CIRCULAR

REGULATIONS ON CONSTRUCTION OF SAFE SCHOOLS FOR PREVENTING AND CONTROLLING ACCIDENTS AND INJURIES IN PRESCHOOL EDUCATION FACILITIES

Pursuant to the Law on Education of Vietnam dated June 14, 2019;

Pursuant to the Law on Children of Vietnam dated April 5, 2016;

Pursuant to Decree No. 123/2016/ND-CP dated September 1, 2016 of the Government of Vietnam on functions, tasks, entitlements, and organizational structure of Ministries and ministerial agencies;

Pursuant to Decree No. 69/2017/ND-CP dated May 25, 2017 of the Government of Vietnam on functions, tasks, entitlements, and organizational structure of the Ministry of Education and Training of Vietnam;

Pursuant to Decree No. 80/2017/ND-CP dated July 17, 20117 of the Government of Vietnam on a safe, healthy, and friendly educational environment which prevents and stops school violence;

At the request of the Director of the Department of Preschool Education of Vietnam;

...

...

...

Chapter I

GENERAL PROVISIONS

Article 1. Scope and regulated entities

1. This Circular provides for the construction of safe schools for preventing and controlling accidents and injuries in preschool education facilities, including: Contents of construction, inspection, assessment of safe schools for preventing and controlling accidents and injuries, and responsibilities of relevant agencies, organizations, and individuals.

2. This Circular applies to preschool education facilities such as nurseries, kindergartens, preschools, independent daycare groups, independent kindergarten classes, independent preschool classes, and relevant entities.

Article 2. Interpretation of terms

For the purpose of this Circular, the following terms shall be construed as follows:

1. “A safe school for preventing and controlling accidents and injuries in a preschool education facility" means a place where children are physically and mentally safe.

2. “Educational environment” includes physical and mental conditions affecting activities of nurturing, caring for, and educating children in preschool education facilities.

...

...

...

4. “Injuries" are unexpected incidents caused by external factors, leaving physical and mental harm.

Chapter II

CONTENTS OF CONSTRUCTION OF SAFE SCHOOLS FOR PREVENTING AND CONTROLLING ACCIDENTS AND INJURIES IN PRESCHOOL EDUCATION FACILITIES

Article 3. Assurance of a safe educational environment

1. Build a safe, easy-to-access, and fair educational environment for all children. Focus on reviewing criteria for safe preschool education facilities for preventing and controlling accidents and injuries as prescribed in the Appendix hereof.

2. Regularly review and inspect the quality of works, physical facilities, equipment, utensils, toys, vehicles, and machinery nurturing, caring for, and educating children in preschool education facilities; promptly detect and handle degraded and damaged items that are potentially unsafe for children.

3. Develop projects to ensure order, security, and traffic safety; prevent and control accidents, injuries, and drowning; prevent violence and abuse; prevent the loss of children; prevent and control fire and explosion; respond to epidemics and natural disasters in preschool education facilities.

4. Promptly respond and handle unsafe incidents according to processes and regulations of the law.

5. Develop and implement the code of cultural conduct in preschool education facilities as per regulation.

...

...

...

Article 4. Improvement of awareness and professional capacity for managers, teachers, and staff

1. Provide training in the improvement of awareness and professional capacity for managers, teachers, and staff regarding preventing and controlling accidents, injuries, and drowning; prevention of fire and explosion; traffic safety; prevention and control of children violence and abuse; prevention of drowning; food safety assurance work.

2. Provide training in skills and knowledge of response and handling of emergencies that happen to children, such as accident and injury handling, first aid skills, and response to natural disasters and epidemics for managers, teachers, and staff.

3. Provide training in professional skills and teacher ethics and disseminate relevant laws on children protection and care for managers, teachers, and staff.

4. Disseminate regulations related to children's safety assurance, prevention and control of epidemics, and prevention and control of children violence and abuse in meetings, professional activities, and thematic activities of preschool education facilities.

5. Prepare adequate guiding documents on skills and knowledge of safety assurance, prevention and control of accidents and injuries of children for teachers in preschool education facilities.

Article 5. Communication activities

1. Utilize information technology platforms to connect to the internet for communication and improvement of awareness of managers, teachers, staff in preschool education facilities, families, and the community regarding the construction of a safe educational environment; adopt measures to control and eliminate the dissemination of inappropriate information.

2. Disseminate and universalize risks, measures, and skills in prevention and control of accidents and injuries for children, children’s rights, and matters related to the law if children’s violence and abuse happen.

...

...

...

4. Establish information channels such as the feedback mailbox, hotline, and other appropriate forms; facilitate the receipt of information on school safety or denunciation of children’s violence and abuse.

5. Establish a recording, supervision, monitoring, and report system on the construction of safe schools for preventing and controlling accidents and injuries; promptly prevent and intervene in acts of violence and abuse against children.

6. Implement various forms of information exchange with parents or caretakers of children on the results of children's nurture, care, and education and promptly inform their development or difficulties in preschool education facilities.

Article 6. Mobilization of the participation of families and the community

1. Mobilize the participation of families and the community in constructing safe schools preventing and controlling accidents and injuries in preschool education facilities.

2. Establish the cooperation between the school, families, and the community in reviewing and assessing the criteria for a safe school for preventing and controlling accidents and injuries; establish the proactive cooperation in remedying unsafe risks; mobilize the participation of relevant units in inspecting the quality of works and physical facilities as per regulation.

3. Cooperate with local departments and authorities in guiding, inspecting, and supervising preschool education facilities in implementing regulations related to the construction of safe schools for preventing and controlling accidents and injuries.

