National Assembly Delegate: Can well-off parents voluntarily refuse support and exempt tuition fees?

Đại biểu Quốc hội: Cha mẹ khá giả tự nguyện từ chối hỗ trợ, miễn học phí, được không? - Ảnh 1. — Chairman of the National Assembly's Economic and Financial Committee Phan Van Mai - Photo: QP

On the afternoon of May 22, National Assembly deputies discussed in groups draft resolutions on tuition exemption and support for preschool children, general education students, and those studying generaleducation programs at educational institutions in the national education system; universalizing preschool education for preschool children from 3 to 5 years old.

Reduce financial burden, encourage families to have 2 children

Most delegates recognized that if these two resolutions were issued and implemented well, they would become historic resolutions, realizing Uncle Ho's "ultimate desire" that "everyone should have food to eat, clothes to wear, and education to go to school."

The delegate also shared that after hearing the policy, people across the country were very sympathetic, excited and looking forward to the policy soon becoming a reality.

Delegate Nguyen Thien Nhan (HCMC) emphasized that the tuition fee exemption and support policy is highly anticipated by the people and expressed joy and happiness when the policy was announced.

According to Mr. Nhan, exempting tuition fees will reduce the financial burden for many families, demonstrating the humanity and thriftiness of the Party and State in the context of many difficulties to take care of future generations.

"Reducing the financial burden of not having to pay tuition fees will help people consider whether to have more children or not, aiming to encourage families to have two children, so that by 2045 Vietnam will not lack labor," said Mr. Nhan.

Delegate To Thi Bich Chau (HCMC) wondered: "A child going to preschool, in addition to food and tuition fees (which will be exempted or reduced), also has other expenses. So will parents in remote areas and ethnic minority areas have enough conditions to send their children to school and enjoy the policy?"

Ms. Chau suggested that there should be more mechanisms and policies to pay special attention to children whose families live in remote, isolated, and disadvantaged ethnic minority areas.

There is a mechanism to record parents who voluntarily do not accept tuition exemption.

Đại biểu Quốc hội: Cha mẹ khá giả tự nguyện từ chối hỗ trợ, miễn học phí, được không? - Ảnh 2. — Delegate Nguyen Minh Duc (HCMC) - Photo: QP

From the perspective of policy beneficiaries, delegate Nguyen Minh Duc (HCMC) said that the draft resolution on tuition exemption and support states that the state budget will support tuition for preschool children, high school students, and those studying general education programs at private and public educational institutions.

Thus, in principle, all families with children in the beneficiary group, whether studying in public or private schools, are entitled to the policy.

However, Mr. Duc raised the issue that many families with good economic conditions are willing to pay a lot of money for their children to study at private schools. The general tuition exemption and reduction will have little impact on these families. Parents can also voluntarily not accept support.

Therefore, delegates proposed that the resolution design a policy that demonstrates the State's fairness in implementing the tuition exemption and reduction policy. At the same time, there should be regulations to create conditions and acknowledge parents from families with conditions to refuse to receive the tuition exemption and reduction policy.

"The voluntary refusal to receive the policy will be calculated by the fathers and mothers. If they have the conditions and do not need support, but we just take the budget and divide it equally, it will not be effective. Meanwhile, the money refused can be returned to the budget so that we can support other subjects," Mr. Duc said.

Agreeing with the above opinion, Chairman of the National Assembly's Economic and Financial Committee Phan Van Mai said that the tuition exemption and reduction policy must cover all subjects, however, each person in society has a different income. Among those with high incomes, the support of several hundred thousand VND/month is not much compared to the conditions of their parents' families.

Mr. Mai cited Ho Chi Minh City's experience in implementing policies to support people affected by COVID-19, many people voluntarily refused to receive support. Therefore, according to Mr. Mai, the resolution needs to add a recording mechanism and allow recipients to choose whether or not to receive the policy.

"This is a very good idea. We suggest taking note so that the drafting agency can have that additional mechanism," said Mr. Mai.

Regarding the resolution on universalizing preschool education, Chairman of the National Assembly's Economic and Financial Committee Phan Van Mai acknowledged that it is very meaningful, if considered from the perspective that investment in education is the most important investment for development.

According to Mr. Mai, the resolution assigned the Government to issue mechanisms and policies to implement the resolution. He suggested that this project should be studied to become a comprehensive preschool education program.

Accordingly, not only stopping at studying, the project is built so that children can truly have early access to education and nutritional care to comprehensively develop their abilities.

"This preschool education program will create conditions for children to be cared for with adequate nutrition, support development, and stimulate the brain; thereby creating a generation of citizens with developed physical health and good labor resources," Mr. Mai added.

Mr. Mai also suggested that in addition to budget resources, there should be an open and attractive enough mechanism to attract and encourage socialization to develop the preschool education system.

There could be mechanisms to exempt or reduce corporate income tax or boldly hand over educational facilities (built by the State) without collecting money or symbolically, or exempting taxes for private preschools.