CIRCULAR

GUIDANCE ON CONSTRUCTION OF SAFE SCHOOLS FOR PREVENTION AND CONTROL OF ACCIDENTS AND INJURIES IN GENERAL EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS OR CONTINUING EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS

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

Pursuant to the Law on Children dated April 05, 2016;

Pursuant to Government’s Decree No. 86/2022/ND-CP dated October 24, 2022 on functions, tasks, powers and organizational structure of the Ministry of Education and Training;

Pursuant to Government's Decree No. 127/ND-CP dated September 21, 2018 on responsibility for state management of education;

Pursuant to Government’s Decree No. 80/2017/ND-CP dated July 17, 2017 on a safe, healthy and friendly education environment which prevents and stops school violence;

At request of the Director of Department of Physical Education;

...

...

...

Chapter I

GENERAL PROVISIONS

Article 1. Scope and regulated entities

1. This Circular provides guidance on contents, methods, inspection and assessment of construction of safe schools for prevention and control of accidents and injuries in general education institutions or continuing education institutions and responsibilities of relevant agencies, organizations and individuals.

2. This Circular applies to general education institutions or continuing education institutions, including primary schools, middle schools, high schools, combined schools; boarding schools for ethnic minority students and day schools for ethnic minority students; selective schools; schools for gifted children; schools for people with disabilities; continuing education centers, vocational education and continuing education centers (hereinafter referred to as “schools”) and relevant agencies, organizations and individuals.

Article 2. Interpretation of terms

In this Circular, the terms below are construed as follows:

1. “Accidents and injuries" mean unexpected incidents or incidents caused by entities in an intentional manner. They result in physical and mental harm to such entities or other persons.

2. “A safe school for prevention and control of accidents and injuries" means a place where students, officials, managers, teachers, staff, and other persons coming to work are physically and mentally safe, do not suffer from school violence, and receive protection, fair and democratic treatment, love and respect; and a place where risks of occurrence of accidents and injuries are minimized.

...

...

...

1. It is considered as an important and regular task of each school. The school shall give priority to performance of this task in conformity with the demand for education development, its actual conditions and those of each area.

2. Local authorities and the community shall participate in construction of safe schools for prevention and control of accidents and injuries. Students, managers, teachers, staff and students' parents shall actively and effectively participate in the construction.

3. The inspection and assessment shall be regular, objective, truthful, prompt, public and transparent.

Chapter II

CONTENTS AND METHODS OF CONSTRUCTION OF SAFE SCHOOLS FOR PREVENTION AND CONTROL OF ACCIDENTS AND INJURIES

Article 4. Contents of construction of safe schools for prevention and control of accidents and injuries

1. Satisfaction of safety requirements for facilities, equipment, means, documents, teaching resources that serve education.

2. Assurance about school safety and security; prevention and control of school violence, crimes and social evils; provision of guidance for students on participation in safe and healthy cyberspace in accordance with law regulations.

3. Education about knowledge and skills in prevention of drowning; traffic safety; fire safety; response to natural disasters; prevention of fall, collision, electrical injury and other accidents and injuries that regularly occur.

...

...

...

5. Implementation of the code of conduct and compliance with regulation on school democracy; mental education; performance of social work and psychological counseling for students in schools.

Article 5. Management of construction of safe schools for prevention and control of accidents and injuries

1. Issue and organize implementation of operation plans by each year and period in association with education and development plans of schools; determine specific resources and roadmap for fulfillment of criteria applicable to safe schools for prevention and control of accidents and injuries specified in the Appendix issued with this Circular.

2. Make and organize compliance with regulations on cooperation in construction of safe schools for prevention and control of accidents and injuries among organizations under such schools; between these schools and parents, in which the responsibility of each relevant individual and organization shall be clearly specified.

3. Develop prevention and settlement plans before, during and after accidents and injuries occur in schools and cooperate in settlement outside schools; make plans to meet requirements for safety, prevention and control of accidents and injuries for students when schools organize or cooperate to organize educational activities outside schools.

4. Set up a channel intended for receipt of information and a system used to record, monitor and supervise developments in construction of safe schools for prevention and control of accidents and injuries.

5. Organize regular/periodic inspection of construction of safe schools for prevention and control of accidents and injuries and compliance with regulations applicable to students, managers, teachers, and staff.

Article 6. Satisfaction of requirements for facilities, equipment, means, teaching documents and materials

1. Complete facilities, equipment, means, teaching documents and materials, clean water works, toilets, works and equipment serving sports, recreation and entertainment activities of students according to law regulations.

...

...

...

Article 7. Organization of communication activities

1. Develop and use communication documents on construction of safe schools for prevention and control of accidents and injuries; standardize contents and diversify forms and methods of communication with a focus on the application of information technology and appropriate use of social networks and other means of communications.

2. Carry out communication according to topics and peak periods; regularly give warning about risks and adopt methods of prevention and control of accidents and injuries that commonly occur, including drowning, traffic accidents, violence and other injuries.

3. Establish and effectively use information channels, including suggestion boxes, hotline numbers and other appropriate channels, to collect information, give warnings and prevent risks of occurrence of accidents and injuries; diverse forms of information exchange with parents, agencies, unions and local organizations on dissemination and cooperation in education about prevention and control of accidents and injuries for students.

4. Strengthen organization of dissemination of information about good examples, experiences and good models of construction of safe schools for prevention and control of accidents and injuries.

5. Promote the exemplary role of managers, teachers, and school staff in compliance with codes of conduct and democratic regulations at the grassroots level on prevention of school violence.

Article 8. Professional training and refresher training for managers, teachers and staff

1. Assess awareness of, knowledge about, and skills in education about prevention and control of accidents and injuries of managers, teachers, and school staff to develop training and refresher training plans suitable for each person.

