Recently, voters in An Giang province submitted a proposal to the Ministry of Education and Training (MoET) requesting that university tuition fees not be raised. The proposal aimed to ease financial burdens on families with limited economic means, thus allowing students to focus on their studies.

In response, Education Minister Nguyen Kim Son referred to Decree 81/2021, which outlines tuition fee levels for educational institutions within the national education system, as well as policies for fee exemptions, reductions, and study support.

The decree includes a schedule for adjusting tuition fees annually, following Resolution 19/2017 of the Central Committee on improving the efficiency of public non-business units.

Maintaining stable tuition fees amid economic challenges

Due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, to control inflation and share the financial burden with parents and students, the government had directed relevant ministries, agencies, and localities to ensure that educational institutions maintain the same tuition fees for the 2022-2023 school year as in 2021-2022.

As a result, public educational institutions have maintained stable tuition fees over three academic years (2020-2021 to 2022-2023). However, the current fee levels only cover 40-50% of training costs, with the remainder being subsidized by the state budget.

Despite these measures, Minister Son pointed out that while tuition fees have remained unchanged, the annual 2.5% reduction in state budget support has made it increasingly difficult for universities to sustain their operations.

“If tuition fees continue to remain unchanged and regular budget cuts persist, many educational institutions will struggle to operate and will be unable to implement the fee schedule as required by Resolution 19,” the Minister noted.

New decree adjusts tuition fee ceilings

To address these concerns, the government issued Decree 97/2023, amending certain provisions of Decree 81/2021. The new decree sets maximum tuition fees for public universities that are not yet financially self-sufficient for the 2023-2024 academic year.

Exemptions, fee reductions, and study support for students from disadvantaged backgrounds, including those in ethnic minority regions, mountainous areas, and islands, as outlined in Decree 81/2021, will continue to be implemented to alleviate financial burdens for students and their families.

Moving forward, the Ministry of Education and Training will collaborate with other agencies to review feedback and propose amendments to Decree 81/2021. The goal is to establish a suitable tuition fee roadmap that ensures the effective implementation of public service pricing in the social sector while promoting social welfare.

Under Decree 97/2023, the maximum allowable tuition fee for non-self-sufficient public universities in the 2023-2024 school year ranges from 1.2 to 2.45 million VND per month.

Tran Thuong