According to the report of the Ministry of Education and Training, although tuition fees are implemented according to the price mechanism stipulated in the Law on Prices, the Lawon Education and Resolution No. 19-NQ/TW, the tuition fee framework and level are still too low, not enough to cover training costs.

In addition, the increase in basic salary from 1.8 million VND to 2.34 million VND (an increase of 30%) since July 1 has caused the annual salary fund of units to increase, causing difficulties in balancing revenue sources to maintain regular operations and improve training quality.

The Ministry of Education and Training added that state budget investment in higher education has been on a downward trend in recent years. Many public universities do not have enough financial resources to cover training costs (salaries, direct costs, management costs, fixed asset depreciation costs) and reinvest to improve training quality.

On the other hand, this tuition fee increase roadmap has been delayed by one year compared to Decree 81 of the Government in 2021. Previously, university tuition fees were kept stable for 3 years to share difficulties with parents and students due to the impact of COVID-19.

Meanwhile, tuition fees have not been able to fully cover training costs because increasing tuition fees will affect social security, so schools still set tuition fees that do not fully cover costs, which also affects the unit's revenue.

Schools still have to collect tuition fees according to state regulations, but the low fees cause difficulties for the units.

Sharing with the press, Prof. Dr. Chu Duc Trinh, Principal of the University of Technology (Vietnam National University, Hanoi ) said that although tuition fees have increased according to the roadmap, along with the increase in basic salary, it has become a huge pressure on universities.

"Salary needs to be higher, especially in technology and engineering fields. Lecturers' salaries in these fields must be comparable to those of businesses to retain them," said Mr. Trinh.

For the University of Technology alone, in the 7 months from now until the end of the year, the school needs to spend an additional 12 billion VND to increase salaries for lecturers and staff according to state regulations. Along with that, the school must continue to invest in facilities, laboratories, and practice rooms to improve training quality.

To solve this problem, the University of Technology chose to invest in a "cut your coat according to your cloth" manner, finding effective management solutions to save operating costs.

He also added that the school cannot increase tuition fees too much because it would be against regulations and put pressure on students' families, while lecturers' salaries must increase according to the roadmap.

Minh Khoi