Last year, the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Education proposed that tuition fee for all students in public secondary school be exempted.
The proposal was rejected by the Ministry of Finance on grounds that the tuition exemption must be passed through the National Assembly and specified in the education law. Hence, while waiting for the approval, local authorities decided to lower school fees for kindergartens and secondary schools, Zing reports.
The subjects of the new tuition rate are divided into two categories: Category 1 and Category 2. Category 1 students are those who are living in urban districts including 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, Binh Thanh, Phu Nhuan, Go Vap, Tan Binh, Tan Phu, Thu Duc and Binh Tan districts. The tuition rate for Category 1 students in kindergartens will remain the same (VND200,000/month) while secondary school students in this category will enjoy a VND60,000/month rate, a significant cut from VND100,000/month.
For Category 2 students in kindergarten, those who are living in suburban districts including Binh Chanh, Hoc Mon, Nha Be, Cu Chi and Can Gio, will enjoy a new fee of VND120,000 per month, VND20,000 less than previous years. The new fee for Category 2 secondary students is VND30,000/month, which is VND55,000 lower than previous years.
City authorities will set out more than VND150 billion each year as a subsidy for the fee cuts.
[Photo via Thanh Nien]
