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Private junior colleges and universities are on the verge of shutting down completely because they are suffering from a serious lack of applicants, unfairness, and power struggles, a former education minister complained.

Prof. Tran Hong Quan, who acted as Minister of Education and Training between 1990 and 1997, said the Hanoi-based Association of Private Junior Colleges and Universities has just submitted a document to the government to warn of the dissolution of these non-public schools.

Their closedown would discourage teachers and cause bad social consequences, Prof. Quan, who chairs the association, said.

Very few students have applied to private higher education institutions during the last three years, he pointed out, adding that these schools now sustain huge losses and thus risk closing down.

Applicants often prefer public schools as they charge lower tuition thanks to governmental subsidies, the educator said, adding that those enrolled in private schools not only pay much higher fees but they also have to bear taxes.

He further explained that private schools are required to pay as much as 25 percent of their total tuition in tax, the same percentage enterprises have to pay annually, while government-funded institutions do not have to do so.

As a result private schools must hike their fees to offset expenses and thus place the burden on their students.

It is absurd that there is such a differentiation between private and public school enrollees, Prof. Quan complained.

“All this is unfair and discriminatory,” the educator protested.

He also said that the risk of shutdown stems from infighting in private junior colleges and universities.

Financial pressure and a conflict of interest are to blame, he said, adding that many investors simply want to reap profits quickly even though they have yet to make adequate investment.

In Vietnam private schools are usually deemed as offering lower-quality education than their public counterparts.