Can't turn schools into places to provide services and collect money
At the meeting with voters after the National Assembly session with voters of 11 wards in Hanoi, General Secretary To Lam mentioned an issue that is causing many concerns: "The State exempts tuition fees, but the school has proposed many other things to collect more money".
The tuition exemption from the State for students is only about 1 - 2 million VND per year, but in many educational institutions and schools, they cooperate with outside businesses and centers to organize teaching foreign languages, artificial intelligence (AI), music, physical education, skills... and earn a few million VND per student.
The General Secretary emphasized that the State is responsible for managing universal education, being responsible for the program, the teaching staff and the quality of teaching. In case there is a shortage of teachers in some subjects such as Music, Fine Arts, Foreign Languages, there must be a reasonable training solution and arrangement, and cannot be used that reason to bring in outside teachers to teach and collect money from parents.
"It is impossible to turn schools into places for services and money collection" - the General Secretary stated, at the same time requesting the city to inspect and strictly handle violations.
Localities request review and rectification
Following the direction of the General Secretary, on December 16, the Hanoi Department of Education and Training sent an official dispatch to the People's Committees of all communes, wards, and affiliated public schools in the area to report and review the implementation of educational support services in schools. Wards and communes have requested schools from preschools, primary schools, secondary schools, and high schools to report on the contents of organizing joint teaching.
The Hanoi Department of Education and Training also requires schools to assess the implementation of joint teaching and at the same time make proposals and recommendations for implementation in the coming time. In which, it clarifies whether it is necessary or not to organize the implementation of educational support services in schools.
Previously, in November 2025, the Director of the Hanoi Department of Education and Training also decided to establish an Inspection Team to perform tasks at the preschool level, including the content of checking life skills education activities and educational activities outside of school hours. The inspection period lasts from November 2025 to May 2026.
In Ho Chi Minh City, Mr. Nguyen Bao Quoc, Deputy Director of the Department of Education and Training, also affirmed the view that schools must be an environment for comprehensive development of capacity, knowledge, skills and the ability to integrate internationally for students.
The organization of these activities must be based on the regulations of the Ministry of Education and Training, financial regulations of the People's Council and instructions of the Department of Education and Training. During the implementation process, parents' consensus plays a very important role in some contents. The Department of Education and Training requires schools to mobilize maximum resources to organize cultural - physical - aesthetic activities, STEM...
Mr. Quoc said that in the past, the Department has organized inspection teams and recorded that some schools have implemented the program effectively, but some schools have not fully publicized the program information or arranged the timetable in an unreasonable manner. The Department will rectify and discipline if serious violations are detected.
Mr. Nguyen Bao Quoc emphasized that the Department always requires principals of schools to implement publicity and transparency so that parents understand the policy correctly, while ensuring fairness for students. Schools that do not comply will be reminded and handled; units that do well will be encouraged and motivated.
Many long-term solutions to rectify the situation of overcharging
On the side of the Ministry of Education and Training, in the 2025-2026 school year, the Ministry has issued document 5542 dated September 12, 2025 to ministries, branches, localities, and educational institutions on the implementation of tuition policies, tuition exemptions and fees and revenues in the education and training sector.
The Ministry proposes groups of long-term and short-term solutions to rectify the situation of overcharging such as: Issuing documents directing and requesting the implementation of regulations on tuition fees, tuition exemptions and support; Regulations on service fees to support education and training activities must be decided by competent authorities; Strictly implementing regulations on listing and publicizing information on prices of educational materials, equipment, and textbooks in the area, ensuring publicity and transparency; Reviewing the system of legal documents to make additional adjustments to ensure the rights of learners, especially students and parents; Strengthening inspection and supervision work, when discovered, strictly handle them according to the provisions of law...
