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Mr. Duong Anh Duc speaks at the meeting. |
On the evening of October 6, for the first time, the Department of Education and Training of HCMC organized a dialogue conference between businesses operating in the education and training sector and the leadership of the Department of Education and Training of HCMC to address concerns, gather feedback, and find solutions to overcome difficulties for these units.
Land funds and loans support
According to a report from the Department of Non-Public Educational Institutions Management, the city has more than 1,000 non-public entities in operation, encompassing private schools, language centers, computer training facilities, life skills education, study abroad advisory services, and various other educational activities.
Regarding the non-public education system, the two levels with the highest proportion of students enrolled in non-public institutions are preschool, with over 50 percent, and high school, with over 20 percent of the city's total students.
While operating extensively across Thu Duc City and 21 districts, businesses still face multiple challenges in the process of establishing legal documents, obtaining permits for educational activities, relocating their operations, and purchasing and merging schools. Furthermore, they have not been able to access favorable loan resources and obtain clean land reserves for educational investment, as stated by Ms. Ta Thi Minh Thu, Head of the Department of Non-Public Educational Institutions Management.
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Ms. Ta Thi Minh Thu, Head of the Department of Non-Public Educational Institutions Management, speaks at the dialogue. |
Recognizing this situation, Mr. Le Hoai Nam, Deputy Director of the Department of Education and Training of HCMC, mentioned that while the inner-city districts no longer have land reserves for educational investment, the suburban districts also encounter various regulations regarding land-use conversion and challenges in land clearance compensation.
To tackle these difficulties, the HCMC People's Committee has greenlit a construction investment initiative for 4,500 new classrooms spanning from 2023 to 2025. This scheme involves 3,000 classrooms funded by the State budget and an additional 1,500 classrooms seeking social investments.
Presently, 86 investment projects have gained approval within the framework of public-private partnerships, where the government provides clear land, and businesses take part in school construction. The city also provides favorable, extended-term loans with maturities of up to seven years and covers the entire interest rate to encourage robust investments by businesses in the education sector.
According to a representative of the Department of Natural Resources and Environment of HCMC, businesses wishing to change their land use purpose from residential to educational investment land can carry out land change registration procedures to shorten the time for paperwork and procedures, creating conditions for units to operate on existing land areas.
Strengthening communication with businesses
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Children get acquainted with letters at a non-public preschool in Thu Duc City, HCMC (Photo: SGGP) |
From the 2023-2024 academic year, with the aim of further supporting businesses investing in the education and training sector, Mr. Nguyen Van Hieu, Director of the HCMC Department of Education and Training, has directed the department's specialized divisions to establish additional communication channels for gathering information from non-public entities.
Specifically, the Department of Education and Training of HCMC will maintain regular meetings to stay informed about the situation and provide timely assistance in addressing challenges for these organizations. Concerning the plan to enhance the qualifications of teachers, from now until 2030, the city will roll out teacher training programs to elevate the qualifications of educators in both public and non-public education systems.
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Chairman of Viet My Education Group JSC proposes ideas at the dialogue. |
As for the HCMC People's Committee, Vice Chairman Duong Anh Duc recommended that the city's departments and agencies open the Q&A session on their information portals. This approach will guarantee the timely dissemination of information to the public, ultimately enhancing the quality of non-public education and meeting the diverse educational requirements of the local residents.
Moreover, Mr. Duong Anh Duc said that the city's leadership would continue to suggest that higher authorities amend and refine certain lingering inadequate regulations. Simultaneously, they underscore the working ethos concerning the city's departments and agencies, which is to offer maximum support to businesses and maintain flexibility when dealing with the paperwork and procedures of these enterprises.
