At least nearly 4,000 students at three teacher training universities have not received tuition and living expenses support for the past six months due to policy problems.
Ha Thanh is a second-year student at Hanoi National University of Education. After being admitted to the school last year, Thanh and her family signed a commitment to work inthe education sector for 8 years in order to be exempted from tuition fees and receive 3.63 million VND/month in living expenses from the budget, according to Decree 116 of 2020 of the Government.
"This is also what attracted me to enroll in the Pedagogical College because my family did not have the means," Thanh said. However, after paying for the first semester of the first year close to the Lunar New Year last year, Thanh has not received any additional support.
Ho Quan, a second-year student majoring in Literature Pedagogy at Ho Chi Minh City University of Education, and many other students at Saigon University reflected similarly.
"We asked the school many times but the school said we were waiting for funding from higher levels, we don't know when it will be paid," Quan said, saying that this has made him and many of his friends struggle because they don't have money to live.
Seven months without receiving support, Quan and Thanh's family had to resort to borrowing money. Thanh also had to work extra to earn money to pay for tuition and living expenses.
According to schools, the cause of this situation is due to "ordering" training according to Decree 116 from localities and many problems in budget allocation.
Students register for clubs in November. Photo: Ho Chi Minh City University of Education Dormitory
According to Decree 116, from 2021, teacher training students will receive 100% state support for tuition fees and 3.63 million VND/month for living expenses. This funding comes from the budgets of localities, ministries, and branches, through the form of ordering with schools. The annual teacher training enrollment quota is regulated by the Ministry of Education and Training .
In fact, although every province complained about the shortage, in August, the Ministry of Education and Training said that only 23/63 localities "ordered" teacher training, the proportion of students supported through this program accounted for 24.3% of the total number of students registered to benefit from the policy. More than 75% of the remaining number were supported by the state budget through the Ministry of Education and Training.
Localities are not keen on "ordering" because this policy stipulates that students must work in the education sector after graduation, otherwise they will have to reimburse the funding. However, there is no binding mechanism between these candidates and the localities that provide the support money. In addition, even when they return, students still have to take the civil service exam according to the regulations of the Ministry of the Interior and are not sure of passing.
A representative of Saigon University said that nearly 1,600 students in three courses registered to enjoy the policy under Decree 116. In each course, the school sent information to the People's Committees and Departments of Education and Training of provinces and cities, but most did not respond.
Rarely, in 2021, only Long An and Ninh Thuan announced orders for 34 students. These students have had their first tuition and living expenses paid and are about to receive the second payment. For the remaining students, the school sent a request to the governing body, the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee, to request support, but there have been no results.
"For the past three years, we have followed the correct procedures, but currently more than 1,500 students have not received support," said a representative of Saigon University.
As a school under the Ministry of Education and Training, Ho Chi Minh City University of Education said that about 2,450 students of the 2021 and 2022 classes have not received 6-7 months of living allowance. The total amount is nearly 60 billion VND.
Hanoi National University of Education did not provide specific information on the amount of unpaid fees. However, students have also been owed tuition fees since the second semester of last year.
According to the schools, some localities have placed orders but have not yet paid the funds or have only paid a very small portion. For schools under the Ministry of Education and Training, students are always funded later than the training plan.
Currently, schools are doing many things to support students. For example, at Saigon University, the school has postponed collecting tuition fees to reduce pressure on students, while continuing to make recommendations to the governing body.
Professor Nguyen Van Minh, Principal of Hanoi National University of Education, said that we must do ideological work and encourage students through many channels so that they can share common difficulties.
"For students with special policies and difficulties, the school uses its limited resources to provide partial support in advance," said Mr. Minh. Quy Nhon University also said it is making an advance payment to pay for part of the support for students.
According to Mr. Minh, the Ministry of Education and Training said that it could pour in support funds next week. When the money is available, the school will immediately pay the students. Ho Chi Minh City University of Education is also preparing support decisions to pay as soon as the funds are poured in.
Le Nguyen - Duong Tam
* Student name has been changed
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