"Ensure tuition policy to students is fast, complete and fair"

The Government has just issued Decree No. 238/2025/ND-CP (Decree 238) "Regulations on tuition policy, exemption, reduction, tuition support, support for learning costs and service prices in the field of education and training". With new breakthroughs, this policy is attracting a lot of public attention. Reporters of the Provincial Newspaper, Radio and Television interviewed Mr. Dinh Ngoc Son, Deputy Director of the Department of Education and Training, about this content.

Comrade Dinh Ngoc Son, Deputy Director of the Provincial Department of Education and Training.

- Decree 238 is considered a big step forward in ensuring educational security. Could you tell us what are the new points of this decree compared to previous regulations?

+ The issuance of Decree 238 demonstrates the deep concern of the Party and State for the education cause, and is a big step forward in perfecting social security policies. Compared with the previous Decree No. 81/2021/ND-CP (Decree 81), Decree 238 has many new breakthrough points, including the following 3 core points:

Firstly, comprehensively expand the subjects exempted from tuition fees in the public education system. Previously, the policy of universal free education only applied to primary education, while other levels of education were only exempted or reduced for some specific groups, such as children of policy families, poor households, and near-poor households. Decree 238 stipulates that all students from preschool, primary school to junior high school, high school, and students studying the continuing education program at junior high and high school levels in public educational institutions are exempted from tuition fees. This is a decision with a profound impact on the whole society. In the 2025-2026 school year in Quang Ninh, about 328,000 children, students, and students of public schools will directly benefit from this policy. This number shows the scale and strong spread, not only reducing the economic burden for hundreds of thousands of families, but also affirming that general education is a basic social welfare that the State guarantees for all citizens.

Second, expanding the subjects receiving State tuition support for non-public schools. Decree 81 previously only supported tuition for a small number of students with special circumstances studying at private schools. Decree 238 has fundamentally changed this, when it stipulates that all preschool children and high school students studying at private and non-public educational institutions are supported by the State with tuition. This is a very humane new point, demonstrating fairness and non-discrimination between students in different types of schools. This policy creates equality in access to education and is a strong driving force to promote healthy socialization of education. When the burden of tuition fees is shared, private schools will have the conditions to develop, attract more students, and reduce the burden on the public school system. It is expected that in the 2025-2026 school year, over 45,000 students from public and private schools in the province will receive this support, making an important contribution to improving people's knowledge and developing high-quality human resources of the province in the new period.

Third, strengthen the authority and initiative of localities. Decree 238 has empowered the Provincial People's Council to decide on specific tuition support levels for private school students, as long as it does not exceed the actual tuition fees of these schools. Decree 238 also no longer classifies regions to impose rigid tuition fee frameworks as before, but instead empowers the Provincial People's Council to proactively arrange and classify regions in the area to decide on tuition fees for public schools and tuition support levels for children and students of private schools. This autonomy will help policies be built closer to the socio-economic reality of the province.

- What opportunities and positive impacts will Decree 238 open up for students and families in the province?

+ In recent years, Quang Ninh has been one of the localities that has devoted the most attention and resources to education. The province has had proactive policies, demonstrating strategic vision. In the 4 years of implementing Decree 81, for 3 school years (2021-2022, 2022-2023, 2024-2025), the province has supported 100% of tuition fees for preschool children and public high school students, basically free of tuition fees. Some special high school students studying in private schools are also supported by the province with tuition fees higher than the level prescribed by the Government... These policies have contributed significantly to ensuring social security, and have been the driving force for the province's education sector to achieve many outstanding achievements.

Delegates cut the ribbon and installed the signboard for Trong Diem Secondary School. Photo: Hoang Nga

Decree 238 was issued, especially with the mechanism of stronger autonomy for localities, we consider this a "golden opportunity" for Quang Ninh to continue to affirm its pioneering role. The Decree has created a solid legal corridor, a favorable basis for the province to not only continue but also further expand the tuition exemption, reduction and support policies that have been implemented in recent years. Thereby significantly reducing the financial burden on families, especially households in mountainous areas, islands and disadvantaged areas, helping them feel secure in sending their children to school. The highest goal is to ensure that all children have the opportunity to go to school, leaving no one behind. This is the most important foundation for us to continue to improve the quality of comprehensive education, build a learning society, and meet the province's goal of rapid and sustainable development.

- To soon put Decree 238 into practice, how does the Department of Education and Training plan to direct and guide educational institutions in the province?

+ Immediately after Decree 238 was issued, the Department of Education and Training identified this as a key task that must be implemented urgently, synchronously and effectively. First of all, we directed educational institutions across the province to immediately disseminate the new points of the Decree to all cadres, teachers, especially to each parent and student. This is to affirm the attention of the Party and State, and at the same time help people understand their legitimate rights to participate in monitoring the implementation. Public schools were directed to stop collecting tuition fees to implement the exemption policy according to the new regulations.

To have a basis for full implementation, the Department of Education and Training is actively and urgently advising the Provincial People's Committee to submit to the Provincial People's Council at the nearest session to issue necessary resolutions, regulating specific tuition fees for public educational institutions and tuition support levels for children and students at private schools in the area. The Department also advised on amending and supplementing Resolution No. 68/2025/NQ-HDND of the Provincial People's Council on service fees and educational support to comply with the provisions of Decree 238.

When the provincial resolutions are issued, the Department will closely coordinate with the Department of Finance and the People's Committees at the commune level to implement them, ensuring that funds are fully allocated, and that support is paid to the right subjects, for the right purposes, and in a timely manner. At the same time, the Department will establish a mechanism for regular, public, and transparent inspection and supervision to ensure that the tuition policy is implemented quickly, fully, and fairly.

Thank you very much!

Nguyen Chien (performed)

Source: https://baoquangninh.vn/dam-bao-chinh-sach-den-tay-moi-hoc-sinh-mot-cach-nhanh-chong-day-du-cong-bang-nhat-3376751.html