The National Assembly's discussion and issuance of a Resolution on tuition exemption and support for general education students, including students in private schools, is a humane step forward and in line with the trend of expanding education policies.
However, for the policy to come into real life, it is necessary not only to expand the scope of beneficiaries, but also to clarify the principles of support, payment methods and reasonable support levels.
First of all, supporting tuition fees for students in non-public schools is a correct recognition that students in any school model have fair access to State policies, especially when they are participating in general education programs in the national education system.
However, it should be noted that tuition support is to share the financial burden with learners, not to finance the educational business model.
Therefore, the principle of support must be clear and limited, to avoid the situation where the budget has to pay tuition fees exceeding the ceiling at high-end private schools - where tuition fees can be 5-10 times higher than those of the public.
Therefore, as proposed by delegate Tran Khanh Thu, it is necessary to add a provision in the resolution that the tuition support level for private students "must not be higher than the tuition ceiling of local public institutions".
This is a reasonable threshold, both ensuring fairness between regions and avoiding the situation where the state budget is over- exploited from high tuition models.
The second important point is the method of support payment. Delegate Nguyen Thi Viet Nga proposed support through educational institutions instead of transferring it directly to learners.
This is a proposal that deserves to be accepted. Because if supported through schools, the funding will be used directly for educational activities - from paying teachers' salaries, maintaining facilities to supporting learning.
At the same time, this approach also reduces the burden of procedures, avoids loss and ensures transparency.
If transferred to each student, the administrative system from the commune level to schools will have to handle a huge amount of work, with the potential risk of errors, duplication or delays.
It is also necessary to emphasize the factor of implementation speed and financial compensation mechanism. If the resolution takes effect from September 2025 - the time when the new school year begins, there will not be much preparation time left.
Meanwhile, tuition fees are currently the main source of revenue to help educational institutions, especially non-public ones, maintain regular operations. If compensation is provided slowly or procedures are complicated, it will seriously affect the school's financial operations.
Finally, a correct policy can only be meaningful if there is a mechanism for synchronous and practical implementation. Supporting tuition fees for students outside the public is correct, but it must be for the right person - the right level - the right way.
Avoiding "leveling" and "equalizing communism", that is the only way for this policy to promote human values and sustainable efficiency.