2. Organize training to increase first aid skills and professional capacity of managers, teachers and school staff for construction of safe schools for prevention and control of accidents and injuries with a focus on medical staff, physical education teachers, homeroom teachers, and teachers in charge of psychological counseling, social work and Youth Union work.

...

...

...

1. Integrate education about prevention and control of accidents and injuries into subjects and education activities

2. Educate about knowledge and skills in assurance about school safety and security; prevention and control of school violence, crimes and social evils in schools, in the community or in form of online education.

3. Educate about knowledge and skills in drowning prevention with a focus on those in swimming and assurance about safety in the water environment; cooperate with families, authorities, agencies, organizations and individuals in managing and organizing safe swimming lessons in order to help students prevent drowning in the community.

4. Educate about knowledge and skills in traffic safety and cooperate with families in supervising compliance with regulations on traffic safety by students in the community.

5. Educate about knowledge and skills in fire safety, environmental protection, response to natural disasters, prevention and control of other injuries, including fall, collision, electric injury, burns, poisoning, and animal attacks.  

6. Establish groups, teams and clubs to help students to proactively carry out a number of activities and deal with topics with a view to practicing skills in prevention and control of accidents and injuries in schools and give mutual support on the way to school and in families and in the community.

Article 10. Cooperation with agencies, organizations and individuals

1. Propose direction, provision and organization of cooperation between schools, authorities and mass organizations in construction of safe schools for prevention and control of accidents and injuries for students within their areas and cooperation in management of and education to students in the residential community during holidays or summer vacations to the Communist Party committees and local authorities.

2. Cooperate in organizing inspection, giving warnings, preventing and eliminating risks of occurrence of drowning, traffic accidents, violence and other injuries to students in the community.

...

...

...

Chapter III

INSPECTION AND ASSESSMENT OF CONSTRUCTION OF SAFE SCHOOLS FOR PREVENTION AND CONTROL OF ACCIDENTS AND INJURIES

Article 11. Criteria for assessment of construction of safe schools for prevention and control of accidents and injuries

1. Schools shall fulfil and make self-assessment of criteria for construction of safe schools for prevention and control of accidents and injuries under the Appendix issued together with this Circular.

2. The construction of safe schools for prevention and control of accidents and injuries shall be assessed as follows:

a) "Passed": At least 80% of criteria are assessed as "Passed", including 100% of mandatory criteria assessed as "Passed".

b) "Not Passed": Schools do not satisfy regulations in Point a of this Clause.

3. The result of assessment of safe schools for prevention and control of accidents and injuries is used as one of the criteria for assessment and recognition of schools as those that meet education quality accreditation/national standards according to regulations of the Ministry of Education and Training

Article 12. Organization of assessment and report

...

...

...

2. Schools shall publicly announce results of self-assessment of safe schools for prevention and control of accidents and injuries on their websites, bulletin boards and in other appropriate forms to managers, teachers, staff, students’ parents, students and the community for supervision.

3. The Division of Education and Training shall produce statistics and synthesize assessment results with respect to schools under its management and schools under the management of the district-level People's Committee; and report to the district-level People's Committee and the Department of Education and Training.

4. The Department of Education and Training shall produce statistics and synthesize assessment results with respect to schools under its management; and report to the provincial People's Committee and the Ministry of Education and Training.

Article 13. Inspection of assessment results

1. The Department of Education and Training or the Division of Education and Training shall develop a plan to inspect results of assessment of construction of safe schools for prevention and control of accidents and injuries with regard to schools under its management by each school year.  The inspection shall be conducted on 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 or the Division of Education and Training shall preside over or cooperate in establishment of interdisciplinary inspection and assessment teams upon request of the competent authority.

3. The Ministry of Education and Training organizes inspection or cooperates with central authorities to organize interdisciplinary inspection within its competence.

Chapter IV

RESPONSIBILITIES OF AGENCIES AND ORGANIZATIONS

...

...

...

1. Organize the implementation of contents, measures, self-assessment and report on results of construction of safe schools for prevention and control of accidents and injuries according to regulations of this Circular.

2. Presidents of schools shall be responsible to the superior education authority and the law for organizing construction of safe schools for prevention and control of accidents and injuries.

Article 15. Responsibilities of Department of Education and Training or Division of Education and Training

1. The Department of Education and Training shall direct, provide guidance for and inspect Divisions of Education and Training and schools under its management when they implement this Circular.

2. Review and make a list of "Passed" and "Not passed" schools for prevention and control of accidents and injuries, give clear reasons why criteria have not been met or request the competent authority to direct remediation.

3. Organize training and refresher training for managers, teachers, and staff in construction of schools for prevention and control of accidents and injuries every year.

4. Divisions of Education and Training shall finally review and report results of construction of safe schools for prevention and control of accidents and injuries to the Department of Education and Training, and Departments of Education and Training shall review and report results of construction to the Ministry of Education at the same time of the school year summary as per regulation.  Give commendation to and impose discipline on agencies, organizations and individuals within their competence,

Article 16. Responsibilities of People's Committees at all levels

1. Direct implementation, give priority to investment in resources and funds and be responsible for construction of safe schools for prevention and control of accidents and injuries with regard to schools under its management.

...

...

...

Chapter V

IMPLEMENTATION PROVISIONS

Article 17. Entry into force

This Circular comes into force from December 12, 2023.

Article 18. Implementation responsibilities

Chief of Office, Director of Department of Physical Education, heads of relevant units affiliated to the Ministry of Education and Training; Chairpersons of People's Committees of province and central-affiliated cities, Directors of Departments of Education and Training, Presidents of schools, and heads of relevant agencies, organizations and individuals shall be responsible for implementation of this Circular.

PP. MINISTER
DEPUTY MINISTER




Ngo Thi Minh

...

...

...