30 trillion VND is needed to completely waive tuition fees for public schools.

To implement a policy of completely waiving tuition fees for students at all levels from preschool to high school, the entire country would need up to 30,000 billion VND/school year.

This information was released by the Ministry of Education and Training on the evening of February 28th, after the Politburo decided to implement a policy of completely waiving tuition fees for students from preschool to high school in public schools nationwide starting from the 2025-2026 school year.

According to statistics from the Ministry of Education and Training, there are 23.2 million students nationwide (excluding students attending vocational and continuing education centers), including 3.1 million children under 5 years old; 1.7 million 5-year-olds; 8.9 million primary school students; 6.5 million students at the lower secondary level; and 3 million students at the upper secondary level.

To implement this policy, the entire country will need 30,000 billion VND per school year (calculated based on the tuition fees for the 2024-2025 school year as stipulated in Government Decree 81/2021). In reality, this budget will depend on the specific tuition fees of each province and city, as decided annually by the Provincial People's Council.

30 trillion VND is needed to completely waive tuition fees for students at all levels. (Illustrative image: HC)

Currently, 10 provinces and cities nationwide have issued resolutions of the Provincial People's Council on waiving tuition fees for preschool and primary education for the 2024-2025 school year, including: Quang Ninh, Hai Phong, Yen Bai, Quang Nam, Khanh Hoa, Da Nang, Ba Ria-Vung Tau, Binh Duong and Long An.

" This is also the reason why the Ministry of Education and Training has proposed to the Politburo and the Party Committee of the Government to consider a policy of waiving tuition fees from preschool to general education to ensure fairness for all students," the Ministry stated.

Regarding private schools, the Ministry of Education and Training stated that students will receive tuition fee subsidies equivalent to the tuition fees of public schools, as stipulated by law; the difference in tuition fees between public and private schools will be paid by the students' families.

According to the Ministry of Education and Training, tuition fees affect most families and are a matter of public concern at the beginning of each new school year. Implementing a policy of free tuition for all children from preschool to high school nationwide would significantly contribute to improving the quality of education, receive high social consensus, align with the advantages of the system and the Party and State's policies on education, and be consistent with the general trend of developed countries.

Ha Cuong

Source: https://vtcnews.vn/bo-gd-dt-can-30-000-ty-dong-de-mien-toan-bo-hoc-phi-cong-lap-ar928912.html