“Lawmakers Propose: Well-off Families Forgo Tuition Support, Suggesting a ‘Give Back’ Mechanism”

On the afternoon of May 22, the National Assembly continued its 9th session with discussions on the Draft Resolution on exempting and supporting tuition fees for preschool, general education, and national education program students in the national education system.

During the discussions in Ho Chi Minh City, Lieutenant General Nguyen Minh Duc, Vice Chairman of the National Assembly’s Committee for Defense, Security, and Foreign Affairs, praised the policy as a testament to the regime’s humanity and superiority, ensuring uniform implementation and fairness in accessing education.

Mr. Duc emphasized that the draft resolution encompasses all beneficiaries, from public to private and semi-private schools. In his opinion, it is excellent that the policy covers all types of schools, but in reality, there will be families with children enrolled in private or semi-private schools who are well-off and appreciate the state’s support but wish to decline or redirect the funds to those in greater need.

Sharing a similar concern, Mr. Phan Van Mai, Chairman of the National Assembly’s Committee for Economic and Financial Affairs, mentioned that Ho Chi Minh City encountered a similar situation while implementing COVID-19 support policies. Many families expressed gratitude for the city’s support and wished to redirect the funds to those in more difficult situations.

Regarding tuition fee exemptions and support, Mr. Mai suggested that families with high incomes and children enrolled in private schools might also want to redirect the support to more suitable beneficiaries. Therefore, it is necessary to design regulations that ensure the policy reaches all target groups while providing a mechanism for students to opt out of receiving support, allowing them to contribute to the overall development of education.

Delegate Nguyen Thi Viet Nga (Hai Duong delegation) raised concerns about fairness between students in public and non-public schools and between different educational models within the national education system.

Currently, it is proposed that students in public schools will be exempt from tuition fees, while students in non-public schools will receive tuition support, with the funds provided directly to the students.

However, in reality, tuition fees in non-public schools are often significantly higher than in public schools, as they do not receive investments in infrastructure and salaries from the state budget.

Ms. Nga warned that without specific regulations, there could be cases where a non-public school student receives higher tuition support than the amount exempted for a public school student. This potential policy paradox should be carefully considered to ensure fairness in accessing budget resources.

Therefore, she proposed clearly defining the principle that tuition support for non-public school students should not exceed the amount of tuition exempted for corresponding public schools in terms of educational level and locality.

Moreover, to effectively implement this policy, the state needs to establish and promulgate standard tuition fees for each educational level and academic year, serving as a basis for calculating appropriate exemption and support levels, ensuring uniformity across different types of schools and localities.