Beach city to provide free education and smart phones

Children are cared at a kindergarten school in Đà Nẵng. The beach city is putting aside a fund of VNĐ108 billion for free schooling for students from kindergarten to high schools of both state-owned and private schools in 2024-25. Photo courtesy of Đà Nẵng City’s Foreign Affairs Department

ĐÀ NẴNG — The central city will allocate a fund of VNĐ108 billion to offer free schooling for students from kindergarten to high schools, of both state-owned and private schools, in 2024-25.

The decision was officially ratified at the city’s People’s Council meeting last month, stating that free education will not apply to foreign-invested or using foreign sponsorship schools.  

The city said the decision means it will also subsidise education fees for vocational schools and regular education centres in  Đà Nẵng.

It’s the third year in a row the city has given financial support for education since it began offering support to ease the financial burden caused by COVID-19 in 2020-22.

Đà Nẵng was the first and the only city in Việt Nam offering free education for both state-funded and private schools.

In addition the city’s People’s Council said it will given a fund of VNĐ2 million ($80) for each disadvantaged family in the city for buying a smart phone, as the shutdown of 2G network is planned for September.

It said 3,800 poor households in the city have yet been able to get a smartphone, but telecommunication and phone companies have agreed to sponsor free phones for 2,000 families.

Đà Nẵng plans to be a ‘smart’ and ‘green’ city by 2030.

The central city was also the first in Việt Nam to hold a pilot project on caring for babies from six to 18 months at 21 public kindergartens, as preparation for the city’s social-security master plan for 2020-25.

A number of foreign-invested kindergartens are operating in the city, providing services for expats and those looking for international curriculums. 

The city, in cooperation with the American Half the Sky Foundation, opened the One Sky kindergarten at the Hòa Khánh Industrial Zone, the first care centre and kindergarten for children aged from six months to six years.

The Japanese JP Holdings Group operates the Japanese-led COHAS Đà Nẵng, or Smile School, for children ages one to six, while Leave a Nest, an education organisation from Japan, with the Self Wing Việt Nam Company, launched a project on nature research and education for students at secondary schools in the city. VNS