Excessive fees at the beginning of the school year remain a hot topic.

At the beginning of the school year, at Ha Trung Kindergarten (Ha Trung commune, Thanh Hoa province), the homeroom teachers of the 4 and 5-year-old classes announced 13 contributions totaling nearly 4 million VND per student. Many of these contributions were not included in the regulations, such as: electricity for air conditioning (100,000 VND), cleaning (180,000 VND), air conditioning (200,000 VND), hiring a gardener (150,000 VND), school supplies (510,000 VND), and making a school name sign (250,000 VND)...

At Thieu Toan Kindergarten (Thieu Toan commune, Thanh Hoa province), many parents are upset, accusing the school of collecting 12,000 VND per child per month for drinking water for many years without actually purchasing it. Verification by the management agency shows that the school collected drinking water fees for the school years 2022–2023, 2023–2024, and 2024–2025. But not buying water is against the rules.

Currently, according to Hanoi 's regulations, the maximum fee for after-school childcare is 12,000 VND per hour. Trung Tu Primary School (Hanoi) provides after-school childcare on Tuesdays and Thursdays, from 3:15 PM to 4:15 PM. Parents argue that the amount they should pay is equal to the actual number of childcare sessions multiplied by 12,000 VND, but the school charged 120,000 VND per month for both September and October. When parents questioned this, they did not receive a clear explanation.

Parents with children attending primary school in Hung Dao commune (Hanoi) have complained that the school's requirement for each student to pay 200,000 VND per year for "renting air conditioners and electrical wiring" from an outside company is unreasonable.

To install a surveillance camera system on the school grounds, Le Hong Phong High School ( Tuyen Quang ) reportedly solicited contributions of 240 million VND, divided among 30 classes (approximately 8 million VND per class), with each student contributing around 200,000 VND.

In Ho Chi Minh City, a class at Vo Thi Sau Primary School (Tan Hung Ward, HCMC) presented a plan and budget for the 2025-2026 school year, with a total estimated fundraising need of over 54 million VND. This includes two parts: general activities for the class and the students, and showing appreciation to the teachers (this expenditure is entirely voluntary; the parent representatives only send flowers and gifts on behalf of the parents).

Many school fees and expenditures in various localities are causing frustration among parents. It's not just the amount collected; misuse of funds or collection without expenditure, as seen in Thanh Hoa, has eroded trust in the schools. While most parents would agree to socialized funding for things like air conditioners and cameras if it were transparent, the indiscriminate collection methods and lack of transparency make it difficult for them to accept and agree with the school and the parent-teacher association.

According to Circular 55/2011 of the Ministry of Education and Training, parent-teacher associations are not allowed to solicit or organize the collection of fees that are not voluntary. Some fees that are permitted at the beginning of the school year include: uniforms, health insurance, lunch fees, school supplies for preschool children, drinking water, and class funds, provided there is consensus and transparency.

Recently, the Hanoi People's Committee issued a document requiring that service fees and educational support fees for public preschool and primary/secondary schools be implemented in accordance with Decree 238. In Ho Chi Minh City, the Department of Education and Training established inspection teams to review the revenue and expenditure at the beginning of the 2025-2026 school year at educational institutions under the People's Committees of wards, communes, special zones, public high schools, and public educational institutions under the Department's direct management, a process that lasted throughout October.

Thus, schools have clear guidelines from the Ministry of Education and Training and the local Department of Education and Training regarding permitted and prohibited fees. Tightening regulations on fees at the beginning of the school year is necessary, but more importantly, it requires consensus between the school and parents. When all fees are transparent, have clear purposes, and are closely monitored, the educational environment will become healthier.

Deputy Minister of Education and Training Le Tan Dung outlined nine short-term and long-term solutions to end excessive fees. He emphasized that all fees must be approved by competent authorities and that schools are strictly prohibited from setting their own fees. Educational institutions must publicly display and list the prices of supplies, equipment, services, and textbooks; they must not combine fees, collect fees in advance for multiple periods, or exploit the name of the parent-teacher association to collect fees exceeding regulations. The Ministry of Education and Training requested that local authorities strengthen inspections and handle violations directly at the grassroots level.

Thu Huong

Source: https://daidoanket.vn/lam-thu-dau-nam-hoc-van-nong.html