How much support do private and public schools get?

From September 1, 2025, all students nationwide from kindergarten to 3 months old, primary school students, middle school students and public high school students will be exempted from tuition fees. So will students of private schools receive tuition support?

People across the country are happy that from September 1, 2025, all public students in 63 provinces and cities, from kindergarten to grade 12, will be exempted from tuition fees. Many people are concerned, so will preschool students in private schools and high school students in private schools receive tuition support?

High school students will be exempted from tuition fees from the 2025-2026 school year

PHOTO: DAO NGOC THACH

Students of public and private schools are given tuition subsidies.

Information from the Ministry of Education and Training sent to the press on February 28, 2025 said: On February 28, 2025, the Politburo agreed with the proposal of the Ministry of Education and Training on exempting tuition fees for students from preschool to general education.

Currently, the Government has issued regulations on tuition exemption for students. According to current regulations, from September 1, 2025, the State will exempt tuition fees for all public students from 5-year-old kindergarten to secondary school (up to grade 9). In addition, the Government has also issued a policy of reducing 50% - 70% of tuition fees, supporting study costs for many poor students, students in difficult circumstances, students under social policy, ethnic minority students (studying in public and private schools).

"In addition to the subjects exempted from tuition fees according to the current regulations mentioned above, the Ministry of Education and Training proposed and received approval from the Politburo to supplement tuition exemption for preschool students from 3 months to 4 years old and high school students. Accordingly, all preschool students, primary school students, middle school students and public high school students will be exempted from tuition fees. Students of private schools will be compensated for tuition fees equal to the tuition fees of public schools according to the provisions of law; the difference in tuition fees between public and private schools will be paid by the student's family," said the information sent to the press by the Ministry of Education and Training on February 28.

To help readers visualize more clearly, for example, at the 17th session, the People's Council of Ho Chi Minh City, term X, 2021-2026, in July 2024, passed a Resolution regulating tuition fees for public preschool and general education from the 2024-2025 school year and subsequent school years in Ho Chi Minh City as shown in the following table:

Regulations on tuition fees for public preschool and general education from the 2024-2025 school year and subsequent school years in Ho Chi Minh City

Group 1 includes schools located in districts 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10, 11, 12, Binh Thanh, Phu Nhuan, Tan Phu, Go Vap, Tan Binh, Binh Tan and Thu Duc City. Schools in group 2 include schools located in Nha Be, Can Gio, Binh Chanh, Hoc Mon, and Cu Chi districts.

Thus, from September 1, 2025, when all public school students from kindergarten to grade 12 in high school are exempted from tuition fees, the families of these public school students do not have to pay tuition fees, equivalent to a reduction in the monthly payment for their children. The amount of money reduced is as shown in the table, according to each level of education, each area where the school is located.

Private preschool students and private high school students will also be subsidized for tuition fees equal to the tuition fees of public schools according to the provisions of law; the difference in tuition fees between public and private schools will be paid by the student's family. For example, Mr. A's family has a child attending a private kindergarten in District 5, Ho Chi Minh City with a tuition fee of 5 million VND/month. From September 1, 2025, Mr. A's child will receive a budget support of 200,000 VND/month in tuition fees. Mr. A must pay the difference in tuition fees of 4,800,000 VND to the school. Tuition support is provided based on the actual time the child attends school and not more than 9 months/school year.

Preschool children in Thu Duc City, Ho Chi Minh City during a sports festival

Tuition is free, why does my child still have to pay 2-3 million VND per month?

Many parents wonder why primary school students nationwide have been exempted from tuition fees for so long; many provinces and cities across the country have exempted tuition fees for students from kindergarten to grade 12 from the 2024-2025 school year such as Quang Ninh, Hai Phong, Vinh Phuc, Da Nang, Khanh Hoa, Ba Ria - Vung Tau, Yen Bai... but why do they still have to pay 2-3 million VND per month for their children's school fees?

To answer this question from parents: Even though tuition fees are exempted (the tuition fee level is decided by the provincial People's Council based on the Government's regulations on the floor and ceiling tuition fees), when students go to school, depending on the registration and choice from the beginning of the school year of the student's family, they still have to pay a number of other fees according to regulations, approved by the management agency.

For example, students who eat lunch at school must pay service fees for boarding activities (for example, fees for organizing services, management and cleaning of boarding; fees for purchasing equipment and supplies for boarding students, etc.). Students who register for English enhancement classes need to pay fees for organizing English enhancement classes; fees for organizing elective computer classes; fees for organizing elective gifted classes, physical education, clubs, etc. Students also need to pay fees to support individual students (for example, fees for school supplies; fees for boarding lunch if the student registers for boarding; drinking water; fees for initial student health check-ups (including school dental check-ups); fees for using air conditioners in air-conditioned classrooms (electricity fees, air conditioner maintenance costs), etc.).

23.2 million students benefit; 30,000 billion VND of state budget each year to exempt tuition fees from kindergarten to grade 12

According to statistics from the Ministry of Education and Training, the country currently has 23.2 million students (not including students studying at vocational education and continuing education centers), including: 3.1 million preschool students under 5 years old; 1.7 million preschool students 5 years old; 8.9 million primary school students; 6.5 million secondary school students and 3 million high school students.

Based on reports from 46 provinces/cities directly under the Central Government up to now and recent documents and reports, the Ministry of Education and Training bases on the minimum tuition fee as prescribed in Decree No. 81/2021/ND-CP and Decree No. 97/2023/ND-CP of the Government to estimate the State budget funding needed to implement tuition exemption for all students from preschool to high school.

Accordingly, the state budget expenditure required to implement the tuition exemption policy for the above subjects is about 30,000 billion VND (if deducting the local budgets of the provinces/cities that have implemented tuition exemption, the central budget will have to implement less than this amount). In fact, the budget level that needs to be ensured will depend on the specific tuition fee level of each province/city directly under the Central Government under the authority of the provincial People's Council to decide on the basis of the Government's regulations on the floor and ceiling tuition fee levels.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/mien-hoc-phi-hoc-sinh-ca-nuoc-tu-thuc-dan-lap-duoc-ho-tro-bao-nhieu-185250302161404268.htm