Vacant positions available

Solving this problem requires not only directives and guidelines from the central government, but also a comprehensive and practical approach.

Since 2022, the Ministry of Education and Training, in coordination with the Ministry of Interior, has reported to the central government to supplement the teaching staff with 65,980 positions for localities. By the end of the 2024-2025 school year, the whole country will have nearly 1.28 million teachers from preschool to high school, an increase of 21,978 compared to the previous school year.

Recently, the Ministry of Education and Training continued to propose adding more than 10,300 positions to address the shortage of teachers, especially in disadvantaged areas. Local authorities have also actively recruited the allocated positions, contributing to alleviating the shortage and structural imbalances in the teaching staff.

However, what is worrying is the continued situation of "having positions but not recruiting." Data from the Ministry of Education and Training shows that by the end of the first semester of the 2024-2025 school year, approximately 60,000 positions nationwide remained unfilled, while there was still a shortage of over 120,000 public kindergarten and primary school teachers. This figure partly reflects the shortcomings in policies for attracting and retaining human resources in the education sector, especially in disadvantaged areas.

Clearly, the situation of "having staff but no teachers" has created an urgent need: to both fill vacant positions and ensure attractive compensation packages to retain teachers, especially in remote and disadvantaged areas.

One new measure expected to resolve this "bottleneck" is Circular No. 15/2025/TT-BGDĐT, recently issued by the Ministry of Education and Training, which guides the functions, tasks, and powers of the Departments of Education and Training under the People's Committees of provinces and cities; and the Culture and Social Affairs Departments under the People's Committees of communes and wards in the field of education and training.

Notably, the Circular delegates the authority to recruit, assign, rotate, and second teachers directly to the Department of Education and Training – the unit that uses and understands the actual needs. This is a logical step that helps bridge the gap between policy and implementation.

However, a single document is not enough. The core issue is that staffing levels are only meaningful when they are actually filled with qualified teachers. To achieve this, a comprehensive set of solutions is needed, such as: Adjusting and reorganizing the teaching staff appropriately to avoid localized shortages or surpluses; Signing short-term contracts or hiring visiting lecturers when necessary; Collaborating with external organizations to teach specialized subjects; and Developing an attractive incentive mechanism to ensure teachers feel secure in their work and remain committed to teaching in disadvantaged areas.

It is suggested that the Ministry of Education and Training should closely coordinate with the Ministry of Interior to review, supervise, and inspect recruitment in localities, ensuring that all allocated personnel are utilized. At the same time, it should continue to propose to the competent authorities the addition of any missing personnel to meet the requirements of teaching two sessions per day, ensuring that the restructuring of the administrative apparatus does not affect students' right to education.

Naturally, all adjustments must adhere to the principle: "Where there are students, there must be teachers in the classroom," but remain flexible according to local conditions. Provinces and cities need to proactively regulate, rotate, second, or arrange teaching across schools and levels. Recruitment must be accurate, sufficient, and timely, prioritizing teachers with prior experience under contract at educational institutions if they meet the professional requirements.

The education sector is entering a new school year with many expectations for change. However, if the root cause of the teacher shortage and vacant positions is not addressed, even the best policies will struggle to be effective. Only when each position is filled by truly qualified teachers can the task of "nurturing knowledge for future generations" be fully realized, both in terms of quantity and quality.

Source: https://giaoducthoidai.vn/bien-che-bo-trong-post744040.html