Free tuition for students - a humane policy.
Waiving tuition fees for students will help many families alleviate financial difficulties and create opportunities for all students to attend school. This is also a solution to improve the quality of teaching and learning.
At the Politburo meeting on February 28, 2025, after hearing the Government's report on the financial balance during and after the streamlining of the political system's organizational structure, the Politburo decided to waive all tuition fees for students from preschool to high school in public schools nationwide. This will be implemented from the beginning of the 2025-2026 school year (September 2025 onwards).
Nghe An Newspaper recorded the opinions of parents and teachers on this matter.
Ms. Le Thi Phuong - Hung Binh ward (Vinh city):
The tuition-free policy is practical for many families.
My family has three children. Two are currently attending public preschool, costing 560,000 VND per month in tuition and over 2 million VND for food. My youngest child, in elementary school, costs nearly 1 million VND per month for tuition and after-school care. In addition, there are other expenses for food and many other unnamed costs. My wife and I, both self-employed, earn only about 17 million VND per month, making it very difficult to cover our living expenses; saving money is virtually impossible.
Last night (February 28), after hearing the news that the Politburo had decided to grant full exemptions,tuitionFor students from preschool to high school in public schools nationwide, my wife and I calculated that if tuition fees were reduced, our family would save nearly 6 million VND per year on our three children's school expenses. This money would allow us to buy more books, clothes, or save up for unexpected family expenses. In reality, for working-class families like ours, the tuition fee waiver policy is extremely practical, and I am truly looking forward to its implementation.
Mr. Pham Tan Phuong - Deputy Head of the Education and Training Department of Tan Ky District: The tuition fee exemption policy helps to facilitate the mobilization of students to attend school.
I'm sure that upon receiving this news, not only families with children attending school but everyone will be extremely happy. The tuition waiver not only demonstrates humanity but also shows the concern of the Party and the State for the cause of education. In fact, in our locality, a mountainous district, even "one dong" of tuition waiver is valuable because there are still many disadvantaged families and a large number of working people who are not well-off. Meanwhile, the number of students receiving tuition waivers each year is not large, mainly only those from impoverished households, orphans, and students from villages classified as 135 (a specific category of disadvantaged areas).
From the education sector's perspective, thanks to the tuition fee exemption policy, students will feel more comfortable attending school, making it easier to enroll them and preventing dropouts. However, to ensure the tuition fee exemption is implemented consistently, I also hope the government will pay attention to schools, ensuring that the cessation of tuition fees does not significantly impact their operations, because currently 60% of tuition fees collected by schools are used for professional activities and other expenses.
Mr. Dang Minh Chuong - Chairman of Minh Sang Education System: Creating opportunities for private school systems.
Personally, I believe that implementing a tuition-free policy is humane and resonates with the people, especially since it focuses on preschool children aged 3 months to 4 years old. For a long time, children of this age, mostly from industrial zones and those whose families have specific work schedules, have had to send their children to independent daycare centers or private preschools. Therefore, a tuition-free policy would alleviate some of the financial burden on parents, allowing them to focus on their work with peace of mind.
Professor, Doctor, Meritorious Teacher Thai Van Thanh - Director of the Department of Education and Training: Waiving tuition fees will increase opportunities to invest in education.
Tuition fee exemption is a humane policy that provides educational opportunities for all students nationwide. This policy also motivates students to strive, excel, and acquire knowledge, thus repaying the gratitude owed to the Party and the State. Simultaneously, tuition fee exemption will provide families with additional resources to care for their children and invest in their education.
Free tuition is consistent with the advantages of the system and the Party and State's policies on education, and aligns with the general trend of developed countries. This is also a solution for Vietnamese education to move towards universal access to all levels, providing a foundation for improving the quality of education and human resources to meet the demand for high-quality human resources in an era of national development.
According to the Ministry of Education and Training's summary, based on the minimum tuition fees stipulated in Government Decree No. 81/2021/ND-CP and Decree No. 97/2023/ND-CP, the estimated amount of state budget funds required to implement the policy of tuition fee exemption for students nationwide is approximately 30,000 billion VND (if the local budgets of provinces and cities that have already implemented tuition fee exemption are excluded, the central budget will have to spend less than this amount).
Previously, the government had implemented a policy of tuition fee exemption and reduction for many years for certain groups. Accordingly, primary school students and 5-year-old kindergarten students were exempt from tuition fees. In addition, the government also stipulated a policy of reducing tuition fees by 50%-70% and providing financial support for many poor students, students from disadvantaged backgrounds, students from social policy groups, and ethnic minority students (attending public and private schools).
In Nghe An province, for the 2024-2025 school year, according to a resolution of the Nghe An Provincial People's Council, the highest tuition fee is for preschool education at 280,000 VND/month in wards of Vinh City. Tuition fees for other levels range from 35,000 to 130,000 VND/month, depending on the level and area. The lowest fee is 35,000 VND/month for preschool students in mountainous and particularly disadvantaged areas.