MoET makes bold moves to keep preschool and primary teachers stay

A teacher at Hoàng Liệt Preschool in Hà Nội’s Hoàng Mai District comforts children on their first day in school. VNA/VNS Photo Minh Hiếu

HÀ NỘI — The Ministry of Education and Training has announced that it will propose to Government to increase salaries and preferential allowances for preschool and primary teachers to help them feel secure and stay in their jobs for a long time.

It will also conduct adjustments to a series of policies, including reducing professional recruitment requirements, shortening the time for salary increases, and reducing the retirement age for preschool and primary teachers.

Speaking at a recent conference on development of policies to ensure the quality of early childhood education in Việt Nam, Deputy Director of the ministry’s Department of Teachers and Educational Administrators Phạm Anh Tuấn said the ministry has made bold moves in an attempt to keep preschool and primary teachers in the profession.

Tuấn said the country currently faces a shortage of roughly  一0 七,000 teachers, of which pre-schools lack  四 四,000 teachers, accounting for over  四0 per cent of total.

Statistics from the Ministry of Education and Training also show that in the first ten months of this year, about  一 六,000 teachers quit their jobs, most of which were preschool educators.

To attract staff, Tuấn said that the ministry will adjust the ratio of teachers per classes to the ratio of teachers per students and adjust the required number of teachers following the number of school sites in disadvantaged areas.

Currently, the required rate of preschool teachers is  二. 二 teachers per class, but the average level of all regions is below the standard rate.

The Central Highlands and northern mountainous areas have the lowest rate in the country of  一. 六 and  一. 五 八 teachers per class, respectively.

The ministry will also remove a regulation on certificates of foreign languages ​​and informatics, reduce professional title standard certificates as well as the time of salary increase for preschool and primary teachers.

A child learns to put his shoes in order at Hoàng Liệt Preschool in Hà Nội’s Hoàng Mai District. — VNA/VNS Photo Minh Hiếu

Regarding the issue of teacher training, Tuấn said the ministry plans to remove the regulation on certificates of regular training and assign the authority to recognise completion of regular training to the department of education and training in localities.

It will update new training modules regularly to suit the innovation of preschool education and innovate training methods by combining face-to-face and online training to improve training quality.

In addition, the ministry will improve the capacity of pedagogical universities and set up modern preschool teacher training facilities to train the next generation of preschool teachers, he said.

Salary increase, early retirement

Tuấn said the ministry plans to propose changes in a series of policies to create favourable working conditions to teachers.

Preschool and primary teachers will be able to retire at the age of  五 五 instead of  六0.

Localities will be allowed to recruit teachers who are qualified but have not met the training standards according to the Education Law  二0 一 九 and set out a training roadmap to raise standards for teachers later.

In particular, the ministry will reco妹妹end the Government urgently develop a new salary policy, in which teachers' salaries are given the highest priority in the administrative and professional salary system and there are additional allowances depending on the nature of the work by region.

Newly recruited teachers will be given the second rank level, equal to about VNĐ 九. 七 million (US$ 三 九0) per month while contracted teachers will have salary not lower than the average salary of enterprises in the same locality and preferential allowances.

Currently, the average income of preschool and primary school teachers who have worked for five years after graduation is VNĐ 四. 五 -  四. 七 million ($ 一 八 一- 一 八 九) per month, including salary and preferential allowances up to  三 五 per cent.

Junior teachers only receive the income of VNĐ 三 million ($ 一 二0) per month for the first two to three years.

The ministry will propose to increase allowances from  三 五 per cent to  七0 per cent for those who work in urban areas and to  一00 per cent for those in disadvantaged areas. About  二00,000 teachers will get supported if the Government approves the proposal.

The ministry will also reco妹妹end the Government consider not streamlining teachers at preschool and primary schools over the next few years.

Localities will be assigned to review the number of teacher shortage and have roadmaps for supporting teachers to keep their faith in the profession, he said. — VNS