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VietNamNet Bridge – School
fees and other study costs will be set at no more than 5 per cent of
average household incomes in the capital city of Ha Noi, under a draft
plan by the city’s Department of Education and Training.
"The draft plan aims to give fair access to education to all students and create more favourable conditions for poorer students," said the department’s director, Nguyen Huu Do, who added that additional educational costs not covered by fees would be paid from the State budget.
The department’s draft plan would divide students into four groups, with Group 1 including those living in urban districts and townships, Group 2 including those living in the suburban districts of Gia Lam, Thanh Tri, Tu Liem, Dong Anh and Hoai Duc, Group 3 including those living in outlying districts, and Group 4 including those living in remote communes.
Students in Group 4 would be exempt from school fees. Among the other three groups, fees would range between VND10,000 ($.50) and VND143,000 ($7.50) per month, depending on the group and the educational level of the student.
The proposed fee levels were determined based on feasible payment levels for a family of four with two children in pre-school, primary school or secondary school. The costs were calculated to allow not only for school fees but costs for books and educational supplies, as well as uniforms and footwear.
School fee structures have not been adjusted for inflation since 1998, despite the consumer price index increasing by 1.95 times during that time, Do said.
Since the capital city expanded to include the former Ha Tay Province and parts of the provinces of Hoa Binh and Vinh Phuc, city officials were also facing a city school system applying multiple fee structures, necessitating a new system for the enlarged city, he said.
(Source: VietNamNet/Viet Nam News)
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