Vietnam: Who has the authority to appoint the principal of a public lower secondary school?

Who has the authority to appoint the principal of a public secondary school?

According to Article 9 of Decree 127/2018/ND-CP of Vietnam's Government:

Responsibility for state management of education by Chairpersons of commune-level People’s Committees

1. Issue a decision on establishment or permit the establishment, withdraw the establishment decision or decide to permit the establishment, acquisition, full or partial division, dissolution, conversion or name changing of state and private education institutions as regulated, including kindergartens, preschools, primary schools, lower-secondary schools, general schools with various educational stages of which the highest stage is lower-secondary education, ethnic minority day-boarding schools, community education centers and other education institutions under state management performed by district-level People's Committees.

2. Decide to appoint, dismiss, transfer, commend or discipline the head and deputy of the Division of Education and Training according to the standards for job positions and procedures regulated by laws.

3. Decide to recruit or give authorization for recruitment of educational employees under current regulations, arrange employees according to their job positions, admit, appoint, dismiss, transfer, commend or discipline the heads and deputies of state education institutions specified in Clause 1 this Article or change their job positions, ethnic minority boarding schools in districts which do not provide upper-secondary education and other education institutions under their management upon consideration of the plan prepared by the Department of Education and Training and assessment of the Domestic Affair Division.

4. Decide to establish the school’s council, admit, appoint and dismiss Chairperson thereof, supplement or replace members of state school’s councils, admit or not to admit the board of directors, chairperson and deputy chairperson of such board of directors, principles and deputy principles of state and private schools under management of district-level People’s Committees according to standards for job titles and procedures regulated by laws.

Therefore, the Chairman of the District People's Committee has the authority to appoint the principal of a public secondary school.

Who has the authority to appoint the principal of a public secondary school? (Image from the Internet)

What are the duties and powers of the principal of a public secondary school?

According to Clause 1, Article 11 of the lower secondary school, upper secondary school and multi-level school charter promulgated together with Circular 32/2020/TT-BGDDT of the Ministry of Education and Training of Vietnam, the duties and rights of the principal of a secondary school 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.

Can the principal of a secondary school assign duties to the vice principal?

Pursuant to Clause 2, Article 11 of the Clower secondary school, upper secondary school and multi-level school charter promulgated together with Circular 32/2020/TT-BGDDT, the duties and powers of the vice principal of a public secondary school include: Managing the tasks assigned by the principal or entrusted authority.

Therefore, the principal of a secondary school can assign duties to the vice principal within the school.