Student L.M. A is studying at a public university in Hanoi. Before the merger, the commune where student M.A is permanently residing has reached new rural areas. However, 5 hamlets are still region III hamlets and are named in the list of particularly difficult villages according to Decision No. 612/2021/QD-UBDT.
Student L.M. A asked, so can students get a 70% tuition fee reduction when applying Decision No. 612/2021/QD-UBDT?
According to Article 3 of Decision No. 861/2021/QD-TTg: "Communes in region III and region II approved in this Decision, if recognized as meeting new rural standards, will be identified as communes in region I and will no longer enjoy the policies applied to communes in region III and region II from the date the Decision of the competent authority recognizing communes meeting new rural standards takes effect".
So are the policies in Decision No. 612/2021/QD-UBDT and Decision No. 861/2021/QD-TTg contradictory with each other, when according to Decision No. 861/2021/QD-TTg, the entire commune will stop enjoying regimes, while according to Decision No. 612/2021/QD-UBDT, only hamlets not named in Decision No. 612/2021/QD-UBDT will not be entitled.
Regarding this issue, the Ministry of Education and Training (MOET) said that on January 29, 2026, the Ministry of Ethnic Minorities and Religions issued Decision No. 60/QD-BDTTG on announcing the list of villages and communes in ethnic minority and mountainous areas, particularly difficult villages; communes in regions I, II, III in the period 2026 - 2030.
The Ministry of Education and Training also requested student L.M. A to review the list of particularly difficult villages and communes in Decision No. 60/QD-BDTTG and compare it with the regulations on beneficiaries of the 70% tuition fee reduction policy in Clause 1, Article 16 of Decree No. 238/2025/ND-CP, if they meet the conditions, they will be entitled to the policy.
