'100% free tuition, why does my child have to pay more than 2 million VND?'

The article '8 provinces and cities exempt 100% of tuition fees from kindergarten to grade 12 in the 2024-2025 school year' received the attention of many parents. Below the article, many people wondered 'why is it said that tuition fees are exempt but my child paid more than 2 million VND at the beginning of the year?'.

Besides many opinions welcoming the 100% tuition exemption policy from kindergarten to grade 12 in the 2024-2025 school year of 8 provinces and cities (up to now) namely Da Nang, Ba Ria - Vung Tau, Hai Phong, Quang Ninh, Khanh Hoa, Quang Nam, Vinh Phuc, Yen Bai, there are many questions from parents in these provinces and cities as well as other localities across the country.

Students before taking the entrance exam to grade 6 at a school in Ho Chi Minh City

ILLUSTRATION: DAO NGOC THACH

'Tears of joy' when hearing about free tuition, but shocked when hearing about paying other fees

Specifically, a reader with the account gadaubac19081962 wrote: "My child is only in 6th grade, a public school in Khanh Hoa, but at the beginning of the school year, the other classes don't know yet, but my child's class has to pay a lump sum of 2 million 700 thousand?".

Parent quockhanh14482 said: "I hope Hai Phong city will issue a regulation that additional fees do not exceed the exempted tuition fees. Just regulating the annual collection table is already wrong."

Account ciqoggOX7xGWbQBQVraSnA shared: "Yen Bai exempts tuition fees but collects miscellaneous fees from gas, tables and chairs, projectors, TVs, birthdays, uniforms, which is almost 3 million, not to mention socialized fees of more than 2 million, which is 5 million."

An account ax5r... said: "I was so happy when I heard the news about tuition exemption for the whole province, but when I received the notice to pay, I was shocked. This reduction has another additional fee."

Another reader in Ho Chi Minh City said that her child attends a public elementary school in Binh Chanh district. She does not attend a boarding school, "but every month she pays 473,000 VND. Not counting the occasional extra money."

Distinguish between tuition and other school fees

So why are there students who are exempt from tuition fees but still have to pay several hundred thousand to several million dong each month? Thanh Nien Online would like to provide some information to readers:

Decree No. 81/2021/ND-CP dated August 27, 2021 of the Government stipulating the mechanism for collecting and managing tuition fees for educational institutions in the national education system and policies on tuition exemption, reduction, support for learning costs; service prices in the field of education and training.

Tuition is free but students may still need to pay service fees, support services for educational activities in addition to tuition fees

ILLUSTRATION: INDEPENDENCE

In Decree No. 81, tuition fees are defined as: "the amount of money that learners must pay to cover part or all of the costs of educational and training services. The tuition fee level is determined according to the roadmap for ensuring costs of educational and training services prescribed in this Decree".

According to Clause 3, Article 99 of the 2019 Education Law, primary school students in public educational institutions do not have to pay tuition fees. From September 1, 2024, 5-year-old preschool children are exempt from tuition fees, according to Clause 6, Article 15 of Decree No. 81. And up to this point, the whole country has 8 provinces and cities exempting 100% of tuition fees from preschool to grade 12 for students at public educational institutions. Although exempted from tuition fees, students in the above groups may still need to pay service fees to support educational activities of public preschool and general education institutions in addition to tuition fees. In addition, students need to pay for health insurance (mandatory, except for those exempted as specifically prescribed).

Revenues from services serving and supporting educational activities of public preschool and general education institutions other than tuition fees are implemented according to resolutions issued by provincial People's Councils in accordance with local conditions as prescribed. The Department of Education and Training of each province and city will issue official dispatches guiding the collection and use of tuition fees and other revenues; implementing tuition exemption, tuition reduction and support for learning costs during the school year for public educational and training institutions in the area.

For example, in Ho Chi Minh City, at the beginning of the 2024-2025 school year, the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Education and Training issued Document 5307 providing guidance on the above content. The document provides guidance on collection levels and tuition fees for public educational institutions; guidance on service fees for supporting educational activities according to Resolution No. 13/2024/NQ-HDND and fees for organizing other educational activities.

For example, at the primary level of Ho Chi Minh City, the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Education and Training has provided guidance on the collection contents according to the appendix attached to Resolution No. 13/2024/NQ-HDND such as services for organizing services, management and cleaning of boarding schools; breakfast services; initial health check-up services (including school dentistry); air-conditioning services for air-conditioned classrooms (electricity bills, air-conditioning maintenance costs, air-conditioning rental costs if any); utility services applying information technology and digital transformation... In addition, there are also revenues for organizing other educational activities (such as fees for organizing foreign language enhancement; fees for organizing digital citizenship education activities; fees for organizing life skills education activities and school programs...); revenues for individual students such as lunch fees, uniform shopping fees; school supplies fees... Depending on the type of service that parents register for, the monthly payment amount will be different.

Revenues must be disclosed.

According to regulations, educational and training institutions must publicly disclose their commitment to the quality of education and training, the conditions of facilities and tuition fees, other fees, methods and implementation time as prescribed in Circular No. 09/2024/TT-BGDDT dated July 19, 2024 of the Ministry of Education and Training regulating the implementation of publicity in the activities of educational institutions in the national education system; Circular No. 61/2017/TT-BTC dated June 15, 2017 of the Ministry of Finance on guidelines for public disclosure of budgets for budget-estimating units and state budget support; Circular 90/2018/TT-BTC dated September 28, 2018 of the Ministry of Finance on amending and supplementing a number of articles of Circular No. 61/2017/TT-BTC dated June 15, 2017 of the Ministry of Finance.

All revenues must be fully and publicly announced in writing to parents, students, and pupils by the units; the school's finance department collects money, issues receipts, and invoices for each pupil, and does not assign teachers to directly collect and spend money, and at the same time fully implements financial management regimes according to regulations.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/mien-hoc-phi-100-ma-sao-con-toi-phai-dong-hon-2-trieu-dong-185241031101511122.htm