Adjust for the learner

Decree 81 was issued to replace Decree 86 (issued in 2015), in the spirit of implementing the direction of Resolution No. 19-NQ/TW (issued in 2017), with the requirement "by 2021, complete the roadmap for calculating public service prices (calculating full salaries, direct costs, management costs and asset depreciation) for a number of basic areas such as healthcare, education and training, and vocational education". However, in Decree 81, the chosen solution is to set aside a "transition" school year, meaning that tuition fees (HP) for the 2021-2022 school year have not increased compared to the 2020-2021 school year, although previous school years still increased by 10% each year. From the 2022-2023 school year, according to the roadmap of Decree 81, university tuition will increase sharply, especially for the medical and pharmaceutical industry, tuition will increase by 71%; from the following school year, the increase rate will slow down to about 13-25%. This "delay" is reasonable, because the 2021-2022 school year is the time when the Covid-19 pandemic broke out widely.

By the time of the 2022-2023 school year, the Covid-19 pandemic had been somewhat controlled, and socio-economic activities had returned to normal. Universities were eager to apply Decree 81 to ensure revenue to pay for essential activities, including salaries for staff and lecturers. However, once again, the Government showed its priority for people's interests when it issued Resolution 165/2022/NQ-CP in December 2022, requesting public educational institutions to keep the tuition fee level for the 2022-2023 school year stable at the same level as the 2021-2022 school year. Thus, the tuition fee level of public educational institutions has remained stable throughout the 3 school years (2020-2021, 2021-2022 and 2022-2023).

According to economic experts, although Vietnam did not achieve the set economic growth rate, reaching 5.05% instead of 6.5%, this is still a positive result, putting Vietnam in the group of fastest growing economies in the region and the world. Normally, in 2023, public universities have the right to return to implementing Decree 81, applicable for the 2023-2024 school year. However, the universities themselves also see that if implemented correctly as Decree 81 is also unstable, it will give rise to resentment among students and their parents (HP of all majors will increase from 38% to around 50%, especially the medical and pharmaceutical industry will increase by 93%).

Up to now, when Decree 97 was issued, during the period when all universities had temporarily collected HP, many schools collected HP at a level lower than the maximum ceiling prescribed by the state by more than ten million VND but still decided not to collect more to ensure the rights of learners.

The Government's issuance of Decree 97 has harmonized the interests of learners and the interests of educational institutions. In particular, the spirit of serving the interests of learners has been clearly demonstrated in Decree 97, especially for primary and preschool students. According to the old requirements in Decree 81, for these levels of education, from the 2023-2024 school year onwards, the People's Councils of provinces/cities are allowed to adjust the tuition framework by no more than 7.5%/year. However, with Decree 97, the Government requires keeping the tuition collection level for primary and preschool levels stable from the 2023-2024 school year at the same level as the 2021-2022 school year.

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