If approved, this proposal would be a breakthrough in attracting human resources and improving the quality of the medical sector, similar to what is being done with the education sector. However, given the practical implementation of education policies and the specific characteristics of the medical sector, its feasibility needs to be considered, and appropriate solutions should be sought.
Besides tuition fee exemption, since 2021, students in some teacher training programs have received a living allowance of 3.63 million VND per month. However, after three years of implementation, many shortcomings have emerged. Students at most schools have reported not receiving their living allowance for extended periods. Training institutions also face difficulties as very few localities commission training programs and transfer funding to the schools.
According to statistics from the Ministry of Education and Training, after three years of implementation, the percentage of teacher training students who received assignments or tasks from local authorities only accounted for 17.4% of enrolled students and 24.3% of students who registered to benefit from the policy. Only 23 out of 63 provinces and cities implemented the assignment, ordering, and bidding process. Based on this reality, many suggestions have been made to amend and supplement Decree 116 to make it more effective.
However, the most positive sign is that this policy has helped increase the number of high-achieving students enrolling in teacher training programs, leading to higher admission scores. According to statistics from the Ministry of Education and Training, in the 2024 admissions period, the number of candidates registering for teacher training programs increased by 85% compared to 2023.
However, the medical and pharmaceutical fields have distinct characteristics compared to teacher training. Firstly, medicine and pharmacy require significant financial investment, resulting in very high tuition fees. According to the Ministry of Health , tuition fees range from approximately 27 to 200 million VND per year. Most students with excellent academic records enter these fields. Unlike teacher training, which is largely concentrated in public schools, medicine and pharmacy are currently offered in many private institutions. Tuition waivers and living allowances are often accompanied by policies regarding job placement after graduation, and training tailored to local needs is not an easy task, unlike what teacher training faces. The long-term service orientation for the community after graduation also differs for students in these two fields.
Most public health schools now have autonomy, leading to increasingly higher tuition fees. This poses a significant obstacle for talented but underprivileged students who wish to pursue a career in medicine. Although these schools still offer scholarships and tuition fee reductions, these are few in number and difficult to access.
While waiving tuition fees for medical and pharmaceutical students is humane, it could lead to inequality between students from low-income families who haven't received adequate support and those from wealthier families. Therefore, instead of waiving fees for everyone, more feasible solutions could be sought. For example, waiving or subsidizing tuition for talented but disadvantaged students; significantly increasing the number of scholarships for medical and pharmaceutical students; and soliciting contributions from social resources (recent news reports have highlighted cases of billionaires in the US sponsoring tuition fees for medical students).
When discussing the issue of rising university tuition fees, Professor Bui Van Ga, former Deputy Minister of Education and Training, once shared with Thanh Nien newspaper a solution that he thought could be applied in this case. That is, the state and universities should focus on providing opportunities for capable but disadvantaged students through scholarship and loan policies. Alternatively, the state or local authorities could advance tuition costs on the condition that graduates serve the country or locality in need. Upon completion of their service period, the students would be considered to have repaid the funds.
Source: https://thanhnien.vn/bai-toan-mien-hoc-phi-nganh-y-185241225221710679.htm
Comment (0)