Is it expected that pedagogical students with weak grades will not be supported with 3.63 million VND/month to pay for living expenses in Vietnam?

Is it expected that pedagogical students with weak grades will not be supported with 3.63 million VND/month to pay for living expenses in Vietnam?

In Article 4 of Decree 116/2020/ND-CP, support for living expenses is stipulated as follows:

Support and support time

1. Support or allowance rate:

a) Pedagogy students shall be entitled to the state-funded tuition support which is equal to tuitions charged by teacher training institutions where they are taking training programs;

b) Pedagogy students shall be entitled to 3.63 million dong each month as an allowance or stipend offsetting their living expenses while studying at teacher training institutions.

2. The validity period of tuition support and living allowances or stipends shall be determined in proportion to the actual number of academic months as prescribed, but not exceeding 10 months/academic year. If any teacher training institution provides academic programs according to the credit system, they may convert support rates to adapt to the credit system. Total financial support in the whole training course provided according to the credit system shall not exceed the specified support rate applied to a course in each academic year.

In Clause 4, Article 1 of Draft Decree amending Decree 116/2020/ND-CP, there is a proposal to pay living expenses for pedagogical students as follows:

4. Amend and supplement point b, clause 1, Article 4 as follows:

“b). Pedagogical students are supported by the state 3.63 million VND/month to only pay living expenses while studying at school. From the second year and the following years of study, pedagogical students with weak overall academic average scores or weak training scores will not be considered for support to only pay living expenses. Teacher training establishments consider living expenses support for pedagogical students according to the school year.

Thus, according to the new draft, it is proposed that pedagogical students from the second year and the following years of study onwards, if their overall average score is weak, will not receive support of 3.63 million VND/year. month to pay living expenses while studying at school in Vietnam.

According to the draft in Vietnam, will pedagogical students training from the 2022 - 2023 school year and earlier be subject to regulation of not being supported with living expenses if they have weak academic grades?

In Article 3 of the Draft Decree amending Decree 116/2020/ND-CP, there is a proposal for the school year to apply living expense support as follows:

Transition regulations

Pedagogical students who have been admitted and trained from the 2022-2023 school year or earlier will continue to comply with the provisions of Decree 116. Pedagogical students who have been admitted and trained from the 2023-2024 school year onwards will comply with the provisions of Decree 116 and the provisions of this Decree.

For regulations on recovery of reimbursement costs and responsibility for guidance, monitoring and issuance of notification of reimbursement of tuition and living expenses support, this Decree will be implemented in accordance with this Decree from the 2021-2022 school year.

Thus, for pedagogical students who have been admitted and trained from the 2022 - 2023 school year and earlier, they will continue to comply with the provisions of Decree 116, meaning  the regulation that living expenses will not be supported if theyhave weak academic scores does not apply.

However, pedagogical students admitted and trained from the 2023-2024 school year onwards, if they have weak academic scores, will not be supported with living expenses.

What is the proposed amendment to the regulations on reimbursement of support funds for pedagogical students in Vietnam?

In Clause 8, Article 1 of the Draft Decree amending Decree 116/2020/ND-CP, there is a plan to amend the regulations on recovery of costs for reimbursement of support funds for pedagogical students as follows:

- For pedagogical students subject to financial reimbursement as prescribed in Point c, Clause 1, Article 6 of Decree 116/2020/ND-CP:

Teacher training institutions monitor, guide, and issue notices to recover funds supported for pedagogical students and their families according to the provisions of Clause 2, Article 8 of Decree 116/2020/ND-CP.

- For pedagogical students subject to financial reimbursement as prescribed in Points a and b, Clause 1, Article 6 of Decree 116/2020/ND-CP:

The Provincial People's Committee where the student resides monitors, guides, and issues a notice of recovery of support funds so that the pedagogical student or his or her family can fully pay the refund amount as prescribed in Article 8 Decree 116/2020/ND-CP.

- For pedagogical students who are subject to ordering and assigning tasks and subject to reimbursement of funds as prescribed in Clause 1, Article 6 of Decree 116/2020/ND-CP:

The agency orders, assigns tasks to monitor, guide, and issue notices to recover support funds so that pedagogical students or their families can fully pay the refund amount as prescribed in Article 8 of Decree 116/2020/ND-CP.

- Within 30 days from the date of receipt of the notice from the agency competent to monitor and guide the issuance of a notice of recovery of funds:

Students or families must be responsible for paying the refund amount to the state treasury and sending documents of payment to the state budget (copy) to the agency monitoring the recovery of reimbursement funds to carry out procedures to confirm payment to complete compensation obligations.

The maximum time limit for fulfilling the obligation to reimburse support funds is 4 years, from the time the pedagogical student receives the notification of reimbursement of funds.

In case a student or family is late in fulfilling the compensation obligation beyond the prescribed time limit, they must pay the maximum interest rate applicable to demand deposits prescribed by the State Bank of Vietnam for the late compensation amount.

In case the State Bank does not stipulate the maximum interest rate applicable to demand deposits, it must bear the interest rate applicable to demand deposits of Vietnam Joint Stock Commercial Bank for Industry and Trade at the time fulfill compensation obligations.

- Pedagogical students must reimburse funds according to the provisions of Clause 1, Article 6 of Decree 116/2020/ND-CP. If they are subject to policies or difficulties, it will be based on the specific and unique conditions of the student. pedagogical staff, the Provincial People's Committee decides on the policy of exempting, reducing or eliminating reimbursement costs.

- The amount recovered from pedagogical student reimbursement fees is remitted into the state budget according to the current budget management decentralization and according to the provisions of the State Budget Law on management of recovered budget remittances. 

- If pedagogical students or their families do not fulfill their compensation obligations, the competent agency that monitors and issues a notice of recovery of funds has the right to sue in court according to the law.

Note: The draft Decree amending Decree 116/2020/ND-CP has not yet taken effect and is in the process of collecting comments.

Best regards!