What safety considerations and accident prevention measures shall be taken by primary schools for the 2024-2025 school year in Vietnam?

What safety considerations and accident prevention measures shall be taken by primary schools for the 2024-2025 school year in Vietnam?

A safe school that prevents accidents and injuries is defined under clause 2, Article 2 of Circular 18/2023/TT-BGDDT as a school where students, administrative staff, teachers, employees, and visiting guests are ensured both physical and mental safety, free from school violence; are protected, treated fairly, humanely, and democracy is promoted; and where risk factors causing accidents and injuries are minimized.

Additionally, the latest Official Dispatch issued by the Ministry of Education and Training on July 30, 2024, Official Dispatch 3898/BGDDT-GDTH of 2024, provides guidance on implementing primary education tasks for the 2024-2025 school year. The guidance for ensuring school safety in the educational program for the 2024-2025 school year includes three core issues:

[1] Ensuring hygiene to guarantee school safety

[2] Ensuring the safety of school facilities

[3] Ensuring the educational safety for students through certain skill activities

What safety considerations and accident prevention measures shall be taken by primary schools for the 2024-2025 school year in Vietnam?​ (Image from the Internet)

What are the criteria for evaluating a safe primary school in Vietnam that prevents accidents and injuries?

The criteria for evaluating a safe school that prevents accidents and injuries according to Article 11 of Circular 18/2023/TT-BGDDT are as follows:

- The school organizes the implementation and self-evaluation of the criteria for a safe school that prevents accidents and injuries as outlined in the Appendix issued along with Circular 18/2023/TT-BGDDT. Download the appendix.

- The evaluation results for a safe school that prevents accidents and injuries are categorized into two levels:

+ “Pass”: At least 80% of the criteria are evaluated as “Pass”, with 100% of compulsory criteria being evaluated as “Pass”.

+ “Fail”: Does not meet the regulation at point a of this clause.

- The evaluation results for a safe school that prevents accidents and injuries are among the criteria for assessing and recognizing a school that meets educational quality accreditation and national standards as prescribed by the Ministry of Education and Training.

How to report and inspect safe primary schools that prevent accidents and injuries in the 2024-2025 school year in Vietnam?

According to Article 12 of Circular 18/2023/TT-BGDDT, the organization of reporting and inspecting safe primary schools that prevent accidents and injuries in the 2024-2025 school year is conducted as follows:

- At the end of each school year, the school self-evaluates and reports the results along with recommendations to the direct educational management authority. For criteria rated “Fail,” the school needs to have plans and measures for self-remedy or propose to the competent authority for prompt remediation before the new school year.

- The school publicly announces the self-evaluation results of school safety and accident and injury prevention on its website, notice boards, and other suitable forms to allow staff, teachers, students' parents, and the community to know and supervise.

- The Department of Education and Training compiles and summarizes the evaluation results of safe schools that prevent accidents and injuries for schools under its jurisdiction and those under the management of the district People's Committees; reports to the district People's Committees and the Department of Education and Training.

The Department of Education and Training compiles and summarizes the evaluation results of safe schools that prevent accidents and injuries under its jurisdiction; reports to the provincial People's Committees and the Ministry of Education and Training.

At the same time, the inspection of evaluation results will be conducted according to Article 13 of Circular 18/2023/TT-BGDDT as follows:

Inspect evaluation results

1. The Department of Education and Training, the Division of Education and Training develop plans to inspect the evaluation results of building safe schools that prevent accidents and injuries for schools under their jurisdiction by each school year. The inspection is carried out either as a separate topic or integrated with other topics during the school year, with records and notification of inspection results.

2. The Department of Education and Training, the Division of Education and Training take the lead or coordinate to organize interdisciplinary inspection and evaluation teams when requested by competent authorities.

3. The Ministry of Education and Training organizes inspections or cooperates with central agencies to organize interdisciplinary inspections as authorized.

Thus, according to the regulations, the Department of Education and Training, the Division of Education and Training develop plans to inspect the evaluation results of building safe schools that prevent accidents and injuries for schools under their jurisdiction according to each school year.

The inspection can be carried out as a separate topic or integrated with other topics during the school year, with records and notification of inspection results.