Investment in education needs to be equal to investment in development, said lawmakers yesterday, as National Assembly deputies debated a Ministry of Education and Training plan for restructuring financing for education during 2009-14.

The plan was aimed at improving educational quality and equality over the next decade, and deputies agreed that the plan would address many shortcomings in the education sector created by school fees which have remained unchanged over the past ten years.

The plan would also call for joining State budget allocations for education with set criteria to guarantee quality and ensuring both the State and learners share in the costs of vocational and university education.

Deputies agreed that proposed increases in school fees were a sensitive issue and one that would have a great impact on people's lives.

But Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Thien Nhan said the plan did not only focus on fee hikes but was also directed towards raising efficiency in education; increasing enrollments, and maintaining the stability of the educational system.

Deputies from Tra Vinh and Cao Bang suggested that plan include further preferential policies to benefit ethnic minority students to lessen the gap in education between different ethnic groups.

The plan should supplement a policy to support children in families in difficult circumstances but not yet on the list of localities receiving benefits under the Programme 135, the nation's poverty alleviation programme.

Meanwhile, Dac Nong deputy Phan Van Cu said it would be impossible to increase funding for education if people did not contribute more.

State budget support for the sector was already at 20 per cent of the total educational budget and couldn't go much higher, Cu said.

Deputy Vo Dinh Tuyen of Binh Phuoc province agreed the Government had already placed a priority on education by the State supporting 20 per cent of educational spending, but he could not agree with the currently proposed increases in educational fees.

"I think that increasing the monthly tuition for university students from VND180,000 [US$10] to VND500,000 VND [$28], and to VND800,000 [$44] by 2014, is beyond the ability of most households," said Tuyen. "Every student needs at least VND2,500,000 [$140] to meet all living and learning expenses, while the average income of a State official is only VND2 million [$112]."

Deputy Huynh Nghia of Da Nang worried that, given current economic challenges, it was not the proper time for the Ministry of Education and Training to propose school fee increases.

A report by the National Assembly Committee for Culture, Education, Youth and Children also said that the current proposal to cap school fees at no more than 6 per cent of average household income was quite high compared to other countries in the region.

In response to the concerns of a number of deputies that the poposed 6-per-cent level was too high for the actual incomes of households in a developing country, Nhan said a figure released by cities and provinces on current fees paid by students said the actual costs were already at over 6 per cent.

The 6-per-cent level was proposed as an upper limit, while, in some provinces, the actual level could be set lower, Nhan said.

Deputy Ngo Doan Thanh of Ha Noi supported the fee increases saying, "The higher school fees will not affect the poor and people who live near the poverty line because the State already has policies to support them."

But Thanh agreed that higher fees alone would not ensure increases in the quality of education.

The plan would not have any impact on the creation of more preschools or on getting schools to reform teaching programmes and methods, Thanh said. Almost half of pre-school age children go to school, but another 6 million don't.

"We should consider providing pre-schools for free," said Deputy Nguyen Van Toan of Vinh Phuc." Vinh Phuc province has implemented policies for free schooling for pre-schoolers in rural areas and has already raised the salaries of teachers. After two years, a lot more children go to school, and education quality was also improved a lot."

Toan also said the ministry plan failed to consider the large number of non-State-supported schools in operation.

Deputy Nguyen Lan Dung of Dak Lak and Pham Manh Hung of Thai Nguyen were in agreement that educational quality would not be improved without an overhaul of the educational system and proper investment in education.

Some deputies suggested increased investment to improve the quality of teacher training and educational administration.

At yesterday's session, the National Assembly also ratified a resolution on State Budget Balance for 2007.

Vietnamnews (25/05/2009)