What is the required investment level for a private primary school to qualify for educational activities in Vietnam?

What is the required investment level for a private primary school to qualify for educational activities in Vietnam?

Based on Clause 4, Article 17 of Decree 125/2024/ND-CP, the conditions allowing a private primary school to engage in educational activities are stipulated as follows:

Conditions for a primary school to engage in educational activities

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4. There must be sufficient financial resources to ensure the maintenance and development of educational activities:

a) For private primary schools, the minimum investment is 50 million VND per student (excluding land use costs). The total minimum investment is calculated based on the projected maximum scale but must not be less than 50 billion VND. The investment plan must align with the projected scale of each phase.

In cases where a private primary school does not build new infrastructure but only leases or utilizes existing facilities to conduct educational activities, the minimum investment must reach 70% of the investment specified in point a of this clause;

b) For public primary schools, financial resources must be guaranteed by the competent managing agency to meet the requirements of the primary education program.

5. The school must have regulations on organization and operation.

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Thus, the minimum investment for a private primary school to ensure the maintenance and development of educational activities is 50 million VND per student (excluding land use costs).

Furthermore, the total minimum investment is calculated based on the projected maximum scale, but must not be less than 50 billion VND. The investment plan must be appropriate to the projected scale of each phase.

Note: In cases where a private primary school does not construct new infrastructure but only leases or uses existing facilities to implement educational activities, the minimum investment must reach at least 70% of the above-stated investment.

What is the required investment level for a private primary school to qualify for educational activities in Vietnam?​ (Image from the Internet)

What are the procedures for allowing a private primary school to conduct educational activities in Vietnam?

Based on Article 18 of Decree 125/2024/ND-CP, the pprocedures for allowing a private primary school to conduct educational activities in Vietnam as follows:

(1) Dossier includes:

- Submission requesting permission for the primary school to engage in educational activities (as per Form No. 03, Appendix 1 attached to Decree 125/2024/ND-CP);

- A copy of legal documents proving land use rights, property ownership, or a lease contract for the primary school's location with a minimum term of 5 years;

- For private primary schools, there must be legal documents confirming the investment amount managed by the school, ensuring legality and compliance with the projected scale at the time of registration for educational activities;

- Regulations on the organization and operation of the school, including the following main contents: Legal status, tasks, rights of the school; organization and management of the school; organization of educational activities in the school; duties and rights of the management team, teachers, staff, employees, and students; finance and assets of the school; other issues related to the organization and operation of the school.

(2) Implementation process:

Step 1: The primary school submits 01 dossier as specified in (1) via the online public service portal, by post, or directly to the Department of Education and Training;

Step 2: Within 5 working days from the date of receiving the complete dossier, the Department of Education and Training issues a written notice of the content needing amendment or supplementation to the primary school if the dossier is invalid; or announces the plan for an actual evaluation at the school if the dossier is valid;

Step 3: Within 20 days from the date of receiving a valid dossier, the Department of Education and Training coordinates with relevant specialized departments to organize an actual evaluation of the conditions for the primary school to engage in educational activities; prepares an evaluation report to assess the compliance with the conditions stipulated in Article 17 of Decree 125/2024/ND-CP;

Step 4: Within 5 working days from the date of the evaluation report, if conditions are met, the Head of the Department of Education and Training decides to allow the primary school to engage in educational activities; if conditions are not met, a written notice is issued to the primary school clearly stating the reasons.

The decision allowing the primary school to engage in educational activities (as per Form No. 10, Appendix 1 attached to Decree 125/2024/ND-CP) is publicly announced in the mass media.

Note: The Head of the Department of Education and Training decides to allow educational activities for the primary school.

Do private primary schools in Vietnam which are not authorized for educational activities have their establishment permission revoked?

According to the provisions of Clause 4, Article 16 of Decree 125/2024/ND-CP regulating the procedures for establishing a public primary school or permitting the establishment of a private primary school:

Procedure for establishing a public primary school or permitting the establishment of a private primary school

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4. After a period of 2 years from the date the decision to establish or permit the establishment of the primary school takes effect, if the primary school is not authorized for educational activities, the Department of Education and Training reports to the Chairman of the District People's Committee to revoke the decision to establish or permit the establishment of the school.

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Thus, after a period of 2 years from the date the decision to establish or permit the establishment of the primary school takes effect, if the school is not authorized for educational activities, the decision to establish or permit the establishment of the school will be revoked.