Decision No. 959/QD-TTg dated June 24, 2010 of the Prime Minister approving the Scheme on development of the system of specialized upper secondary schools in the 2010-2020 period

DECISION

APPROVING THE SCHEME ON DEVELOPMENT OF THE SYSTEM OF SPECIALIZED UPPER SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN THE 2010-2020 PERIOD

THE PRIME MINISTER

Pursuant to the December 25, 2001 Law on Organization of the Government;

Pursuant to the June 14, 2005 Law on Education;

At the proposal of the Minister of Education and Training,

DECIDES:

Article 1. To approve the Scheme on development of the system of specialized upper secondary schools in the 2010-2020 period, with the following principal contents:

I. OBJECTIVES

1. General objectives

To build and develop specialized upper secondary schools into a system of high-quality secondary education institutions of national standards, with complete and modern teaching and learning equipment, to perform the task of fostering gifted students with outstanding study results into persons with patriotism, national pride and self-respect, sense of self-reliance, firm general knowledge, good methods of self-learning, research and creativity; and good health, in order to create sources for further training into talents, meeting the national development requirements in the period of industrialization, modernization and international integration.

Specialized upper secondary schools constitute an upper secondary school model in physical foundation, teaching staff and organization of educational activities.

2. Specific objectives

a/ To consolidate, build and develop existing specialized upper secondary schools while increasing their sizes, ensuring that each province or centrally run city has at least one specialized upper secondary school with a total enrollment of specialized students accounting for some 2% of upper secondary school students of such province or city;

b/ To intensify investment in upgrading specialized upper secondary schools into schools of national standards and high education quality. To prioritize investment in area expansion, construction of physical foundation and increase of complete and modern teaching and learning equipment. By 2015, all specialized upper secondary schools will reach the national standards, including 15 key schools with educational quality equivalent to that of advanced secondary schools in the region and the world;

c/ To develop the contingent of teachers to be sufficient in quantity, rational in structure and highly professionally qualified; to raise the rate of teachers and administrators possessing doctoral or master degree while raising the teachers' professional qualifications, foreign language and computer skills as well as capability to conduct research into applied pedagogic science, thus meeting the requirements of both expanding the scale of and heightening educational quality and efficiency in specialized upper secondary schools. By 2015, all administrators and teachers will be highly professional qualified, have good computer skills and get used to modern teaching equipment; 20% of administrators and teachers can speak foreign language(s) in teaching and communication;

d/  To substantially improve the educational quality in specialized upper secondary schools towards the world's advanced level. By 2015, at least 50% of students will rank excellent in study; 70% of students will rank good or satisfactory in computer skills; 30% of students will reach grade 3 in foreign languages under the criteria promulgated by the Association of Language Testers in Europe. By 2020, at least 70% of students will rank excellent in study; 90% of students will rank good or satisfactory in computer skills; 50% of students will reach grade 3 in foreign languages under the criteria promulgated by the Association of Language Testers in Europe;

e/ To create a continuity between the selection and fostering of gifted students at specialized upper secondary schools with the training of these students at universities; to select students with prominent gifts to study in classes of talented bachelors or high-quality engineers in domestic high-quality universities or prestigious universities overseas for further development of their gifts. By 2015, some 30% of graduates from specialized upper secondary schools will be trained in classes of talented bachelors or high-quality engineers in domestic universities or prestigious universities overseas, which will reach 50% by 2020.

f/ To enhance cooperation between specialized upper secondary schools and prestigious educational institutions overseas with a view to exchanging experience in the selection, fostering and development of students' gifts; at the same time to attract resources for the development of specialized upper secondary schools. By 2020, each specialized upper secondary*school will cooperate with at least one regional international prestigious educational institution,

II. TASKS AND SOLUTIONS

1. Formulating development master plans and plans and increase investment in physical foundation and teaching equipment for specialized upper secondary schools.

