Minister of Education and Training responds to tuition exemption but no "other expenses"

On the afternoon of May 22, at the group discussion session, many National Assembly deputies were interested in and gave their opinions on the draft on tuition exemption and support for preschool children, high school students, and students of generaleducation programs at educational institutions in the national education system.

Giving his opinion on the discussion, delegate Truong Xuan Cu - Hanoi delegation assessed that the exemption and support of tuition fees for preschool children and high school students is extremely meaningful. However, he suggested that when there is a policy of exempting tuition fees for public school students, how should schools limit the payment of other fees? According to the delegate, "At schools in Hanoi, other types of fees are not small". Therefore, the delegate should have the viewpoint: "The State has basically taken care of major issues such as exempting tuition fees, so do not let other issues affect the superior policy".

Delegate Truong Xuan Cu - Hanoi delegation

Sharing the same view, delegate Nguyen Thi Ha - Bac Ninh delegation suggested that the Ministry of Education and Training should have strict guidelines on the list and ceiling of service fees and agreements in schools, along with a monitoring mechanism by parents and local authorities.

"Avoid taking advantage of other fees, even if they are voluntary from parents," said Ms. Ha, adding that this is the only way to ensure that students enjoy real policies, not exempting an official fee but incurring many other fees.

How do students at high-quality public schools get tuition exemptions and reductions?

Vice Chairwoman of the Committee for Culture and Society Nguyen Thi Mai Hoa commented that the annual tuition fee may not be much, but for poor families, it is very important. For families with high incomes and a comfortable life, the tuition fee supported by the State is not worth it, but "that is their business, but children must be treated fairly" - this is the responsibility of the State.

Vice Chairwoman of the Committee for Culture and Society Nguyen Thi Mai Hoa

The draft resolution of the National Assembly clearly states that the level of tuition support at the local level is decided by the Provincial People's Council, but Vice Chairwoman of the Committee for Culture and Society Nguyen Thi Mai Hoa noted that it is necessary to ensure relative fairness between localities, ensuring that children in mountainous, delta, urban and rural areas all have access to the most equitable level.

Delegate Nguyen Thi Lan - Hanoi delegation asked how students in high-quality public schools, public schools affiliated with universities, experimental schools, etc. will be exempted or reduced from tuition fees. The resolution has not mentioned this and this issue needs to be specifically regulated.

Will teach 2 sessions/day for free from next school year

Regarding tuition support for non-public students, Minister of Education and Training Nguyen Kim Son said that the People's Councils of provinces and cities will determine the tuition level to support public schools. At that time, students of non-public schools will be supported at the same level. High-quality public schools, public schools affiliated with universities, experimental schools, etc. will also apply similar tuition support levels.

Regarding the form of payment, for public schools, the State will directly provide funds to the school based on the number of students. For non-public schools, the State will not pay tuition fees for students, but will partially support them by providing funds directly to students. This option is also suitable in the current digital transformation conditions.

The Minister of Information informed that currently, 10 localities nationwide have implemented tuition exemption. For localities that have not yet balanced their budgets, the State will use the central budget to compensate. Accordingly, the total of more than 30,000 billion VND to implement tuition exemption has been calculated for provinces and cities that have not yet balanced their budgets.

Regarding the proposal to exempt tuition fees and limit the collection of other fees in schools, Minister Nguyen Kim Son said that currently, extra teaching and learning in schools is free and applied to three groups including weak students, cases of fostering excellent students, and students preparing for graduation exams.

In addition, the General Secretary recently directed the Ministry to develop a plan to organize a second class for students in schools, without collecting fees or tuition. The Ministry is currently developing a plan to implement this from the next school year.

Source: https://phunuvietnam.vn/bo-truong-gddt-tra-loi-ve-viec-mien-hoc-phi-nhung-khong-phat-sinh-khoan-khac-20250522191342726.htm