization of education in the school;

- Direct emulation movements and campaigns; provide transparency to the school and the society as per the law;

- Join meetings of specialized teams; self-learn to improve professional capacity and managerial capability; be entitled to benefits offered to teachers and incentive policies as prescribed by law; and may teach in compliance with regulations on teaching hour norms for principals;

- Hold the right to receive training to improve professional capacity and qualifications and be entitled to benefits prescribed by law.

Who does the principal of a lower secondary school have to inform about changes in the personnel of the school council?

According to point e, clause 1, Article 10 of the lower secondary school, upper secondary school and multi-level school charter issued together with Circular 32/2020/TT-BGDDT, it is stipulated as follows:

School council

1. School council of a public secondary school:

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e) On an annual basis, if there is any change to the council’s members, the school principal shall send a proposal for decision on school council strengthening to the chairperson of district-level People’s Committee (for lower secondary schools and multi-level schools the highest education level of which is lower secondary level) or Director of Department of Education and Training (for upper secondary schools, multi-level schools the highest education level of which is upper secondary level, provincial-level boarding general education schools for ethnic minorities and district-level boarding general education schools for ethnic minorities with upper secondary level).

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Hence, annually, if there are changes in the personnel of public secondary school's council, the principal shall submit a proposal to the Chairman of the District People's Committee for the decision to supplement and consolidate the school council.