Reporter: Could you please tell us about the tuition fees that will be implemented from the upcoming school year in Ho Chi Minh City?
- Mr. HO TAN MINH: The 17th session of the 10th term of the Ho Chi Minh City People's Council recently passed a Resolution stipulating tuition fees and other charges, collection rates, and management mechanisms for revenue and expenditure related to services supporting educational activities of public educational institutions for the 2024-2025 school year and subsequent years in the city.
The tuition fees for primary education stipulated in this resolution will serve as the basis for implementing the policy of providing financial support for tuition fees to private primary school students in areas without sufficient public primary schools, and to private primary school students who are eligible for tuition fee exemption or reduction as prescribed.
Five-year-old preschool children will be exempt from tuition fees starting from the 2024-2025 school year (effective from September 1, 2024). Secondary school students will be exempt from tuition fees starting from the 2025-2026 school year (effective from September 1, 2025). Tuition fees for online learning will be 50% of the tuition fees charged by public educational institutions. Tuition fees at public preschool and primary/secondary schools that are self-financing will be determined by the institution based on economic and technical norms and cost norms, and submitted to the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee for consideration and approval by the City People's Council.
Continuing education institutions and other training institutions implementing the 2018 General Education Program will apply tuition fees equivalent to those of public general education institutions of the same level in the area.
Could you elaborate on the service fees? Why wasn't the school lunch fee mentioned in the resolution, even though parents have recently proposed increasing it?
- The resolution recently passed by the Ho Chi Minh City People's Council also stipulates the fees, fee levels, and management mechanisms for revenue and expenditure related to services supporting educational activities - replacing Resolution 04 of 2023. Accordingly, the new resolution has some different contents compared to Resolution 04 of the previous school year, such as adjusting the names of fees beginning with "services…" to comply with regulations and issuing authority; adjusting the list from 26 fees to 9 fees...
Students at Vinh Hoi Primary School (District 4, Ho Chi Minh City) during an after-school lesson. Photo: Phuong Quynh
The fees applicable for the 2024-2025 school year are as follows: Adding the cost of air conditioner rental to the "air conditioner usage service fee for classrooms with air conditioners" fee, and adjusting the maximum fee from 50,000 VND to 110,000 VND/student/month. Specifically, the maximum fee is 50,000 VND/student/month for classrooms already equipped with air conditioners and 110,000 VND/student/month for classrooms that need air conditioners but do not have them and must rent them. The estimated rental price is 1,320,000 VND/unit/month; for a classroom with 2 units and 45 students, the provisional rental cost is 60,000 VND/student/month. Additionally, the fee for "summer preschool childcare" is adjusted to "after-hours childcare services" (including childcare services during holidays, excluding Tet and other public holidays, and excluding meals), with a fee of 128,000 VND/student/day.
According to Government Decree 81/2021, for fees related to school lunch meals and other fees not stipulated in the Ho Chi Minh City People's Council Resolution, educational institutions shall base their revenue and expenditure estimates on the actual situation, facilities, and student needs. This estimate will serve as the basis for calculating specific fees, ensuring the principle of sufficient revenue to cover expenses, in line with the actual situation of the school year, and that any increase in fees (if any) does not exceed 15% compared to the 2023-2024 school year. The fees and their amounts must be agreed upon by the educational institution and the parents; and must have the input of the District People's Committee and the Department of Education and Training according to the management hierarchy.
Tuition fees have remained stable for many years, and in fact, have decreased significantly due to additional support policies for students. How does the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Education and Training assess the impact of this policy?
- The tuition fee regulations set by Ho Chi Minh City have yielded positive results. Parents and students are not burdened by increased tuition fees if the city's budget no longer provides support; ensuring that no student is unable to attend school due to difficult circumstances.
Regarding the issuance of regulations on service fees, this provides a basis for schools to implement fee collection in a transparent and open manner. The organization and implementation of fee collection within schools are standardized, improving the effectiveness of management and supervision by administrative agencies. Parents and society also have a basis for comparison and participation in monitoring the school's educational activities in terms of both content and costs, preventing excessive fees and public discontent.
However, adjusting tuition fees for the 2024-2025 school year back to the levels set in the 2021-2022 school year will reduce the revenue of schools, affecting the level of financial autonomy and self-sufficiency in covering recurrent expenditures that the units have established and been granted the authority to achieve during the 2023-2025 period. This may lead to adjustments in the financial autonomy plan, the classification of autonomy, and the level of state budget support for the units due to reduced revenue; consequently, year-end savings and additional income from year-end savings will decrease, affecting the unit's operating budget, the quality of educational activities, and the income of employees.
Since tuition fees are not being increased, how will "additional fees" and service charges be controlled to prevent overcharging, sir?
- The Ho Chi Minh City People's Council issued a Resolution stipulating the fees and rates, and the management mechanism for revenue and expenditure related to services supporting educational activities. This aims to create a legal framework and standardize the fees for services supporting educational activities, in addition to tuition fees, at public educational institutions in the city. This also serves as a basis for schools to implement fee collection in accordance with regulations. However, during implementation, some units may still not have thoroughly studied or correctly implemented the policy and regulations.
At the beginning of the school year, the People's Committees of districts, Thu Duc City, and the Department of Education and Training of Ho Chi Minh City will organize inspection teams to review the management of revenue and expenditure, as well as the management of facilities, in order to promptly detect and correct instances of "excessive fees" at educational institutions. Particular emphasis will be placed on transparency and openness to allow parents and the public to participate in monitoring alongside state management agencies; ensuring that tuition fees are commensurate with the quality of services provided to students.
Tuition fees are divided into two groups.
Group 1: Students from schools in Thu Duc City and districts 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10, 11, 12, Binh Thanh, Phu Nhuan, Go Vap, Tan Binh, Tan Phu, and Binh Tan. Group 2: Students from schools in the districts of Binh Chanh, Hoc Mon, Cu Chi, Nha Be, and Can Gio.
Tuition fees from the 2024-2025 school year for public preschool and general education institutions that are not yet self-sufficient in covering their operating expenses are as follows:
Source: https://nld.com.vn/giu-on-dinh-hoc-phi-nam-hoc-moi-196240804215131572.htm
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