a/ To formulate master plans and plans on development of specialized upper secondary schools through 2015 and 2020, giving priority to expanding the floor area with at least 15 m2/ student; to invest in building specialized upper secondary schools up to national standards, each with adequate classrooms for 2 sessions/day. with a meeting hall, a gym, official-duty houses, dining hall, dormitory for boarding students, a stadium, a swimming pool, a system of functional rooms and subject study rooms sufficient in quantity and up to set standards with complete and modern equipment;

b/ To increase investment in the procurement of complete and modem teaching equipment for fostering gifted students, to renew the methods of teaching, examination and evaluation by teachers and students' study and acquaintance with scientific research; to upgrade information technology, communication and internet infrastructure; to establish an electronic information system networking specialized upper secondary schools and universities and prestigious educational institutions overseas;

c/ To develop a system of libraries, e-libraries. to purchase reference books and documents, to update information on education at home and abroad; to build up libraries of questions, written exercises, examination subjects, national and international examination subjects, meeting reference needs of teachers and students;

d/ To concentrate investment on 15 key specialized upper secondary schools with complete and modern physical foundations and equipment, with educational quality equivalent to that of advanced secondary schools in the region and the world;

e/ To mobilize more resources through international cooperation and foreign investment in education for building physical foundations and increasing modern teaching facilities and equipment for specialized upper secondary schools.

2. Developing a contingent of teachers and administrators in specialized upper secondary schools

a/ To supplement and perfect regulations on the structure and limit number of teachers and employees of these schools; and on recruitment and rotation of specialized upper secondary school teachers; to promulgate regulations on standards of teachers and administrators of specialized upper secondary schools, based on the standards of the teaching profession, the standards of secondary school principals, and other regulations on teachers and administrators of upper secondary schools;

b/ To restructure the contingent of administrators, teachers and employees in order to work out plans on recruitment and fostering for adequate number, structural balance and higher professional qualifications and working capabilities of these persons;

c/ To attach importance to building a contingent of standard-bearer teachers in professional activities in the system of specialized upper secondary schools, creating conditions for them to become active elements and bright examples in ethical quality improvement, self-study and creativity and building up a national network of activities for this contingent of teachers;

d/To further train administrators and teachers of specialized upper secondary schools in order to raise their professional qualifications and computer and foreign language skills.

- To devise the contents of training of specialized upper secondary school teachers suitable to each period. To promote the training of administrators in managerial knowledge and skills; to train teachers in the renovation of teaching methods and the examination and assessment process, raising administrators' capabilities to develop professional programs and materials and to organize educational activities;

- To organize refresher English and computer skill courses for administrators and teachers; to send English teachers of specialized upper secondary schools abroad for improvement of their English;

- To organize short- and long-term courses at home and abroad on teaching in English for mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology and informatics teachers so as to step by step teach these subjects in English at specialized upper secondary schools;

- To build various forums on the Internet for teachers and students to exchange their experience in teaching and learning; to hold seminars for experience sharing between specialized upper secondary schools and domestic and foreign educational institutions which train and foster gifted students.

3. Renovating teaching programs and materials, organizing recruitment of. and exams for, outstanding students of specialized upper secondary schools

a/ To renovate teaching programs and materials

- Curricula in specialized upper secondary schools shall be formulated towards modernity and the advanced level in the region and the world; to raise the quality of all-sided education, attaching importance to physical education and personality improvement for students; to create conditions for students to develop all-sidedly, with deep knowledge in one field and good computer and foreign language skills; and to develop their capabilities of independent thinking and creativeness, practicing skills and ability for practical activities;

- To compile in-depth framework documents for teaching specialized subjects; documents guiding the development of curricula of specialized subjects; documents for teaching mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology and informatics in English; documents on organization of educational activities to foster talents in such specialized fields as natural sciences, social sciences and management;

- To selectively introduce some advanced foreign curricula and teaching documents to specialized upper secondary schools for reference and application.

b/ To renew modes of recruitment of, and exams for, outstanding students

To formulate regulations on recruitment of students for specialized upper secondary schools towards combination between recruitment examinations and recruitment consideration. To incrementally apply methods of discovering talents, determining intelligence and creativity quotients in recruitment of students to specialized upper secondary schools;

- To supplement and perfect regulations on screening of specialized upper secondary school students so that talented students can be additionally selected every year and every term and those not fully qualified to study in specialized upper secondary schools will be transferred to other upper secondary schools;

- To study the renewal of organization of exams for outstanding students, recruitment and fostering of teams for participation in regional and international Olympiads; to increase examinations among specialized upper secondary schools nationwide.

