Minister Nguyen Kim Son: Hanoi's education sector has done a 'very important' thing

Free tuition, public school students will increase sharply?

Continuing the session agenda, on the afternoon of May 22, National Assembly deputies discussed in groups the draft resolutions related to tuition exemption and support for preschool children, general education students, and those studying generaleducation programs; and on universalizing preschool education for preschool children from 3 to 5 years old.

National Assembly Delegate Nguyen Thi Lan. Photo: Nhu Y

Highly agreeing with the issuance of the resolution, Professor Nguyen Thi Lan - Director of the Vietnam Academy of Agriculture , said that the issuance of this policy not only has educational significance but also indirectly supports the implementation of the national population strategy.

Hanoi is researching free lunch for students.

At the discussion session, Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Tuan, Chairman of the Hanoi People's Council, said that in addition to the tuition exemption policy, General Secretary To Lam has assigned the city to continue researching free tuition and supporting meals for students. According to Mr. Tuan, the Hanoi People's Committee is researching to report to the City Party Committee and the City People's Council on this issue. This is a very humane and meaningful policy and Hanoi is very responsible in implementing it. Recently, Hanoi has paid great attention to the issue of education, not only in the locality but also in supporting other localities.

However, delegates are concerned that exempting tuition fees at public schools may cause a sharp increase in the number of students transferring from private schools to public schools, leading to the risk of overloading public schools. Ms. Lan suggested adding regulations or assigning the Government to develop a synchronous investment plan for facilities and teacher staffing to ensure truly uniform training quality.

Regarding funding sources, the female delegate agreed with the arrangement from the state budget.

However, it is necessary to carefully assess the budget balancing capacity of localities, especially for provinces that have not been able to balance their budgets.

According to Associate Professor Dr. Bui Hoai Son, full-time member of the National Assembly's Committee on Culture and Society, these policies not only remove financial barriers for learners but also ensure fairness between public and private schools, between urban and rural areas, and between formal and informal students.

According to the report, the total budget expenditure needs to be supplemented by about 8,200 billion VND per year, in which Hanoi, with its large population and high school density, is certainly the locality under great budget pressure. However, Mr. Son affirmed that this is a 'correct, accurate and worthy' investment.

Not only free, according to the delegate, people expect better schools, teachers to be confident in teaching, and the curriculum to be suitable for students' abilities. At the same time, it is necessary to review the budget allocation by region, avoiding the situation of equalization that puts excessive pressure on the provincial and commune/ward budgets.

"Hanoi is the capital, where conditions are more favorable than other localities, and needs to take the lead in organizing the effective pilot implementation of this policy," Mr. Son expected.

'Other fees' need to be stopped

Also at the discussion session, delegate Truong Xuan Cu (Hanoi delegation) raised the issue of, in addition to tuition fees, how can public schools minimize other types of fees? According to him, schools in Hanoi are currently maintaining many types of "other fees".

"The government has basically taken care of major issues such as free tuition, so don't let other issues affect your superior policies," Mr. Cu raised the issue.

Minister of Education and Training Nguyen Kim Son. Photo: Nhu Y

Sharing concerns about students moving from private schools to public schools, Minister of Education and Training Nguyen Kim Son explained that the proportion of students in public schools is very high.

“For non-public schools in the capital area, the schools are also willing to invest and have prestige. There are many schools that have a lot of applications waiting in line during the annual enrollment process,” said Minister Son.

According to him, the education sector of the capital, since 2024, has done a very important thing: enrolling students online, without queuing or closing the door like before. This is also the progress of the capital's education. Through the numbers, it shows that the number of students enrolling in private schools is still under no less pressure than public schools and is also very crowded.

"The delegates' concerns should also be considered, but not too worrying. Because private schools in Hanoi have also affirmed their position and brand and have also made great efforts. The reality of enrollment in recent years shows that this concern is not too big," said the Minister.

Regarding tuition support, the Minister said that the People's Councils of provinces and cities will determine the specific support level for non-public schools equivalent to public schools. The support will be provided directly to students. This option is also suitable in the current digital transformation conditions.

According to Mr. Son, the Ministry of Education is urgently submitting to the Prime Minister a decree to replace Decree 81, which will be completed next June. After the National Assembly's Resolution is issued, this decree will also be issued immediately for implementation.

Regarding the issue of extra teaching and learning, the Minister said that the upcoming question-and-answer session will also include this content. In schools, there are 3 groups: weak students, good students and students preparing for graduation exams. Circular 29 clearly states that no tuition fees will be collected.

Along with that, the Ministry of Education will prepare a plan to organize the second teaching session in schools, without collecting tuition fees from students. "The Ministry of Education is implementing a plan to start this new school year. With such regulations, it will move towards public education without collecting tuition fees," said the Minister.

According to the Minister, the Education Law stipulates that the minimum expenditure on education must reach 20% of the budget. Of this, expenditure on teachers' salaries in the entire system accounts for approximately 18% of that 20%. Therefore, there are concerns that 20% of the budget on education will not be enough, so this must be calculated to be truly feasible.

Luan Dung

Source: https://tienphong.vn/bo-truong-nguyen-kim-son-nganh-giao-duc-ha-noi-da-lam-mot-viec-rat-quan-trong-post1744589.tpo