There are still many expenses in the new school year.

Although the tuition-free policy was implemented this school year, other fees still appeared with significant increases.

At Le Ngoc Han Primary School (Ben Thanh Ward, Ho Chi Minh City), parents were shocked when the school distributed a questionnaire on fees with a list of 19 fees for the new school year. Also at Vang Anh Kindergarten in Nha Be Commune, the questionnaire on fees from parents recorded 23 fees, many of which increased by 15% compared to the previous school year.

An extracurricular lesson.

The Department of Education and Training of Ho Chi Minh City has issued a document providing detailed instructions on collection, use and expenses in the 2025-2026 school year of public educational institutions in the city. The Department requests that public educational institutions not change their names or generate any collection content other than the prescribed categories. The unit issues receipts and invoices to students when collecting money and notes on extending the collection time, not organizing multiple collections at the same time. For classes that need to use air conditioners but have to rent, the rental must have the agreement of the students' parents, and must be implemented in accordance with the provisions of law.

In addition to the fees, the issue of subjects linked to off-campus centers is also one of the prominent issues. Schools still include these subjects in the official school schedule, increasing students' study time. Many parents expressed concerns about the quality of these subjects, when even though they have studied at school, if they want to achieve high results, their children still have to study at outside centers.

The curriculum of associated subjects such as IC3 Informatics, MOS Informatics, Digital Citizenship Skills, English Communication, STEM, Robotics... has made many parents upset. Parents believe that, with the full and quality curriculum, these additional subjects are not really necessary, but are still almost forced to participate if students do not want to fall behind their friends. One parent said: "Children study all day, and in the evening they have to do homework, with no time to rest. In fact, overloading the curriculum is putting a lot of pressure on children."

Speaking at the conference of the Ho Chi Minh City Party Executive Committee for the 2020-2025 term on September 15, Mr. Nguyen Van Hieu, Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Education and Training, said that schools organize two sessions a day and extra classes on Saturdays are voluntary from parents. However, many parents reported that when they did not register, homeroom teachers would lobby and sometimes pressure students to tell their parents to register, increasing the tension.

Many parents want a more flexible curriculum where co-curricular subjects are optional rather than mandatory. Schools should offer co-curricular and life skills subjects on Saturdays and Sundays so that parents can enroll in these subjects according to their family’s needs and financial capacity. This will help reduce pressure and create space for students to develop comprehensively, not only academically but also physically and mentally.

Ms. Pham Thi Thuy Tien in Ho Chi Minh City believes that students go to school like "industrial chickens". All day long, they are stuck at school with a series of lessons, many of which are not part of the main curriculum, but are subjects linked with external centers such as: IC3 Informatics, MOS Informatics, Digital Citizenship Skills, English Communication, English with foreign teachers, English Math - English Science , Life Skills, Stem, Robotics,... But for those same subjects, students still have to register for extra classes at external centers to achieve the desired results and progress. This raises the question: Are the linked subjects really necessary, while parents still have to pay extra tuition for these subjects in addition to the State's "free tuition" policy?

Many parents reported that the homeroom teacher gave parents a form to sign to confirm that their children could take extracurricular subjects. For parents who did not choose, the homeroom teacher went around to each parent and said: "If the child does not study, where will the child go during that period?"

A parent asked: “My child studies at a primary school in Phu Thanh ward, Ho Chi Minh City. At the beginning of the year, at the school meeting, they distributed a form to collect opinions on the fees. I found some fees unreasonable so I ticked the box that said I disagreed. The next day, the homeroom teacher called me to do some ideological work and told me to change my opinion so that the school could reach a 100% approval rate.”

Given the current situation, it is necessary to come up with practical solutions to improve the current education situation, especially in the long-standing problems such as fees, curriculum and associated subjects. It is necessary to reduce the curriculum, reduce subjects that overlap with the main curriculum, protect the rights of students and parents, and create a healthy and fair learning environment.

Source: https://cand.com.vn/giao-duc/van-con-nhieu-khoan-thu-trong-nam-hoc-moi-i781802/