Ho Chi Minh City has just proposed supporting tuition fees for preschool children under 5 years old, public and non-public high school students, and high school continuing education students from the 2025-2026 school year.
Open class of students at Thuan Kieu Primary School (District 12, HCMC). Photo: KT
This is considered a humane and strategic policy. If passed, it will be a joy for many parents and students.
Support 653 billion VND per year
The Department of Education and Training of Ho Chi Minh City has just completed a draft to send to the City People's Committee to submit to the People's Council on tuition support policies for preschool children, public and non-public high school students and high school continuing education students in the area from the 2025-2026 school year.
Specifically, this unit proposed a support level of 120,000 - 200,000 VND/month for nursery students; 100,000 - 160,000 VND/month for kindergarten students; 100,000 - 120,000 VND/month for high school and continuing high school education. This support level is equal to the current monthly tuition fee that students at all levels must pay (depending on whether they are in the inner city or suburbs).
Mr. Ho Tan Minh - Chief of Office of the Department of Education and Training of Ho Chi Minh City said that the draft report is one of the contents aimed at celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Liberation of the South and National Reunification - a particularly important event of the city.
The estimated budget for implementing this tuition-free policy for the 2025-2026 school year is 653 billion VND. Of which, the support level for students at public schools is 423 billion VND, and for non-public schools is 230 billion VND. Students studying at foreign-invested schools will not receive tuition support.
Currently, primary school students, 5-year-old preschool children and secondary school students in Ho Chi Minh City are exempted from tuition fees. Thus, only preschool children under 5 years old and high school students have to pay tuition fees according to regulations. Therefore, the Department of Education and Training of Ho Chi Minh City considers the exemption of tuition fees for these two groups to be a meaningful and practical gift for all students in the city, creating high consensus among the people with social security policies.
In particular, the policy is also consistent with the socio-economic situation of Ho Chi Minh City in the new period. This clearly demonstrates the city's investment in education, taking the lead in tuition exemption and reduction policies, ensuring education quality and learning opportunities for people; performing well the tasks after joining the UNESCO Global Learning Cities Network, effectively implementing the Ho Chi Minh City Education Development Strategy from now until 2030, with a vision to 2045.
Class time of children at Tan Phong Kindergarten (District 7, HCMC). Photo: MA
Hope the proposal is passed.
Surprised and happy was the feeling of Ms. Nguyen Thi Kim Lien (Thu Duc City, Ho Chi Minh City) when she heard that the Department of Education and Training of Ho Chi Minh City proposed to exempt tuition fees for all students from the next school year. Ms. Lien currently has 3 children studying at primary and secondary schools in Thu Duc City.
The cost of education for children is not small, so if the tuition-free policy is applied, it will help families save significantly. “Although I know that tuition fees only account for a small part of the expenses that students have to pay, every little bit is worth it. I think this is a humane policy of the city to support the people and it is really touching,” said Ms. Lien.
After the Covid-19 pandemic, Ms. Le Thi Tinh (District 8, Ho Chi Minh City) witnessed many families of workers in industrial parks and export processing zones struggling to make ends meet because their incomes had decreased while they still had to pay rent and school fees for their children. “The tuition exemption policy will ease the burden on workers. I support the policy of exempting tuition fees for students at all levels. This is a humane act, especially for students who are children of workers and freelancers...”, Ms. Tinh expressed.
From the school's perspective, Ms. Pham Bao Hanh - Principal of Tan Phong Kindergarten (District 7) said that the proposal to exempt tuition fees for high school and kindergarten students is good news not only for students and parents but also for those working in the education sector. The "gift" from the city has many meanings. In fact, not only Ho Chi Minh City, many provinces and cities across the country have exempted tuition fees from kindergarten to high school. This shows the attention of leaders of provinces and cities to the cause of education.
“For Ho Chi Minh City, supporting tuition fees for students at all levels is even more meaningful because this is a major economic center of the country, with a large immigrant population, thereby not only demonstrating humanity but also showing concern for education, considering education as the top national policy of leaders at all levels. I think this proposal is popular, sharing the burden for families with many children or children of school age. Hopefully the proposal will be approved soon,” Ms. Hanh expressed.
With the GDTX system, tuition support is even more meaningful, because most students here come from poor families. Being supported with tuition will create better motivation to study because students do not have to worry about this issue, helping parents feel more secure.
Mr. Nguyen Minh Kha - Director of the Vocational Education and Continuing Education Center in District 4 (HCMC) shared: "Although the amount of money is not large for many families, it will be meaningful for the children. There are children at the center who have to work part-time to earn 120,000 VND. Tuition support helps students feel more secure in their studies and have more confidence in life and a bright future."
Mr. Nguyen Van Ngai - former Deputy Director of the Department of Education and Training of Ho Chi Minh City commented: "The draft resolution on special policies to support tuition fees for preschool children, public and non-public high school students, and continuing high school students from the 2025-2026 school year is a necessary action, demonstrating the city's interest in the education sector, creating favorable conditions for all students to go to school and class.
This will contribute to strengthening universal education at all levels in the context of Ho Chi Minh City being recognized by UNESCO as a member of the global learning network. I hope the city leaders will pay attention and agree with the proposal of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Education and Training."
Source: https://danviet.vn/tphcm-de-xuat-mien-hoc-phi-phu-huynh-vui-mung-nha-truong-dong-thuan-20241219162547183.htm
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