Tuition barriers are causing many students to give up their dreams of university.

The numbers speak for themselves.

Recently, the Ministry of Education and Training informed: In 2023, there will be 1,025,166 candidates registered to take the high school graduation exam. Of these, 73,232 candidates (7.14%) will take the graduation exam only, 34,203 candidates (3.34%) will take the admission exam only, and 917,731 candidates (89.52%) will take the graduation and admission exam. This number for 2022 is 941,759 candidates taking the 2022 high school graduation exam who have registered for university admission. The fact that in recent years the number of candidates registering for university admission has been high shows that their demand for university study is very high. Commenting on this number, Ms. Hoang Thi My Quy in Ha Tinh said that the fact that many students registered for the graduation exam and university entrance exam reflects the reality that deep in every student's heart, they want to go to university.

However, the number of registrations and actual university admissions are contradictory figures. According to statistics from the Ministry of Education and Training (MOET), in 2022, 48.09% of high school graduates nationwide will attend university. In particular, many mountainous provinces such as Bac Kan , Yen Bai, Tuyen Quang, Hoa Binh, Dien Bien, Cao Bang, Lang Son, Son La, Ha Giang, Lai Chau have a low rate of high school graduates attending university below 30%. Provinces such as Quang Binh, Nghe An, Ha Tinh, Thanh Hoa have admission rates lower than the national average. The university admission rates in the Central Highlands and Southwest provinces also reach nearly 30%.

While the total enrollment target of universities and colleges of education is about 550,000, many professions and many schools cannot recruit enough students. In 2022 alone, after the high school graduation exam results were released, more than 325,000 candidates who had previously registered for university admission did not register for admission.

Ms. Nguyen Thu Thuy - Director of the Department of Higher Education, Ministry of Education and Training once affirmed that the number of 325,000 candidates not entering their wishes is normal, not showing anything worrying. According to this person, in 2022, when registering for the high school graduation exam, candidates do not have to register their wishes for university admission but only need to check a box on the exam registration form with the content of whether they intend to register for university admission or not.

“ Most students will check this box because it does not affect anything. Later is the time to decide to register their real wishes. Only when the high school graduation exam scores are available will candidates actually register their specific admission wishes and pay the fee,” said Ms. Nguyen Thu Thuy.

In the context of economic difficulties, attending university is a big challenge for the majority of rural families. Photo: TL

According to data, in 2020, the number of candidates registering for admission on the system was 642,270, in 2021 it was 794,739 candidates. However, the number of candidates registering for admission in 2022 was only 616,522, a sharp decrease compared to 2021. Discussing this issue, Ms. Hoang Thi My Quy expressed her opinion that the reason for the decrease in candidates wishing to study at university compared to actual registration in the past 3 years is due to economic conditions. In the context of economic difficulties, attending university for students is a big challenge for the majority of rural families. In a province with a tradition of studying like Ha Tinh, the university attendance rate of high school graduates is lower than the national average, showing that many families cannot afford to send their children to university.

Tuition barriers are causing many difficulties.

According to the reporter of the Journalist & Public Opinion Newspaper, many delegations of National Assembly deputies from the provinces have repeatedly sent petitions from voters reflecting on the situation of tuition fees being a barrier for students to access higher education. Voters in An Giang province have petitioned the Ministry of Education and Training and requested solutions. Accordingly, in 2022 - 2023, university tuition fees increased significantly, causing anxiety and difficulties for parents. Voters in Nghe An province also petitioned the Ministry of Education and Training to study and have a roadmap to implement a more reasonable tuition fee policy. Accordingly, voters reflected that the increase in tuition fees at all levels and grades from the 2022-2023 school year has put great pressure on families with children going to school. Notably, currently, many universities have increased their tuition fees compared to before when they switched to autonomy.

Meanwhile, voters in Vinh Long province said that the Ministry of Education and Training needs to provide career guidance for students so that they understand the importance of studying. Because not every family can afford to send their children to university because the tuition is too high, vocational schools have low tuition but students do not choose to study vocational training.

The recommendations of the National Assembly delegations show that tuition fees are a major barrier preventing students from accessing higher education. According to the roadmap this year, tuition fees at public universities will continue to increase. The fact that tuition fees have become a barrier for students to access higher education is becoming a reality.

Discussing this issue, Mr. Nguyen Tung Lam - Chairman of the Hanoi Educational Psychology Association said that people's contribution to tuition fees is to contribute to making up for the deficit that the State has not been able to cover. Cuba is a difficult country but they do not collect tuition fees from students. " Tuition fee traps should not be used to trick students into going to university " - Mr. Nguyen Tung Lam expressed his opinion.

Professor Pham Tat Dong - Former Vice President of the Association for the Promotion of Education also said that schools are not opened to collect tuition fees but to equip people with knowledge. Moreover, education is to serve the masses. If the masses do not have the conditions to study, they must be helped to study. The whole world wants lifelong learning. If you want to study for life, you must go to university, not just high school.

“ Since 2006, our Party and State have talked about an open education system, which is an education system without barriers. Therefore, everyone will have access to university education with different programs and methods, which is the way to improve the quality of human resources and develop the country, ” said Professor Pham Tat Dong.

Also related to this issue, Mr. Do Van Dung - former Principal of Ho Chi Minh City University of Technical Education said that the tuition fees of public universities in Vietnam are relatively low, but not necessarily at rock bottom. When increasing tuition fees, higher education institutions must not only ensure the source of expenditure per student to improve the quality of training, but also be suitable for people's income. However, increasing tuition fees will cause difficulties for some disadvantaged students.

Assess the impact of tuition increases soon!

According to Resolution 81 of the Government, from the 2022-2023 school year, tuition fees of public educational institutions will increase annually. The Ministry of Education and Training has proposed two tuition fee options for the 2023-2024 school year.

Option 1: Apply according to the tuition fee roadmap in Decree No. 81. The ceiling for public university tuition fees increases by an average of 45.7% compared to the 2022-2023 school year.

Option 2: Adjust the tuition fee schedule 1 year later than the schedule in Decree 81.

Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha said that both options will impact people, especially the disadvantaged. The People's Councils of provinces and centrally run cities will pass resolutions on tuition fees for the next school year at their July meetings. Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha assigned the Ministry of Education and Training to promptly assess the impact of the tuition fee increase on people, especially the disadvantaged, to decide whether to increase tuition fees for the new school year or not.

Trinh Phuc

Source: https://www.congluan.vn/rao-can-hoc-phi-dang-khien-nhieu-hoc-sinh-tu-bo-uoc-mo-giang-duong-post248123.html