Free tuition but still have to pay 2 million per month, parents hope the school will 'reduce more'

Digital transformation service fees; fees for organizing extra-curricular foreign language and IT training; STEM learning fees... which expenses can be reduced?

Primary school students in Ho Chi Minh City participating in a foreign language club - Photo: MY DUNG

Many parents in Ho Chi Minh City said that even if they deduct tuition fees that they do not have to pay, every month primary and secondary school students in many public schools in Ho Chi Minh City still have to pay many school fees with a total estimated cost of around 2 million VND/month.

According to a parent whose child is attending a boarding primary school, each month her child is paying school fees including: boarding meals, boarding management and cleaning services, drinking water, foreign language enrichment training, foreign language learning through math and science , foreign language learning with foreigners; computer classes; digital conversion service fees; electricity for air conditioning, maintenance fees...

With such contributions, she pays about 2.3 million VND per month for her child.

Similarly, a parent whose child attends a boarding secondary school listed the monthly payments including: boarding lunch fees, boarding management and cleaning service fees; fees for organizing 2 sessions/day; fees for teaching gifted classes, elective physical education; fees for organizing life skills classes; fees for organizing STEM education classes ; digital transformation utility services; air conditioning services; international computer fees...

Many parents wonder in the context of economic difficulties, is it possible to cut some expenses to reduce costs?

Responding to Tuoi Tre , the principal of a secondary school in Ho Chi Minh City said that except for the compulsory health insurance contribution for students, the remaining amounts as mentioned by parents above are student contributions based on whether the students "use the service" or not. Therefore, for service contributions, students must pay only if they need to use the service.

According to the regulations of the 2018 general education program, in addition to the compulsory subjects in the program, when students use any educational services or activities such as (lunch, nap, life skills learning, STEM learning...), parents must register with the school from the beginning of the school year and the parents agree for the school to implement.

Therefore, if students do not need to use these expenses, they can reduce them by not registering to use those services and educational activities with the school.

Depending on each school's regulations, there will be specific regulations for "cutting" educational services and activities. Usually, schools let parents and students register at the beginning of the school year or semester, some schools will change it monthly.

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/mien-hoc-phi-nhung-van-phai-dong-2-trieu-moi-thang-phu-huynh-mong-truong-giam-them-20250312151221533.htm