On February 28, 2025, the Politburo decided to exempt all tuition fees for students from preschool to all public high schools nationwide from the 2025-2026 school year.
This is not only a big step forward in education policy but also an important strategy to improve the quality of human resources, stabilize the population and develop a sustainable socio-economy.
This decision reflects the consistent guidelines of the Party and State in considering education as the top national policy. This policy helps reduce economic pressure on millions of households, especially in remote, isolated and island areas.
When tuition fees are no longer a burden, parents can invest better in books, nutrition and additional educational activities, helping students develop more comprehensively.
Free tuition not only helps students go to school but also promotes the quality of education development synchronously. When economic barriers are removed, the rate of enrolment and continuing learning will be higher, especially in disadvantaged areas. This is an important premise to improve people's knowledge, create a generation of qualified workers, and help Vietnam compete better in the global economy.
Another long-term benefit is the positive impact on fertility rate and population structure. Currently, many countries are facing low birth rates and aging populations, putting pressure on social security and labor systems. Vietnam is no exception to this trend as the birth rate shows signs of decreasing, especially in big cities due to economic pressure.
Reducing the financial burden on parents can encourage more families to have children and invest more in their children, contributing to maintaining a stable population structure, ensuring a abundant workforce in the future. However, the tuition exemption policy also poses many challenges, especially the issue of budget balance.
Tuition exemption means that the State has to bear a large amount of expenses while the budget revenue is still limited. To effectively implement, there needs to be a reasonable financial strategy, along with streamlining the apparatus, fighting waste and improving the quality of education. Without a strict monitoring mechanism, the risk of budget loss and ineffective use can affect long-term goals.
In addition, the decision to exempt tuition fees is only really meaningful if accompanied by reforming the education system. Improving the quality of teachers, improving curriculum, and modernizing facilities must be implemented synchronously. One of the major problems at present is the widespread situation of extra classes, causing many parents to pay many other fees even though they are exempted from tuition fees. If there are measures to minimize the situation of extra teaching and learning, this policy will be more practical and sustainable.
To effectively implement this policy, there need to be synchronous solutions. The Politburo has set a goal of streamlining the state apparatus to operate more effectively and efficiently. This is an important financial resource to ensure the implementation of the tuition exemption policy without putting too much pressure on the national budget. Combating corruption and waste in public budget management is a prerequisite to ensure that real resources reach students and teachers.
Experience from tuition exemption policies in Thailand since 1999, the Government can mobilize additional funding from education funds, special consumption tax or cooperate with the private sector to partially socialize education. At the same time, there should be a policy to support private school students to ensure fairness in access to education. Taking advantage of technology and digital transformation in education management will also help save budget and improve system operation efficiency.
The decision to exempt tuition fees from preschool to high school for public purposes is a breakthrough policy, clearly demonstrating the humanity and superiority of the regime and towards sustainable development. Not only helping students and parents, this decision also has a long-term impact on the population, the quality of education and the development of human resources in the country. If these solutions are implemented synchronously, this will be an important step forward in the country's development, contributing to making Vietnam a country with advanced education, integrated with the world.
