Tuition fees are waived by 1-2 million VND, but the school then "partners" with other institutions and charges an additional few million VND.

General Secretary To Lam requested Hanoi to investigate the practice of schools partnering with external parties to provide instruction and then charging fees, resulting in the state waiving 1-2 million VND in tuition fees, but students still having to pay several million VND more.

Following the 10th session of the 15th National Assembly, on the morning of December 15th, at the headquarters of Bach Mai ward ( Hanoi ), General Secretary To Lam and National Assembly delegates met with voters from the following wards: Dong Da, Kim Lien, Van Mieu - Quoc Tu Giam, Lang, O Cho Dua, Ba Dinh, Ngoc Ha, Giang Vo, Hai Ba Trung, Vinh Tuy, and Bach Mai.

General Secretary To Lam speaks at a meeting with voters in Hanoi following the 10th session of the 15th National Assembly .

PHOTO: GIA HAN

In his exchange with voters, General Secretary To Lam said that this was the last voter outreach session of the 15th National Assembly term, so he had "many mixed feelings," "both happy because we have accomplished so much, but also worried and concerned about how the country's development will unfold in the next decade and in the coming term."

Regarding the preparations for the 14th National Congress of the Party, the General Secretary stated that recently, more than 13 million opinions from 5 million voters and citizens nationwide have been contributed to the draft documents of the Congress.

According to the General Secretary, there has never been such a large number of contributions and suggestions. Many opinions were very insightful, heartfelt, and responsible, reflecting the people's trust in the Party. After incorporating, revising, and supplementing these suggestions, the final draft document will be approved at the upcoming 15th Central Committee meeting to be submitted to the congress.

Regarding the 10th session, the General Secretary stated that the National Assembly had completed a large volume of work, including many legislative tasks and addressing strategic bottlenecks for national development in the coming period.

The General Secretary pointed out that the biggest bottleneck is the institutional framework. If everything is banned and restricted, "how can we unleash the people's potential and productive forces, and how can we create social consensus?"

The General Secretary stated that the mindset of prohibiting something because it cannot be managed is very outdated and must change. Laws must be constructive, creating an environment that mobilizes the strength of the people, businesses, and all citizens. "This is a great effort in reforming thinking," the General Secretary said.

General Secretary To Lam and delegates at the meeting with voters.

PHOTO: GIA HAN

"Schools cannot be turned into service centers."

Regarding the country's situation over the past period, the General Secretary stated that the two-tiered local government model, after five months of operation, has continued to function stably and smoothly. Initial difficulties and obstacles have been identified and are being addressed, especially those related to personnel placement and arrangement.

According to the General Secretary, the Central Committee and the Government are currently continuing to expedite the restructuring of public service units, healthcare facilities, and educational institutions, as well as improving the quality of operations at the commune and ward levels.

"Communes and wards are the most important levels, closest to the lives of the people, and they solve all the people's problems," the General Secretary said, while emphasizing that the grassroots level must ensure that "the people do not have to go to the province, city, or the central government."

The General Secretary emphasized that some localities are currently listing provincial and city-level officials to be assigned to wards and communes, but in reality, they are not being assigned; or they are only being assigned for a short period. The General Secretary demanded that "there should be no assignment or secondment," and that officials must be assigned permanently to wards and communes. The timeframe could be one to two years to ensure effective work, and they must be under the management of the ward or commune.

Discussing some major policies related to education and health in the recent past, the General Secretary emphasized that communes and wards must grasp the detailed and specific needs of schools and healthcare facilities in their areas in order to prepare the necessary infrastructure and equipment.

The General Secretary also noted, through discussions with Hanoi city leaders and voters, that there is still a situation where "the State provides free tuition, but schools come up with many other things that charge more money."

"The state only waives tuition fees of 1-2 million VND, but the school collaborates with companies to bring in outsiders to teach foreign languages, AI, music, physical education, etc., and then collects money, forcing the children to pay an additional few million VND," the General Secretary said, emphasizing: "Schools cannot be turned into service establishments. Hanoi must investigate this because this phenomenon is contrary to the true nature of education."

Government revenue in 2025 will exceed the target by 400,000 billion VND.

At the conference, the General Secretary stated that in the first 11 months of 2025, the macroeconomic situation was stable, inflation was under control, and major balances were ensured. State budget revenue for the first 11 months was estimated at approximately 2.4 trillion VND, exceeding the plan by about 400,000 billion VND.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/mien-hoc-phi-co-1-2-trieu-nhung-nha-truong-lai-lien-ket-roi-thu-them-vai-trieu-185251215131911631.htm