On October 8, the National Assembly Standing Committee held a second meeting to give opinions on the draft Law on Teachers.

Accordingly, the Ministry of Education and Training, the drafting agency, proposed exempting tuition fees for biological and legally adopted children of working teachers. Based on the age of teachers and the estimated age of their children, the estimated expenditure is about 9,200 billion VND per year.

Immediately, this draft attracted public attention. Some people agreed with the proposal because they believed that we have long determined that "education is the top national policy", and there should also be special privileges for teachers to encourage their spirit and help them feel secure in their work.

On the other hand, some people think that it is possible to support teachers in difficulty, but putting it into law and making it free for 100% of teachers' children is not reasonable, because teachers are not special compared to other professions.

Ms. Nguyen Huong Giang - a teacher in Hanoi said: "I am a teacher with a son in grade 4 and a daughter in grade 9. I do not need my children to go to school without tuition fees. I propose that it should be applied to remote areas where teachers face many difficulties, while in the plains, like me, I still live well with my salary and allowances, although I also sell online at night.

Moreover, teachers have a stable income compared to workers and other common laborers. We also have the conditions to take our children to school and teach them better, so we would like to give up our support to those in difficult circumstances."

Regarding this issue, speaking with VietNamNet, Ms. Nguyen Thanh Ha - Principal of Phan Chu Trinh Secondary School (Ba Dinh District, Hanoi) said that if teachers have the means, they should not accept free tuition for their children to give it to those in need.

"My point of view is that tuition fees for teachers' children should be exempted in a way that supports teachers in difficult circumstances, not written into the Law. Because, preferential treatment for specific circumstances is okay, but general privileges should not be," said Ms. Ha.

Ms. Tran Thi Minh Hai - Vice Principal of Dich Vong Hau Secondary School (Cau Giay, Hanoi) said that the proposal to exempt tuition fees for teachers' children is a rather special policy and aims to show gratitude and support to those working in the teaching profession - a profession of great significance in society.

“I personally support this proposal because it aims to motivate teachers: Teachers contribute greatly to the cause of education while their income is not higher than other professions. The policy of exempting tuition fees for their children can be considered an encouragement, helping to reduce the financial burden on teachers' families.

This proposal also contributes to attracting human resources to the education sector, encouraging talented individuals who are more dedicated to the teaching profession, contributing to improving the quality of education."

However, according to Ms. Hai, there are some issues to consider surrounding this proposal such as ensuring social justice: Some people may question the fairness of only exempting tuition fees for teachers' children without applying it to other professions that also have similar salaries or make significant contributions to society such as healthcare, police, and armed forces.

Second is budget balance: To implement this policy, the state budget will have to allocate a significant amount of expenses. This may affect other investments in education, such as facilities, teaching technology or general welfare for the entire sector.

“In short, I support this proposal, but there also needs to be careful research and consideration on how to implement it reasonably, without causing budget imbalance and ensuring social justice,” Ms. Hai affirmed.

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