How much support do private and non-governmental schools receive?

From September 1st, 2025, all students nationwide, from preschoolers as young as 3 months old, to primary, lower secondary, and upper secondary school students in public schools, will be exempt from tuition fees. So, will students in private and non-private schools receive tuition fee support?

People nationwide are delighted that from September 1, 2025, all public school students in all 63 provinces and cities, from preschool to grade 12, will be exempt from tuition fees. Many are wondering whether preschool students in private schools and high school students in private schools will receive tuition fee support.

High school students will be exempt from tuition fees starting from the 2025-2026 school year.

PHOTO: DAO NGOC THACH

Students at private and independent schools receive tuition fee subsidies.

Information from the Ministry of Education and Training sent to the press on February 28, 2025, stated that: On February 28, 2025, the Politburo agreed with the proposal of the Ministry of Education and Training to waive tuition fees for students from preschool to general education.

Currently, the government has issued regulations waiving tuition fees for students. According to current regulations, from September 1, 2025, the state will waive tuition fees for all public school students from 5-year-old kindergarten to junior high school (up to grade 9). In addition, the government has also stipulated a policy of reducing tuition fees by 50%-70% and providing financial assistance for various groups of students, including poor students, students from disadvantaged backgrounds, students from social policy groups, and ethnic minority students (attending public and private schools).

"In addition to the tuition-free categories stipulated above, the Ministry of Education and Training proposed, and the Politburo agreed, to add tuition-free education for preschool children aged 3 months to 4 years and general education students. Accordingly, all preschool, primary, secondary, and high school students in public schools will be exempt from tuition fees. Students in private schools will receive tuition fee subsidies equivalent to the tuition fees of public schools as stipulated by law; the difference in tuition fees between public and private schools will be paid by the students' families," the Ministry of Education and Training announced in a press release on February 28.

To give readers a clearer picture, let me give you an example: at the 17th session of the Ho Chi Minh City People's Council, 10th term, 2021-2026, in July 2024, a Resolution was passed stipulating tuition fees for public preschool and general education from the 2024-2025 school year and subsequent school years in Ho Chi Minh City, as shown in the following table:

Regulations on tuition fees for public preschool and primary education in Ho Chi Minh City from the 2024-2025 school year and subsequent years.

Group 1 includes schools located in districts 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10, 11, 12, Binh Thanh, Phu Nhuan, Tan Phu, Go Vap, Tan Binh, Binh Tan, and Thu Duc City. Group 2 schools are located in the districts of Nha Be, Can Gio, Binh Chanh, Hoc Mon, and Cu Chi.

Therefore, from September 1st, 2025, when all public school students from kindergarten to the end of 12th grade in high school are exempt from tuition fees, the families of these public school students will not have to pay tuition fees, equivalent to a reduction in the monthly amount they would have to pay for their children. The amount of the reduction is as shown in the table, according to each grade level and the area where the school is located.

For private preschools and primary and secondary schools, tuition fees will be subsidized to the same level as public schools, as stipulated by law; the difference in tuition fees between public and private schools will be paid by the student's family. For example, Mr. A's child attends a private preschool in District 5, Ho Chi Minh City, with a tuition fee of 5 million VND/month. From September 1, 2025, Mr. A's child will receive a government subsidy of 200,000 VND/month for tuition fees. Mr. A will have to pay the difference of 4,800,000 VND to the school. The tuition subsidy will be based on the actual time the child attends the school and will not exceed 9 months per school year.

Preschool children in Thu Duc City, Ho Chi Minh City, at a sports festival.

Why does my child still have to pay 2-3 million VND per month for school fees even though tuition is free?

Many parents wonder why elementary school students nationwide have been exempt from tuition fees for so long; and why, despite many provinces and cities across the country having waived tuition fees for students from preschool to grade 12 starting from the 2024-2025 school year, such as Quang Ninh, Hai Phong, Vinh Phuc, Da Nang, Khanh Hoa, Ba Ria - Vung Tau, Yen Bai, etc., they still have to pay 2-3 million VND per month for their children's school fees?

Please allow me to address this question from parents: Although tuition fees are waived (the tuition fee level is determined by the provincial People's Council based on the minimum and maximum tuition fee regulations set by the Government), when students attend school, depending on the registration and choices made by the family at the beginning of the school year, they may still have to pay other fees as stipulated and approved by the governing body.

For example, students who eat lunch at school must pay service fees related to the boarding program (e.g., fees for organizing, managing, and cleaning the boarding program; fees for purchasing equipment and supplies for boarding students...). Students registering for advanced English classes need to pay for the organization of the advanced English classes; fees for the organization of elective computer classes; fees for the organization of elective talent classes, physical education classes, clubs... Students also need to pay fees to support themselves individually (e.g., school supplies; lunch money if they register for the boarding program; drinking water; initial student health check-up (including school dental check-up); fees for using air conditioning in classrooms with air conditioning (electricity, air conditioning maintenance costs)...).

23.2 million students benefit; 30 trillion VND of state budget is allocated annually to waive tuition fees from preschool to grade 12.

According to statistics from the Ministry of Education and Training, there are currently 23.2 million students nationwide (excluding students attending vocational and continuing education centers), including: 3.1 million preschool students under 5 years old; 1.7 million preschool students aged 5; 8.9 million primary school students; 6.5 million lower secondary school students; and 3 million upper secondary school students.

Based on reports from 46 provinces/cities under the central government to date and recent documents and reports, the Ministry of Education and Training, using the minimum tuition fees stipulated in Government Decree No. 81/2021/ND-CP and Decree No. 97/2023/ND-CP, estimates the amount of state budget funds required to implement tuition fee exemption for all students from preschool to high school.

Accordingly, the amount of state budget funds required to implement the policy of waiving tuition fees for the aforementioned groups is approximately 30,000 billion VND (if the local budgets of provinces/cities that have already implemented tuition fee waivers are excluded, the central budget will have to allocate less than this amount). In reality, the required budget will depend on the specific tuition fees of each province/city under the central government, as decided by the provincial People's Council based on the minimum and maximum tuition fee rates stipulated by the Government.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/mien-hoc-phi-hoc-sinh-ca-nuoc-tu-thuc-dan-lap-duoc-ho-tro-bao-nhieu-185250302161404268.htm