In order to cooperate with the implementation of universal education equipment to comprehensively improve the basic operating conditions of weak compulsory education schools in poverty-stricken areas, the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Education recently issued a central special fund of 31 billion yuan for the 2014 reform plan, an increase of 50.77% compared to 2013. The person in charge of the Finance Department of the Ministry of Education answered questions from reporters on how to allocate and manage this fund.
Question: How is the central special fund allocated for the thin reform plan?
Answer: The central special funds are allocated fairly and justly according to the factor method, with a total of 4 types of factors and 10 sub factors set. Specifically:
1. Basic factors, including the number and proportion of impoverished population, per capita available financial resources, number of compulsory education students, and theoretical funding gaps for basic educational conditions.
2. Investment factors, including the level of per capita financial expenditure on compulsory education, the growth rate of expenditure, and the special funds allocated by the provincial government in the previous year to improve the operating conditions of weak schools.
3. Performance factors, comprehensive improvement of basic educational conditions in weak schools, completion of annual tasks and implementation of relevant standards in the implementation plan.
4. Management factors, including two sub factors: the quality of planning and preparation of implementation plans and weak school renovation plans, business work management, and fund supervision and management.
Question: What should the central special funds from 2014 to 2018 be used for?
Answer: It is mainly used to fulfill the five basic requirements stipulated in the "Opinions of the Ministry of Education, National Development and Reform Commission, and Ministry of Finance on Comprehensive Improvement of the Basic Operating Conditions of Compulsory Education Weak Schools in Poverty stricken Areas" (Jiao Ji Yi [2013] No. 10, hereinafter referred to as the "Opinions"):
1. Ensure basic teaching conditions. Ensure that the classroom is sturdy, suitable, ventilated, and meets the requirements of earthquake resistance and fire safety. Natural lighting, indoor lighting, and blackboard materials comply with regulatory requirements. Equip necessary teaching instruments and equipment according to the scale of the school and the requirements of education and teaching. Every student has qualified desks and chairs. Equip books that are suitable for the physical and mental development characteristics of students. Based on the geographical conditions of the school and the characteristics of rural sports, construct sports venues and equip sports facilities according to local conditions.
2. Improve school living facilities. Ensure one bed per boarding student and eliminate the phenomenon of large beds. Provide necessary bathing facilities and conditions according to actual needs. The cafeteria or kitchen should be clean and hygienic to meet the dining needs of students. Set up boiling water rooms or install drinking water facilities to ensure safe and convenient drinking water for students. The toilet should have sufficient toilet seats. Schools in northern and high-altitude regions should have winter heating facilities. Set up necessary safety facilities.
3. Establish necessary teaching points. Necessary facilities should be equipped for teaching points that need to be retained to meet the basic needs of teaching and daily life.
4. Properly address the issue of large class sizes in county and town schools. By scientifically planning the school layout, fully utilizing existing educational resources, solving the problem of excessive class sizes, and gradually eliminating the phenomenon of excessive class sizes. If necessary, measures such as new construction, expansion, and renovation should be taken to renovate compulsory education schools in counties and towns.
5. Promote rural schools. Gradually improve the information infrastructure and educational information application level of rural schools, implement the construction of broadband networks, digital educational resources, and online learning spaces in rural schools, and equip digital educational resource receiving and playback devices for village primary schools and teaching points that need to be preserved.
Q: What are the main uses of the 31 billion yuan central special funds in 2014?
Answer: It is mainly used to complete the relevant basic assessment indicators stipulated in the "Notice of the Office of the State Council Education Supervision Committee on Carrying out Special Supervision on the Basic Operating Conditions of Rural Compulsory Education Schools" (State Education Supervision Office [2014] No. 6), including:
1. Does every student have a desk and chair.
2. Do boarding students have one bed per person.
3. Is there safe drinking water available.
4. Does the cafeteria meet the dining needs.
5. Whether the toilet meets the needs of teachers and students.
6. Are the doors and windows of the classroom and dormitory intact.
7. Whether necessary heating conditions are available.
8. Are digital educational resource receiving and playing devices equipped.
The Office of the State Council Education Supervision Committee will conduct supervision and inspection of the implementation of work in various regions in the second half of this year.
Q: Which schools cannot be included in the scope of central special funds support?
Answer: First, non compulsory education stage public schools, preschool and kindergarten affiliated with primary schools, schools, compulsory education stage schools in cities and above, and super large scale schools formed due to the construction of "key schools" shall not be included.
Secondly, the high school departments of fully secondary schools and 12 year integrated schools are not included in the scope of support.
The third is the rural compulsory education stage public schools that have not been included in the local compulsory education school layout adjustment special plan and are planned to be retained for a long time.
Q: Which projects cannot use central special funds?
