Free tuition - creating equal learning opportunities for all children

Recently, the Politburo decided to exempt all tuition fees for students in public schools nationwide, from kindergarten to high school, starting from the 2025-2026 school year. The information immediately created a wave of excitement among the general public, especially bringing great joy to millions of families with children of school age.

Recently, public opinion was still debating the fairness of the proposal to exempt teachers’ children from tuition fees, but from now on, no one has to worry anymore, all students in public schools will be able to go to school for free. Students in private schools will also be compensated for tuition fees at the same level as public schools.

It can be said that this is a historic decision, a strategic investment and an important milestone in the education career of our country. This decision has demonstrated the consistency in the Party and State's policy on investing in people, as President Ho Chi Minh taught: "For the benefit of ten years, plant trees, for the benefit of a hundred years, cultivate people".

Throughout the revolutionary process, our Party and State have always affirmed that education and training are the top national policy, the future of the nation and have always paid special attention to and had many policies and investment in education. This decision is especially meaningful in the context that our Party has determined the goal of completing the cause of education and training innovation, creating human resources for building and defending the Fatherland in the era of national development.

The Politburo’s decision also marks a major step forward in building a fair, humane and sustainable education system. Exempting tuition fees not only reduces the financial burden on millions of families, especially poor working families, but also affirms that education is a basic right of every citizen; the State ensures equal learning opportunities for all children.

In particular, the decision to exempt tuition fees has created excitement and strengthened the people's and workers' trust in the humanity and goodness of our State. According to current regulations, preschool tuition fees range from 50,000 - 540,000 VND/month; and high school tuition fees range from 50,000 - 650,000 VND/month depending on the level of education, urban, rural, mountainous areas or ethnic minorities. For the majority of people, this figure is not small if the family has two or more children of school age. Therefore, the decision to exempt tuition fees will have a positive impact, contributing to both material and spiritual support for millions of families, especially the poor, whose parents still have to "run" for tuition fees among thousands of things to worry about to make ends meet. From now on, every child can go to school without the pressure of tuition fees, and no longer will children have their education interrupted because their families cannot afford to pay for school fees.

Some opinions say that exempting tuition fees will create an additional burden on the national budget. Indeed, according to statistics from the Ministry of Education and Training, the country currently has 23.2 million students (not including students of vocational education and continuing education centers). With such a large number of students, the State budget to pay for implementing the tuition exemption policy will be about 30,000 billion VND/year - a not small number. However, investing in education is investing in the future, bringing immeasurable long-term benefits to society. After reviewing the Government's report, the Politburo affirmed the ability to mobilize resources from streamlining payroll, optimizing administrative spending and other financial solutions. This shows careful preparation and high determination, aiming to take advantage of internal resources to invest in the future. Rather than being a burden on the budget, this is a strategic reinvestment that will pay off in the country's future growth and prosperity.

There are also concerns that public schools have long been the dream environment for the majority of workers, and the limited supply of public schools is one of the causes of the "school rush" problem, or leading to harsh entrance exams. Now with the tuition-free policy, the pressure on public schools will be even heavier. This requires parallel solutions, such as adding schools, including converting the function of facilities through the process of streamlining and merging; at the same time, there needs to be better incentive policies to encourage and attract investment in the non-public education sector, helping to reduce the burden on the public sector.

The tuition-free policy of our Party and State has realized one of the "ultimate desires" of President Ho Chi Minh, that "everyone can study". However, tuition-free is not the solution to make breakthroughs in education and training. This policy is like a declaration that education and training are given special importance by the Party and State. The education sector must take the lead in reform and innovation, overcome shortcomings, and "rise up" with the nation, even deciding the prosperity of the nation. The "era of rising up" is an opportunity for countries that know how to put education first. A standard, advanced education today will create a generation of excellent citizens tomorrow, and that is the key to helping the country rise up in the new era.