Direct tuition fee support for students in private preschool and primary/secondary schools.

The Standing Committee of the National Assembly unanimously agreed on providing direct tuition fee support to families with children attending private and non-private preschools and primary and secondary schools nationwide.

This afternoon (April 25), the Standing Committee of the National Assembly continued to discuss and give opinions on the draft resolution of the National Assembly on tuition fee exemption and support for preschool children, primary and secondary school students, and learners in general education programs at institutions within the national education system.

Minister of Education and Training Nguyen Kim Son, acting on behalf of the Government, presented the resolution, stating that it was developed to contribute to ensuring social welfare and reducing the economic burden on families with children attending preschool and primary/secondary education institutions nationwide. This demonstrates the superiority of the system and the policy of ensuring fairness in access to education; encouraging the development of non-public education, and strengthening the socialization of education.

Minister of Education and Training Nguyen Kim Son. Photo: National Assembly

The opinions expressed during the discussion generally supported the proposal to waive tuition fees for preschool children and students in public primary and secondary schools.

Regarding financial support for students in private preschool and primary/secondary schools, the Committee on Culture and Social Affairs (the body responsible for reviewing the draft resolution) proposes that relevant agencies agree to provide direct support to students instead of through educational institutions.

The government estimates that the total state budget needed to implement tuition fee exemption for preschool children and public primary and secondary school students, and tuition fee support for preschool children and private and non-public primary and secondary school students, is approximately 30.6 trillion VND. Of this, 28.7 trillion VND is for the public sector and 1.9 trillion VND for the private and non-public sector. The required budget will depend on the specific tuition fees of each province/city under the authority of the provincial People's Council.

In fact, the total state budget allocated for tuition fee exemption for 5-year-old preschool children, primary school students, and secondary school students from the 2025-2026 school year is 22.4 trillion VND (of which, the public sector accounts for 21.8 trillion VND; the private sector accounts for 600 billion VND).

Therefore, the additional state budget required to implement the policy according to the National Assembly's resolution is 8.2 trillion VND. Of this, 6.9 trillion VND is for the public sector and 1.3 trillion VND is for the private sector.

The Committee on Culture and Social Affairs requested that the drafting agency carefully assess the budgetary capacity of localities, especially those with difficult socio-economic conditions.

Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly Tran Quang Phuong concluded that the Standing Committee of the National Assembly basically agreed with the policy of exempting and supporting tuition fees for preschool children and students in public, private, and semi-private schools as outlined in the draft resolution.

Accordingly, it is proposed that the Government consider and clarify the contents of the contributions made during the discussion session; finalize the project dossier for submission to the National Assembly at the upcoming 9th session; and, in doing so, refer to the methods and experiences of other countries in providing tuition fee support for students in private preschool and primary schools.

Statistics from the Ministry of Education and Training show that there are currently 23.2 million students nationwide, including 21.5 million public school students, accounting for 93%; and 1.7 million private school students, accounting for 7%.

This includes 4.8 million preschool children (3.8 million in public schools and 1 million in private schools); 8.8 million primary school students, 6.5 million lower secondary school students, and 2.99 million upper secondary school students.

The significance of the Politburo's policy on tuition fee exemption and no disciplinary action for having a third child : In February 2025, the Politburo's decision to completely waive tuition fees for public school students and its policy of not disciplining those who have a third child or more has attracted special attention with many supportive opinions.

Source: https://vietnamnet.vn/ho-tro-truc-tiep-hoc-phi-cho-hoc-sinh-mam-non-pho-thong-ngoai-cong-lap-2395030.html