4. Formulating and perfecting peculiar mechanisms and policies for specialized upper secondary schools, their administrators, teachers and students

a/ To supplement and perfect mechanisms and policies, aiming to increase annual investments in human resources and finance for specialized upper secondary schools;

b/ To formulate priority policies towards teachers directly teaching specialized subjects, teachers whose students win awards at national or international contests and pass university entrance exams at high rates; policies to attract highly qualified teachers to teach at specialized upper secondary schools, especially foreign teachers to teach foreign languages;

c/ To formulate appropriate policies towards students with prominent talents who win awards at national or international contests, such as those on scholarship, grade skipping and training at prestigious universities overseas;

d/ To formulate mechanisms and policies to encourage and create favorable conditions for international cooperation between specialized upper secondary schools and foreign educational institutions;

e/ To encourage localities to adopt policies on preferential treatment and honoring of teachers and administrators with outstanding achievements in discovering and fostering talented students;

f/ To encourage and create conditions for individuals, enterprises, social organizations and socio-professional organizations to invest in the development of specialized upper secondary schools in the spirit of the Government's Decree No. 69/2008/ND-CP of May 30, 2008. on policies to encourage the socialization of activities in the fields of education, vocational training, health care, culture, sports and environment.

5. Enhancing the management of specialized upper secondary schools

a/ To conduct public information for new perceptions of administrations at different levels, education administrations, administrators, teachers, students and society about the objectives of development of specialized upper secondary schools in the new period;

b/ To enhance the direction and management of specialized upper secondary schools by education administration bodies at all levels; to establish a system of information on management of specialized upper secondary schools nationwide;

c/ To enhance autonomy of the system in personnel and financial management, student recruitment, professional management and education socialization so as to bring into the fullest play physical foundations, equipment and highly qualified teachers in specialized upper secondary schools;

d/ To intensify the assessment and inspection of educational quality in specialized upper secondary schools:

- To elaborate criteria, methods and process of assessing and inspecting educational quality, based on general regulations, in order to give a scientific, objective, fair and accurate assessment of the quality of schools, administrators, teachers and students, creating a motive force for raising the educational quality in the system of specialized upper secondary schools;

- To organize annual and periodical assessment of educational quality of specialized upper secondary school nationwide.

e/ To monitor the study of ex-specialized students at university, master and doctoral degrees and their post-graduation employment. To establish clubs of ex-students of specialized upper secondary schools.

6. Enhancing international cooperation in the development of the system of specialized upper secondary schools

a/ To step up cooperation in training and research with prestigious foreign educational institutions with a view to learning and exchanging good experience from recruitment, fostering and development of talented students to attach importance to cooperation in the development of curricula and teaching documents, foster teachers and train talented students;

b/ To increase opportunities for teachers and students of specialized upper secondary schools to join in study tours to prestigious educational institutions overseas.

III. FUNDS

Funds for implementation of the Scheme will be VND 2,312.758 billion, including:

- The state budget:

+ The national target program on education and training: VND 1,295.417 billion;

+ ODA loans: VND 953.65 billion.

- Local budgets: VND 63,792 billion. For 3 activities:

1. Activity 1: Increase of physical foundation and teaching equipment

- Major contents:

+ Building 664 classrooms, 365 subject study classrooms, 49 gyms. 73 libraries, 73 meeting halls for teachers, 63 official-duty houses, 55 dormitories for boarding students and dinning halls, 13 swimming pools up to set standards, on a total construction area of 255,950 nr;

+ Purchasing 73 sets of common-use equipment and equipment for teaching specialized subjects for talented students.

- Estimated fund: VND 1.660.722 billion.

