HANOI: Vietnam's Ministry of Education and Training is currently seeking public feedback on a proposal to end tuition fees for children attending public kindergartens, primary, secondary and high schools.
The initiative is outlined in a draft resolution of the National Assembly, aiming to waive tuition fees across all levels of public general education, from preschool to upper secondary.
According to the proposal, the State budget would be used to subsidise tuition fees for preschool children and high school students attending public kindergartens and general education schools, public continuing education centres and other public institutions, implementing the general education curriculum that is self-financing its regular and investment expenditures.
The State budget would also be used to support tuition fees for preschool children and high school students attending non-public kindergartens and general education schools, including private and semi-public institutions, that deliver the national general education curriculum.
The maximum tuition support would be based on the ceiling level of fees applicable to public institutions that have not yet achieved full financial autonomy, as determined annually by the provincial People’s Councils.
The ministry has proposed that the new tuition exemption policy be implemented from the 2025–26 academic year.
The ministry explained that the draft resolution aims to establish a unified 'no tuition fees' policy across public general education institutions, including preschools, lower and upper secondary schools and reaffirm the existing no-fee policy for public primary education, ensuring that learners, at all levels in public schools, are not required to pay tuition.
Currently, under the 2019 Law on Education, only five-year-old children in public preschools, primary pupils and secondary students in public schools are legally exempt from tuition fees.
The ministry said the policy would directly benefit citizens by easing financial burdens, especially for those in difficult economic circumstances.
The savings on tuition could stimulate consumer spending on other goods and services, while also fostering public trust in the Government and the Party.
The estimated increase in State expenditure resulting from the proposed policy is VND8.2 trillion (US$316 million).
According to the ministry’s analysis, based on 2023–24 academic year data, Vietnam currently has approximately 23.2 million students.
Of these, 21.5 million attend public schools (93%) and 1.7 million are enrolled in non-public institutions (7%).
A breakdown by education level shows 4.8 million preschool children (3.8 million in public, one million in private), 8.8 million primary school pupils, 6.5 million lower secondary students and 2.99 million upper secondary students.
The ministry calculated funding needs based on the minimum tuition thresholds set in Decrees No. 81/2021/ND-CP and No. 97/2023/ND-CP.
Accordingly, the total annual budget required to cover tuition waivers for students in public institutions and to provide financial support for those in private schools delivering the national general education curriculum is estimated to be around VND30 trillion ($1.15 billion).
Currently, the State budget allocation to maintain tuition exemptions for five-year-old pre-schoolers, primary pupils and lower secondary students is at VND22.5 trillion ($867 million) annually.
Thus, the additional budget needed to implement the full tuition-free policy, as proposed in the National Assembly resolution, would amount to VND8.2 trillion ($316 million). - Vietnam News/ANN
