Hà Nội increases tuition fees at public schools

HÀ NỘI — The Hà Nội People’s Council on Thursday approved a resolution to raise tuition fees at public schools for the 2018-19 academic year.

Under the resolution, the fees for nursery, primary, secondary and high schools will all be raised in the urban, rural and mountainous areas.

The monthly tuition fee per pupil in the urban areas will be raised by VNĐ45,000 (US$2) to VNĐ155,000 ($7), according to director of the municipal Department of Education and Training Chử Xuân Dũng.

Monthly tuition fees for a pupil in rural and mountainous areas will be raised by VNĐ20,000 and VNĐ5,000 to VNĐ75,000 and VNĐ19,000, respectively.

The increase was aimed at improving salaries for teachers and professional development, he said.

The new fee was affordable for urban households while it will not affect students of poor families as they receive Government tuition fee reductions and exemption, he added.

The city would collect a total of nearly VNĐ940 billion ($42 million) from the new tuition fees, accounting for 11.3 per cent of its spending activities.

Head of the municipal People’s Council’s Social and Culture Department Trần Thế Cương said the municipal authorities would increase management and inspection to prevent the collection of additional fees and organisation of extra classes at public schools as part of measures to ensure education and training quality. — VNS