2. Activity 2: Development of the contingent of teachers and administrators

- Major contents:

+ Overseas master-degree training of 200 teachers; training in the teaching of mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology and informatics in English for 730 teachers;

+ Overseas training in educational administration for 73 administrators; in English teaching for 600 teachers of English;

+ Domestic master-degree training of 500 teachers; training in the teaching of mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology, informatics in English for 1,090 teachers;

'+ Domestic fostering in English language and computer skills for 1,560 administrators and teachers; training in the development of curricula and documents on specialized study subjects, renewal of methods of teaching, examination and assessment for 1.460 teachers of specialized subjects.

- Estimated fund: VND 624.290 billion.

3. Activity 3: Development of curricula and documents and assessment of educational efficiency.

- Major contents:

+ Formulation of curricula and compilation of teaching documents on 5 educational activities of fostering talents in specialized fields; on teaching mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology and informatics in English at grades 10, 11 and 12;

+ Compilation of documents guiding the development of specialized subject curricula and teaching; documents guiding the renovation of teaching methods and the examination and assessment process; documents on online teaching and project-based teaching;

+ Building of a set of tools for examination and assessment of study results of students;

+ Evaluation and inspection of specialized upper secondary schools.

+ Organization of domestic and international seminars on experience in fostering of talented students.

- Estimated fund: VND 27.746 billion.

Article 2. Organization of implementation

1. Implementation schedule:

a/ Stage 1 (2010-2015): This stage will focus on performing the following tasks in order to create a basis for developing of the system of specialized upper secondary schools:

- Reviewing and assessing the actual situation, formulating plans and arranging funds for achievement of the Scheme's objectives for 2010-2015 and 2016-2020 periods;

- Scrutinizing, evaluating and re-arranging the contingent of administrators, teachers and employees, working out plans for recruitment and fostering of teachers and administrators every year and in each period;

- Supplementing and perfecting legal documents promulgating regulations on organization and operation of specialized upper secondary schools; the teacher and employee structure and limit numbers; the recruitment and rotation of teachers;

- Elaborating and promulgating documents on standards of teachers and administrators of specialized upper secondary schools; on incentive policies towards teachers directly involved in teaching of specialized subjects, teachers whose students win national or international awards, teachers whose students pass university entrance examinations at high rates; on policies applicable to students with prominent talents, with national or international awards; on policies to create conditions for specialized upper secondary schools to cooperate and exchange experience with prestigious foreign educational institutions; on policies to attract highly qualified teachers to teach at specialized upper secondary schools; on recruitment of outstanding students who have graduated from talented bachelors' classes at pedagogical universities, and specialized upper secondary school teachers for domestic or overseas master and doctoral training; on criteria, methods and process of evaluating and examining the educational quality of specialized upper secondary schools;

- Formulating programs on training of teachers for specialized upper secondary schools at pedagogical universities; programs and contents for annual training of specialized upper secondary school teachers and administrators;

- Developing general curricula in specialized upper secondary schools; formulating programs and compiling documents on organization of educational activities to foster talents in specialized fields; on teaching of mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology and informatics in English;

- Compiling guiding documents on the development of curricula of specialized subjects, on renewal of teaching methods, renewal of examination and assessment; on online teaching and project-based teaching;

- Opening master courses and refresher courses on educational administration, English teaching and mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology and informatics teaching in .English at home and overseas and refresher courses to raise foreign language and informatics levels as well as capabilities to develop teaching programs and contents for teachers and administrators;

- Studying and experimentally applying a number of advanced curricula in the world at a number of key specialized upper secondary schools; experimentally teaching mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology and informatics in English at a number of specialized upper secondary schools; proceeding to teach mathematics and informatics in English at specialized upper secondary schools m 2015;

Studying renewal of examinations for outstanding students; recruitment and fostering of teams for participation in international and regional Olympiads; organizing more examinations among specialized upper secondary schools;

- Formulating mechanisms for close alignment between specialized upper secondary schools and universities running talented bachelors' and high-quality engineers' classes and foreign universities with outstanding talented students. Establishing databases to monitor and evaluate study and working results as well as contributions of specialized students;

- Investing in expanding, upgrading or building specialized upper secondary schools up to national standards by 2015; prioritizing funds for construction of 15 selected key specialized upper secondary schools;

- Building a system of functional rooms and dormitories for boarding students, dining halls, gyms, meeting halls, adequate and standard subject study rooms with complete and modern equipment;