Answer: The use of central special funds should follow the principle of "ensuring basic needs, covering the bottom line, and making up for shortcomings", starting from the weakest areas, schools, and links, meeting the basic teaching and living conditions of schools, and providing timely assistance rather than adding icing on the cake. The following projects shall not be included in the scope of central special fund support:
One is office buildings, auditoriums, sports halls, plastic running tracks, swimming pools, libraries, teacher turnover dormitories (with additional funding channels), etc.
The second is the one-time investment of less than 50000 yuan for school building maintenance and sporadic equipment purchase projects (the required funds can be separately paid from the relevant funds of the rural compulsory education funding guarantee mechanism).
The third is the construction and equipment procurement of educational administrative departments and directly affiliated non teaching institutions.
The fourth is the renovation of dilapidated buildings in rural compulsory education schools (the required funds will be arranged from the long-term mechanism funds for the maintenance and renovation of primary and secondary school buildings).
The fifth is other matters beyond the scope of basic educational conditions.
Q: How to strengthen the overall planning of funds?
Answer: Comprehensively improving the basic operating conditions of weak compulsory education schools in poverty-stricken areas is an important measure for the country to promote the balanced development of compulsory education. This job covers a wide range and requires a large amount of funding. The sources of funds include both central and local funds, and central funds are arranged through different channels. In this situation, only by strengthening overall planning can a joint force be formed, while preventing the duplication and overlap of funding arrangements or the lack of support. We need to focus on the following three aspects of work:
We need to coordinate and arrange central funds. In 2014, in addition to the 31 billion yuan central special fund for the rural compulsory education school renovation plan, the government also allocated 52.9 billion yuan for public funds for rural compulsory education schools, 13.24 billion yuan for long-term mechanism funds for the maintenance and renovation of primary and secondary school buildings, 9.96 billion yuan for incentive funds for children of migrant workers in urban areas, and 5 billion yuan for rural junior high school building renovation projects. Each region should strengthen the overall coordination of this package of central funds and projects to avoid duplication and omissions.
Secondly, we need to coordinate and implement local funds. Local governments at all levels should combine their own financial resources to increase funding for improving the basic operating conditions of weak rural compulsory education schools. The investment situation in various regions (especially at the provincial level) will be an important factor in allocating central special funds.
We need to coordinate the use of central and local funds. Coordinate various types of compulsory education funds between the central and local governments, strive to do a good job in "addition", and form a joint funding force. By formulating a unified plan that covers both central and local funds, funds will be allocated to specific projects.
Question: How to manage central special funds?
Answer: Firstly, we need to effectively improve the management system, strengthen fund supervision, and focus on improving the efficiency of fund utilization. To ensure the dedicated use of funds, implement specialized accounting, and strictly implement the centralized payment system of the national treasury. Secondly, the central government implements target management for each province, and project management should be implemented at the provincial level and below. A central special fund project database should be established to ensure that the use of central special funds can be inspected, monitored, and assessed. Thirdly, for school buildings and facility construction projects supported by central special funds, relevant construction standards and requirements must be strictly implemented, and basic construction procedures must be carried out; Equipment and book procurement projects should establish standardized bidding mechanisms and corresponding responsibility mechanisms, and strictly follow procedural norms. The fourth is to implement preferential policies for the reduction and exemption of fees for compulsory education construction projects in accordance with laws and regulations. After the completion of the project, it is necessary to promptly handle the acceptance and payment procedures, as well as the fixed asset accounting procedures. Fifthly, the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Education shall organize performance evaluations in a timely manner based on the progress of work in each province, and the evaluation results shall serve as the basis for allocating funds to each province. Each region should also strengthen performance monitoring of projects supported by central special funds. Sixth, establish a supervision and inspection system, including the management and use of central special funds in the scope of key supervision and inspection. Strengthen internal supervision, consciously accept external supervision, and conduct full process tracking audits of the project.
Question: How to implement public disclosure?
Answer: Openness is a great preservative, and all regions should ensure transparent operations throughout the implementation process of the thinning plan, and disclose all key information of the thinning plan to the society in all aspects and without blind spots.
The main contents of the public disclosure include: the overall plan of the thin renovation plan at this level, the annual project budget (plan), the project progress, and the quality; All information on the initiation, survey, design, construction, supervision, completion acceptance, and purchase of books, instruments, and equipment for school building construction projects.
The public announcement media should be local mainstream media as well as portal websites of government and financial departments. The publicity period on relevant portal websites shall not be less than one year.
Q: How to deal with problems in the management of central special funds?
Answer: For those who submit false information and defraud central special funds, once verified, the central finance will deduct the corresponding funds for the second year; If the circumstances are serious, the qualification of the province to allocate central special funds will be cancelled, and it will be reported nationwide.
