New regulations on universal preschool education for children from 3 to 5 years old

Photo caption — Creative corner of art at Song Mai Kindergarten ( Bac Giang city). Illustration photo: Danh Lam/VNA

The Decree consists of 5 chapters and 29 articles detailing the implementation of Resolution No. 218/2025/QH15 dated June 26, 2025 of the National Assembly on universalizing preschool education for children from 3 to 5 years old, including: investment in developing a network of schools, classes, facilities, teaching equipment, utensils, and toys; policies on staff development and child support; roadmap for achieving standards, recognition standards, facilities, teaching equipment, utensils, toys, and processes and procedures for inspecting and recognizing universal preschool education for children from 3 to 5 years old.

According to this Decree, by 2028, 50% or more of provinces and centrally run cities will meet the standards for universal preschool education for children aged 3 to 5. By 2030, 100% of provinces and centrally run cities will meet the standards for universal preschool education for children aged 3 to 5.

The Decree stipulates policies to support children from 3 to 5 years old and invest in developing facilities and school and classroom staff. Specifically as follows:

Regarding the policy of supporting lunch for children, the Decree stipulates that the beneficiaries of this support include:

Children aged 3 to 5 years old (excluding children of ethnic minorities with very small populations as prescribed in Decree No. 57/2017/ND-CP dated May 9, 2017 of the Government stipulating preferential admission policies and learning support for children aged 3 to 5 years old, pupils and students of ethnic minorities with very small populations) residing in communes and villages with special difficulties who are studying at public preschools, preschools of the armed forces in communes in region III, region II, region I, communes with extremely difficult villages in ethnic minority and mountainous areas, communes with extremely difficult areas in coastal and island areas as prescribed by competent authorities;

Children from 3 to 5 years old without a source of support are specified in Clause 1, Article 5 of Decree No. 20/2021/ND-CP dated March 15, 2021 of the Government stipulating social assistance policies for social protection beneficiaries;

Children from 3 to 5 years old from poor households, near-poor households according to multidimensional poverty and near-poverty standards as prescribed by the Government;

Children from 3 to 5 years old who are children of martyrs, children of People's Armed Forces Heroes, children of war invalids, children of people enjoying policies like war invalids, children of sick soldiers, children of other policy subjects according to regulations in the Ordinance on Preferential Treatment of People with Revolutionary Contributions (if any);

Children from 3 to 5 years old with disabilities study in an integrated school.

Each child in the above category is supported with 360,000 VND per month and is entitled to no more than 9 months/school year.

Regarding support for learning costs, the Decree stipulates that the subjects eligible for support for learning costs include:

Children from 3 to 5 years old in Clause 1 above;

Children from 3 to 5 years old studying at private preschools licensed by competent authorities to establish and operate in accordance with regulations must have a father, mother or legal guardian who is a worker or laborer working in industrial parks, industrial clusters, or export processing zones and have a labor contract signed by the enterprise in accordance with regulations.

Each child in the above category is supported with monthly tuition fees of 150,000 VND and is entitled to no more than 9 months/school year.

Regarding investment policies for developing the network of schools, classrooms, facilities, teaching equipment, tools and toys, the Decree stipulates increasing resources from the central and local budgets to invest in facilities. Encourage attracting social resources to invest in facilities for developing preschool education. Invest in developing the network of preschool education facilities to ensure enough schools, classrooms, facilities, teaching equipment, tools and toys to implement universal preschool education for children from 3 to 5 years old. Raise the standards of preschool education facilities towards standardization and modernization, meeting the requirements for implementing universal preschool education for children from 3 to 5 years old.

In addition, priority is given to clean land funds, allowing flexible conversion of land use purposes to land for building preschools; focusing on site clearance and allocation of clean land for preschool projects. No land use fees are collected, land rent and land tax are reduced for preschools. No corporate income tax is applied to public preschools and private preschools operating not for profit. Priority is given to reserving surplus state agency headquarters after reorganization for preschools; allowing the application of the form of leasing state-owned works to private preschools.

Prioritize central and local budget investment from programs and projects to ensure that by 2030, 100% of public preschools and preschools belonging to the armed forces in communes with especially difficult socio-economic conditions, communes in difficult areas, ethnic minority areas, mountainous areas, border areas, islands, coastal areas, densely populated areas, industrial zones, and export processing zones have enough schools and classrooms, ensuring 1 classroom/kindergarten class, 100% solid classrooms, enough functional rooms, preschool libraries, enough outdoor toys, indoor toys, teaching equipment, enough kitchens, toilets and clean water facilities according to regulations.

Regarding staff development policy, the Decree requires ensuring the arrangement of a sufficient number of preschool teachers at the maximum level according to prescribed norms; ensuring policies and regimes for the team of managers, teachers and staff performing the task of universalizing preschool education for children from 3 to 5 years old in preschool education facilities.

Preschool teachers newly recruited from the 2025-2026 school year according to the provisions of law, performing the task of universalizing preschool education for children from 3 to 5 years old, committing to work at a public preschool institution for at least 5 years, and enjoying a minimum support policy of 1 year of basic salary (or equivalent level when there is a change in salary policy).

Principals, Vice Principals, teachers and staff at public preschools participating in the task of universalizing preschool education for children from 3 to 5 years old are entitled to a support fund of VND 960,000/month (the support fund is not used to calculate social insurance contributions and benefits).

Source: https://baotintuc.vn/thoi-su/quy-dinh-moi-ve-pho-cap-giao-duc-mam-non-cho-tre-em-tu-3-den-5-tuoi-20251022180557891.htm