- Building a system of electronic libraries, upgrading information technology, telecommunications and internet infrastructures in the system of specialized upper secondary schools. Establishing a website on specialized upper secondary schools nationwide;

- Further mobilizing resources from individuals, enterprises, social organizations and socio-professional organizations, enhancing international cooperation and attraction of foreign investment in education for building physical foundations and increasing modern teaching facilities and equipment for specialized upper secondary schools;

- Organizing domestic and international seminars on recruitment, fostering and development of talented students;

- Evaluating and accrediting of educational quality of specialized upper secondary schools nationwide.

b/ Stage 2 (2015-2020): This stage will focus on performing a number of following tasks for steady development of the system of specialized upper secondary schools:

- Further consolidating and carrying out activities deployed in stage 1:

- Further upgrading specialized upper secondary schools into upper secondary schools reaching national standards at high levels, striving for the target that by 2020. at least 50% of specialized upper secondary schools will reach teaching quality equivalent to that of advanced regional and international schools;

- Raising the quality of foreign language, informatics and English teaching, preparing for the teaching and learning of physics, chemistry and biology in English at around 30% of the schools, which will increase by 15-20% each year and at all schools by 2020;

- Selectively introducing quality foreign programs and documents for reference and application by specialized upper secondary schools.

2. Responsibilities of ministries, sectors and agencies

a/ The Ministry of Education and Training shall:

- Act as the standing body for organizing the implementation of the Scheme;

- Assume the prime responsibility for, and coordinate with ministries, ministerial-level agencies and localities in, detailing the contents of the Scheme into implementation programs and plans in order to direct and guide the implementation and remove problems in procedures and mechanisms for matters related to finance and international relations;

- Formulate detailed plans for implementation of the Scheme in each period and each year;

- Direct and guide provinces, centrally run cities and universities with specialized upper secondary schools in implementing the Scheme;

- Organize professional training and seminars on formulation of plans and ways of implementation of the Scheme;

- Inspect, evaluate and summarize results of implementation of the Scheme nationwide every year, every period and upon completion of the Scheme, and periodically report thereon to the Prime Minister.

b/ The Ministry of Planning and Investment shall assume the prime responsibility for, and coordinate with the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Education and Training in, raising and arranging funds in annual and five-year plans for implementation of the Scheme.

c/ The Ministry of Finance shall assume the prime responsibility for and coordinate with the Ministry of Education and Training and concerned ministries and agencies in. distributing, guiding and inspecting the spending of funds for implementation of the Scheme under the current State Budget Law.

d/ The Ministry of Home Affairs shall coordinate with the Ministry of Education and Training and concerned ministries in amending, supplementing and promulgating policies towards specialized upper secondary school teachers and administrators.

e/ Provincial-level People's Committees shall:

- Direct their local education and training sectors as well as functional bodies in formulating and implementing plans on implementation of the Scheme in their localities; inspect, evaluate and summarize results of implementation of the Scheme in their localities, and periodically report thereon to the Ministerial-level Steering Committee;

- Coordinate with the Ministry of Education and Training and concerned ministries and sector in providing the unified and comprehensive direction suitable to the requirements and national plan on implementation of the Scheme in their localities.

f/ Provincial-level Education and Training Departments and universities with specialized upper secondary schools shall:

- Formulate detailed plans for implementation of the Scheme in each period and each year;

- Strictly and efficiently carry out activities related to them, meeting the direction requirements, objectives and tasks of the Scheme;

- Inspect, evaluate and conduct preliminary and final reviews of implementation results in each period and upon completion of the Scheme and periodically report thereon to the Ministerial-Level Steering Committee.

g/ Specialized upper secondary schools shall:

- Effectively implement the Scheme at schools;

- Make self-assessment of implementation in each term, each year and upon conclusion of each stage of the Scheme;

- Abide by the prescribed reporting regime.

Article 3. This Decision takes effect on the date of its signing.

Article 4. Ministers, heads of ministerial-level agencies, heads of government-attached agencies and chairpersons of provincial-level People's Committees shall implement this Decision.-