Strict control over school fees in educational institutions

The 2025-2026 school year marks the first year that children and students from public preschools to high schools are entitled to tuition-free education. This progressive policy of the Party and the State has brought great joy to parents and students, especially those from disadvantaged families.

However, following the official implementation of the tuition-free policy for children and students, some parents raised concerns over certain educational service fees at schools, with some institutions reportedly applying them in violation of regulations. In response, the Dong Nai Department of Education and Training promptly issued guidelines on fee collection, financial management, and student entitlements for both public and non-public educational institutions in the 2025-2026 academic year.

Ensuring the full joy of tuition-free education

In the previous school year, Pham Thi Ngoc Ha, a resident of Long Khanh ward, Dong Nai province, still had to pay tuition fees for her three school-aged children, ranging from 75,000 to 120,000 VND per child per month, depending on the education level. Starting this school year, however, her children will be fully exempt from tuition fees, a relief not only for Ha but also for many other parents.

Teacher and students of Phuoc Tin A Primary School (Phuoc Long ward) during class. Illustration photo: Contributor

Ha shared: “My husband and I have three school-age children. The total monthly tuition for them was around 270,000 VND, equivalent to 2.4 million VND per school year (9 months). Starting this new school year, with full tuition exemption for our children, we will have extra money left over, but more importantly, we feel very excited because the State is taking such thoughtful care”.

Sharing in the joy of tuition exemption, Le Van Ha, a parent of a student at Huynh Van Nghe Primary and Secondary School in Xuan Loc commune, said that on August 28, just before the start of the 2025-2026 academic year, he was invited by the school to attend a parent meeting. What pleased him most was that starting this school year, his children would be fully exempt from tuition fees. Ha said with enthusiasm: “The tuition fee for one student isn't very high, only a few dozen thousand VND per month. But if you multiply that by tens of millions of students nationwide, the total becomes enormous, equivalent to tens of trillions of VND that the State has spent to implement this tuition exemption policy.”

For the 2025-2026 school year, the Department of Education and Training allows private schools to increase tuition fees by no more than 10% compared to the previous school year. In practice, recognizing that parents still face financial difficulties, our school has only raised fees by 3–5% and has not introduced any additional charges. School hopes that the State will provide tuition support for students at non-public schools at the same level as for students in public schools.

Principal of Bui Thi Xuan Primary-Secondary-High School (Tam Hiep ward), PHAM THI NGOC LY

Pham Ngoc Tram, Principal of Loc Tan Secondary School in Loc Tan commune, said this school year brings many new sources of joy for administrators, teachers, parents, and students. The first is that students are now fully exempt from tuition fees and are receiving greater attention from the province in terms of policies, scholarships for disadvantaged students, and teacher income. The school also hopes to see breakthrough improvements in facilities and modern equipment soon to better meet teaching and learning needs, especially for the full-day, semi-boarding program. To ensure parents’ peace of mind, the school strictly adheres to regulations on fees and expenditures, avoiding any charges not included in the official fee schedule issued by the Department of Education and Training.

Expressing her joy about the tuition exemption policy, Nguyen Thu Trang, a student at Binh Long High School for the Gifted in Binh Long ward, said: “This year, I can go to school without worrying about asking my parents for monthly tuition fees. With tuition waived, I will strive to study harder to be worthy of the care and support that the Party and State have given to our generation.” Meanwhile, Huynh Thi Minh Tam, a student at Ngo Quyen High School in Tran Bien ward, said: “This school year, I don’t have to pay tuition. On top of that, the school awarded me a scholarship worth 1.5 million VND during the opening ceremony for the 2025-2026 academic year.”

Preventing unauthorized fees in schools

The start of each new school year is also a “hot” period for school-related fees, particularly educational service fees, parent association funds, and class funds. In practice, at some schools in Dong Nai, parents have reported that schools, parent representative boards, and class-level committees have imposed certain fees that do not comply with regulations. Among the fees that often cause frustration are the parent fund and the class fund. Meanwhile, in some cases, schools have even unilaterally established education development funds in violation of official guidelines.

According to the guidance of the Department of Education and Training, in order to minimize the imposition of unauthorized fees in schools and reduce the financial burden on parents, the department has issued instructions on fee collection for the 2025-2026 academic year. Accordingly, starting this school year, public schools from preschool to high school will no longer collect tuition fees, with the state budget providing compensation to the schools. For non-public educational institutions, tuition and other educational service fees will be collected based on agreements between the school and parents. However, any tuition increase must not exceed 10 percent compared to previous academic years.

For service fees supporting educational activities at public educational institutions, in the 2025-2026 academic year, the People's Committee of Dong Nai province has approved the continued application of fees and rates based on previous local jurisdictions. Public educational institutions located in the former Dong Nai province shall follow the provisions of Resolution No. 05/2021/NQ-HDND dated July 30, 2021, issued by the Provincial People's Council. Meanwhile, public educational institutions in the former Binh Phuoc province shall follow the provisions of Resolution No. 08/2025/NQ-HDND dated June 20, 2025, also issued by the Provincial People's Council. In addition, the Department of Education and Training has instructed schools not to collect fees for extra or remedial classes.

Regarding one of the most sensitive fees, the parent fund, the Department of Education and Training clearly instructs: The Parents’ Representative Board must base its activities on the provisions of Circular No. 55/2011/TT-BGDĐT dated November 22, 2011, issued by the Ministry of Education and Training on the Charter of the Parents’ Representative Board. It is strictly prohibited to exploit the name of the Parents’ Representative Board to collect fees outside the regulations. The board is not allowed to solicit contributions from students or their families that are not voluntary or do not directly serve the activities of the Parents’ Representative Board.

The Department of Education and Training emphasizes that public schools must not use the Parents’ Representative Fund to cover expenses such as facility maintenance, security, supervision of students’ vehicles, or school sanitation. The fund must not be used to reward administrators, teachers, or staff, nor to purchase machinery, equipment, or teaching materials for the school, classrooms, or for administrators, teachers, and staff. Schools are also prohibited from using the fund to support administrative work, teaching organization, and educational activities, or for repairing, upgrading, or constructing new school facilities.

Leaving no student behind

In addition to the tuition-free policy stipulated by the Government, Dong Nai province will continue to implement educational support policies for preschool children and students from very small ethnic minority groups; children and students from ethnic minority communities in particularly disadvantaged communes and villages; and students with disabilities. In September, the Department of Education and Training will advise the Provincial People’s Committee on policies to support preschool children attending non-public preschools whose parents or caregivers are workers employed in industrial zones or industrial clusters within the province, as well as ethnic minority students from poor or near-poor households.  

By Cong Nghia - Translated by Dang Huyen, Minho