Article 7. Knowledge and skill education for children's safety assurance

1. Integrate the education of skills and knowledge of self-defense and abuse prevention for children into activities of nurturing, caring for, and educating children and preschool education facilities.

...

...

...

3. Equip toys, documents, and educational textbooks on safety assurance for children suitable with their age and the local culture.

Chapter III

INSPECTION AND ASSESSMENT OF SAFE PRESCHOOL EDUCATION FACILITIES FOR PREVENTING AND CONTROLLING ACCIDENTS AND INJURIES

Article 8. Standards of safe preschool education facilities for preventing and controlling accidents and injuries

1. During the school year, preschool education facilities shall not let the following situations happen: children are abused, receive violence, or have serious injuries resulting in hospitalization or death; managers, teachers, and staff behave unethically and violate regulations on teacher ethics; food poisoning happens or epidemics spread in a wide scale in their premises.

2. Regarding assessment results of the criteria for safe preschool education facilities for preventing and controlling accidents and injuries as prescribed in the Appendix hereof:

a) Nurseries, kindergartens, and preschools that satisfy at least 40 criteria (including 20 mandatory criteria) will receive a “passed” assessment.

b) Independent daycare groups, kindergarten classes, and preschool classes that satisfy at least 30 criteria (including 15 mandatory criteria) will receive a "passed" assessment.

Article 9. Self-assessment of preschool education facilities

...

...

...

2. At the end of a school year, preschool education facilities shall organize their self-assessment on the construction result of safe schools for preventing and controlling accidents and injuries as prescribed in Article 8 of this Circular and submit reports on the result to the district-level Division of Education and Training as per regulation.

Article 10. Inspection and assessment of safe preschool education facilities for preventing and controlling accidents and injuries

1. At the start of a school year, the district-level Division of Education and Training shall develop plans for inspecting and assessing the implementation of regulations of this Circular regarding preschool education facilities. The inspection shall be combined with other professional tasks of inspection during the school year with inspection result records and notifications.

2. At the end of the school year, the district-level Division of Education and Training shall, based on reports of preschool education facilities, the prescribed criteria, and inspection and supervision results during the school year, create a list of preschool education facilities qualified for safe school for preventing and controlling accidents and injuries and submit reports on such matters to the Department of Education and Training.

3. In necessary situations, the district-level Division of Education and Training shall organize an inspectorate for the results of the self-assessment of preschool education facilities or take charge and cooperate with relevant units in establishing interdisciplinary inspectorates to assess the construction result of safe schools for preventing and controlling accidents and injuries in preschool education facilities.

Chapter IV

RESPONSIBILITIES OF AGENCIES, ORGANIZATIONS, AND INDIVIDUALS

Article 11. Department of Education and Training shall:

1. Guide, direct, and inspect district-level Divisions of Education and Training and affiliated preschools (if any) regarding the implementation of this Circular.

...

...

...

3. Submit reports on the construction result of safe schools for preventing and controlling accidents and injuries in preschool education facilities to the Ministry of Education and Training of Vietnam at the same time of the school year summary as per regulation.

Article 12. Divisions of Education and Training shall:

1. Develop plans for operations and estimates of the annual budget for the construction of safe schools for preventing and controlling accidents and injuries in preschool education facilities.

2. Provide guidelines on the implementation of this Circular for preschool education facilities.

3. Cooperate with units, departments, and authorities in guiding, inspecting, and assessing local preschool education facilities regarding the implementation of regulations related to the construction of safe schools for preventing and controlling accidents and injuries.

4. Take charge or appoint responsibilities for local nurseries, kindergartens, and preschools to carry out tasks of inspection and assessment as prescribed in Clause 1 Article 10 of this Circular.

5. Submit reports on the construction result of safe schools for preventing and controlling accidents and injuries in preschool education facilities to the Department of Education and Training of Vietnam at the same time of the school year summary as per regulation.

Article 13. Preschool education facilities shall:  

1. Issue plans for the construction of safe schools for preventing and controlling accidents and injuries within their premises by school year.

...

...

...

3. Mobilize the participation of members, families, and the community in constructing safe schools preventing and controlling accidents and injuries.

4. Ensure the head of the preschool education facility holds responsibility before the superior management agency and the law if unsafety incidents happen in the facility.

5. Include reports on the implementation of this Circular in annual reports summarizing the operation of the unit and submit them to the superior management agency; submit irregular reports at the request of competent agencies and hold responsibility for the results of reports.

Article 14. People’s Committees at various levels shall:

1. Direct, implement, and urge the construction of safe schools for preventing and controlling accidents and injuries in local preschool education facilities.

2. Invest resources and funds in the construction of safe schools for preventing and controlling accidents and injuries in preschool education facilities.

3. Cooperate with agencies under their management and socio-economic organizations in implementing tasks of construction of safe schools for preventing and controlling accidents and injuries in preschool education facilities.

Chapter V

IMPLEMENTATION PROVISIONS

...

...

...

1. This Circular comes into force as of February 15, 2022.

2. This Circular replaces Circular No. 13/2010/TT-BGDDT dated April 15, 2010 of the Minister of Education and Training of Vietnam on construction of safe schools for preventing and controlling accidents and injuries in preschool education facilities.

2. Chairmen of People’s Committees of provinces, centrally affiliated cities, Director of Department of Education and Training, and relevant agencies, organizations, and individuals shall implement this Circular./.

PP. MINISTER
DEPUTY MINISTER




Ngo Thi Minh