'The female teacher' finds it difficult to teach in a preschool classroom.

TP - Preschool teaching is a unique profession, requiring good health, stamina, and flexibility to ensure the safety of children during care and education. Therefore, many educators support the proposal for teachers at this level to retire at the age of 55.

TP - Preschool teaching is a unique profession, requiring good health, stamina, and flexibility to ensure the safety of children during care and education. Therefore, many educators support the proposal for teachers at this level to retire at the age of 55.

Thoughts and feelings of a preschool teacher.

Article 28 of the Draft Law on Education stipulates that the retirement age for teachers shall be in accordance with the provisions of the Labor Code and other relevant laws. However, teachers in preschools may retire at a younger age, but not more than 5 years younger than the prescribed age, and their pension will not be reduced due to early retirement.

An elderly teacher at Sai Mai Kindergarten ( Hanoi ) during a lesson with children.

When this proposal was put forward for public comment, many supported it and considered it appropriate for the reality of early childhood education. However, some argued that it needed reconsideration, as allowing early childhood teachers to retire five years early without a reduction in their pension would create a policy of "privilege and special advantage" for educators.

Ms. Nguyen Thuy Duong, 48, a kindergarten teacher in Ha Dong district (Hanoi), says she loves her profession and has been dedicated to children for nearly 30 years, but still longs to retire early. Every day, she arrives at school at 7 a.m. to welcome the children, then organizes activities such as exercise, teaching, lunch, and afternoon activities… “Some days, 2-3 children in the class sneeze, have runny noses, or vomit, and the teacher is the one who carries and cares for them. Only when the children are asleep does she get to eat lunch and create toys for afternoon activities or lessons during the week. By the afternoon, she is exhausted and feels she is no longer as agile and energetic as the younger teachers to be able to sing and dance with the children,” Ms. Duong said.

Ms. Vu Thi Men, from Hoa Ban Kindergarten in Gia Phu commune, Bao Thang district ( Lao Cai province), said she has been dedicated to the "childcare" profession for 17 years. With the demands of innovation and the application of information technology in teaching, she has had to work hard to learn. "Furthermore, early childhood education has its own unique characteristics; children come to school not only to learn but also to be cared for in terms of food and sleep. In the classroom, teachers are always busy with many activities from 7 am to 5 pm. To be honest, if you don't have good health, it's difficult to handle," Ms. Men said.

It is difficult to assign older teachers.

In her managerial role, Ms. Nguyen Thi Thanh Huong, Principal of Sao Mai Kindergarten in Ba Dinh District (Hanoi), stated that besides young teachers, the school currently has four teachers aged 53-54. Given the demands of modern kindergarten teaching, which require the application of Industry 4.0 technology to innovate teaching, it can be said that these older teachers haven't kept up. Their reluctance to embrace innovation and the prospect of teaching until the age of 60 is a significant challenge and obstacle for teachers at this level. In practice, parents also express a desire for younger, more energetic teachers. They are concerned about the safety of older teachers carrying and caring for children. "Younger teachers are more agile, flexible, and less afraid of challenges in organizing engaging activities for children, something older teachers struggle with in lessons requiring many activities or music lessons with high artistic value," Ms. Huong said.

"Low salaries and demanding work have led many preschool teachers to leave their jobs in recent years to pursue other professions. Therefore, this proposal aims to ensure the safety of children, protect the rights of teachers, and also serve as a policy to attract talented teachers at this level."

Director of the Department of Teachers and Educational Management Staff (Ministry of Education and Training) Vu Minh Duc

Speaking with a reporter from Tien Phong newspaper, Mr. Vu Minh Duc, Director of the Department of Teachers and Educational Management Officials (Ministry of Education and Training), said that based on the difficulties and hardships faced by preschool teachers, the Ministry of Education and Training is persistently proposing that preschool teachers retire earlier without having their pension reduced. The reason is that preschool teachers are engaged in very demanding work, constantly caring for children from morning to night, so their health is not guaranteed, posing a safety risk to the children. At the age of 58 or 59, they may find it difficult to catch a child if they fall.

Furthermore, regulations effective from July 1, 2024, stipulate that workers retiring one year early will have their salary reduced by 2%. However, preschool teachers have very low salary coefficients; those who have just graduated with a college degree currently receive a salary coefficient of 2.1% (equivalent to approximately 4.9 million VND), and upon retirement, they receive a pension of just over 10 million VND. Retiring early and having their salary reduced further would be very unfair to teachers at this level.

Source: https://tienphong.vn/ba-giao-kho-dung-lop-mam-non-post1689544.tpo