Free tuition for junior high school students is reasonable.

Exemption from tuition fees for lower secondary education is reasonable and facilitates the goal of universalizing lower secondary education, ensuring that at least all students complete the basic education program.

That was the opinion of Mr. Ngo Van Thinh - Deputy Director of the Department of Financial Planning (Ministry of Education and Training) at the Conference "Evaluating the results of coordination in legal work between the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Education and Training in 2017 to perfect the law on education" held on December 1 in Hanoi.

This is the second Conference held to contribute comments to the Draft Law amending and supplementing a number of articles of the Law on Education.

Free tuition to ensure universal education policy

Mr. Ngo Van Thinh informed: According to the provisions of the Education Law and Decree 86 of the Government, all primary school students do not have to pay tuition. The remaining preschool and secondary school students still have to pay tuition.

The State only implements tuition exemption and reduction policies for policy beneficiaries such as poor students and ethnic minority students, and exempts tuition fees for people with revolutionary contributions and relatives of people with revolutionary contributions.

At the same time, tuition fees are exempted for kindergarten students and disabled students with economic difficulties and for children without a source of support for kindergarten children and primary school students whose parents are poor.

In addition, tuition is exempted for kindergarten and high school students who are children of non-commissioned officers, soldiers, students of the selection system, and students of ethnic boarding schools.

Mr. Ngo Van Thinh - Deputy Director of the Department of Financial Planning (Ministry of Education and Training).

Mr. Thinh said that the current tuition policy has revealed some limitations.

Specifically, the Law amending and supplementing a number of articles of the Law on Education, Clause 1, Article 11 stipulates: “Universalize preschool education for five-year-old children, universalize primary education and universalize lower secondary education. The State decides on the universal education plan, ensuring the conditions for implementing universal education nationwide.”

However, up to now, the State has only implemented a tuition-free policy for primary school students. The remaining levels still have to pay tuition, including secondary school students. This makes it difficult to mobilize children to go to school, especially students in mountainous areas, ethnic minority areas, and disadvantaged areas.

In addition, most of the preschool, secondary school and high school students currently live in rural areas, mountainous areas, and areas with relatively low income. Although the tuition fee is not high, it still causes difficulties for families, especially families near the poverty line.

Recently, voters across the country, through National Assembly delegates, also wished to exempt tuition fees for secondary school students to ensure the policy of universal education for secondary school students.

Free tuition will encourage students from poor areas to go to school.

Many countries have exempted tuition fees for secondary school students.

The exemption of tuition fees for secondary schools is completely consistent with the spirit of Resolution No. 29-NQ/TW dated November 4, 2013 of the Party Central Committee on fundamental and comprehensive innovation in education and training. The Resolution affirms that after 2020, general education will be compulsory for 9 years.

The current education law also stipulates universal preschool education for 5-year-old children, universal primary education and universal secondary education. These are the bases for the Ministry of Education and Training to propose exempting tuition fees for secondary school students.

Most recently, the resolution of the regular Government meeting in September 2016 assigned the Ministry of Education and Training to preside over and coordinate with the Ministry of Finance to develop a report to submit to the central government and the National Assembly on tuition exemption for secondary school students according to the roadmap until 2020.

Mr. Thinh added: To prepare for the proposal to exempt tuition fees for secondary schools, the Ministry of Education and Training conducted research in 18 countries, representing 4 continents. The countries studied have low income, high income, and middle income.

Research shows that 4/18 countries completely exempt tuition fees for all levels of education from preschool to general education, namely Singapore, the US, Cuba and Bhutan. 6/18 countries completely exempt tuition fees for preschool students. 18/18 countries completely exempt tuition fees for primary school students. 11/18 countries completely exempt tuition fees for junior high school students. 8/18 countries completely exempt tuition fees for high school students.

Thus, research from countries shows that 33% of countries have free tuition at preschool level, 100% of countries have free tuition at primary level, 61% of countries have free tuition at secondary level and 44% of countries have free tuition at high school level.

In Vietnam, exempting secondary school tuition fees reflects the Party and State's viewpoint on universalizing education, bringing happiness to the people, and demonstrating humane policies.

According to Giaoducthoidai