Free tuition, parents still 'bend their backs' because of many expenses

TP - From the 2025-2026 school year, high school students across the country will be exempt from tuition fees, but in reality, at the beginning of the school year, many parents still complained because a series of other fees kept their children's education costs high.

Many early year fees

Ms. Tran Thi Thuy in Dinh Cong ward (Hanoi) has 3 children who are all studying in primary school. For this level, tuition exemption has been applied for a long time, however the economic burden still weighs heavily on her shoulders every time a new school year begins.

Ms. Thuy said that at this time, the parent-teacher meetings for her children in grades 1, 3 and 5 at two different schools have been completed. The first semester class fund for the 3 children alone is nearly 4 million VND; air conditioning fee is 500,000 VND/student; air conditioning electricity fee is 100,000 VND/year/student. Other fees include boarding meals calculated by day at 35,000 VND/meal (this year, the support is 20,000 VND/meal); 235,000 VND/month/child for boarding care support.

“English lessons at school 2-3 times a week are not effective, so families have to invest in extra English lessons for their children at a center; it is quite expensive. Along with the cost of books, uniforms, insurance, etc., it adds up to a large amount of income, so even though tuition is exempted, parents still feel less pressure,” said Ms. Thuy.

From this school year, the Ministry of Education and Training requires and implements teaching 2 sessions/day. Photo: Ha Linh

Many parents whose children study at public secondary schools in Hanoi said that, in addition to the 35,000 VND/meal/student meal fee, they also have to pay 235,000 VND/month for the service fee of studying 2 sessions/day.

According to the explanation of Ms. Luu Thi Hong Hanh, Principal of Hoang Dieu Primary School (Hanoi), the school implements 2 sessions/day and collects 235,000 VND/student/month for boarding care services. This fee is only collected for students who eat lunch and rest at school to study the second session. Students who study 2 sessions/day but do not eat lunch will not have to pay for this service. "The collected money will be used to pay for boarding staff to look after students, buy tissues, wet towels, and supplies to support boarding care...", Ms. Hanh said.

The school is in a difficult position.

The principal of another secondary school in Hanoi said that, in addition to the meal fee, Hanoi allows collecting a fee called 2-session/day service for secondary school students to pay for educational activities, including the number of extra hours for teachers after they have completed the required number of hours according to the general education program. Previously, schools often arranged to increase Math, Literature, and English in the second session, however, when implementing the 2018 general education program, schools arranged hours to increase life skills education and physical education.

“Currently, at the secondary level, teachers are required to teach 19 periods per week, but schools arrange additional dance, drawing, singing, sports, etc. classes in the second session and have to pay extra wages to the staff. Without this money, the school will have a lot of difficulties because the state budget for education is currently tight and not enough to cover the costs. Therefore, the city's regulation to collect such an amount is reasonable, the school has the resources to manage the extra study hours, students do not have to leave school at 3 pm,” said the principal.

In Quang Tri province (old), in 2021, there were also regulations on service fees in public schools to ensure that schools have a common fee level. Mr. Phan Huu Huyen, Deputy Director of the Department of Education and Training of Quang Tri province, said that currently, primary schools have basically stabilized teaching 2 sessions/day, but only a few schools have the conditions to organize boarding meals for students. Therefore, the fees at the beginning of the school year will focus on 3 contents: buying boarding care supplies at the beginning of the year, collecting support for hiring cooks and boarding service staff; collecting boarding food fees at 20,000 VND/student/day. For example, this year, Ham Nghi Primary School (Dong Ha) collected boarding care supplies of 300,000 VND for grade 1; 150,000 VND for grades 2-5; collected 200,000 VND/student/month to pay for cooking and boarding organization fees; 20,000 VND for meals/student/day.

According to Mr. Huyen, most schools have such a basic fee. However, in the actual implementation process, difficulties and shortcomings have arisen. The first grade program according to the regulations of the Ministry of Education and Training is 25 periods/week, if teaching is organized 2 sessions/day and 9 sessions/week, students will leave school early; for grades 4-5, the current regulation is only 30 periods/week, each day no more than 7 periods. To overcome practical difficulties as well as enhance life skills education and physical training for students, schools arrange and schedule additional classes to ensure 32 periods/week but do not charge for teaching 2 sessions/day.

Responding to the press about some schools teaching 2 sessions/day by spreading the main curriculum to both sessions/day and students having to pay to support teaching the second session, Mr. Thai Van Tai, Director of the General Education Department (Ministry of Education and Training) affirmed: "If schools arrange to teach the main curriculum in both sessions/day, of course 100% of students are required to study and in this case, the school is not allowed to collect tuition for the second session from students."

Source: https://tienphong.vn/mien-hoc-phi-phu-huynh-van-cong-lung-vi-nhieu-khoan-thu-post1781549.tpo