Minister of Education and Training: Fairness for teachers does not mean "all suffer equally"

On the morning of May 6, the National Assembly discussed the draft Law on Teachers. Minister of Education and Training Nguyen Kim Son said that through the speeches of National Assembly Deputies, he felt the spirit, concern, sharing, understanding and support.

The Minister said that the opinions all had the common phrase "either, expressing other wishes, expressing additional wishes, adding more, wishing for higher wishes, more feasible, more realistic, more specific, more detailed, stronger, more comprehensive, more fair, more equal, clarifying more, adding more, needing to be bolder".

The original draft law consisted of 96 articles, but the drafting and reviewing agencies have boldly reduced and absorbed them, and the latest draft has only 46 articles. The Minister expressed his "desire to further reduce them, but hopes that delegates will consider them carefully."

Minister of Education and Training Nguyen Kim Son speaks. Photo: National Assembly

Explaining specifically about teacher recruitment, the Minister said that the draft law assigns theeducation management agency to be the agency in charge of recruiting teachers for public schools and educational institutions. According to the Minister, this regulation will solve the problem of teachers having to take exams for many places, ensuring better use of staff within the provincial level, and making the organization of the Council and exam questions more convenient.

The Minister emphasized the spirit of decentralization and delegation of power, "wherever labor is used, there is the right to recruit", however, it is difficult to apply to preschool and primary education facilities. Because at this level, there are only a few teachers, if a Recruitment Council is established with very strict requirements to recruit civil servants, it will be very difficult.

Therefore, the draft law stipulates that the education management agency has the role of organizing recruitment, but can consider decentralizing to facilities, such as high schools, that are qualified to recruit.

There is a proposal to expand the beneficiaries of policies in the identification of teachers, the Minister said, the Law on Teachers only stipulates that teachers are professional and qualified people. Other subjects such as university staff, people participating in the education process, and educational activities will have different regulations.

However, Minister Nguyen Kim Son also agreed with the expansion of other subjects participating in educational activities and will be regulated in the Law on Education and other laws.

Some delegates suggested adding those who participate in guidance and practice to the category of teachers, but the Minister clarified that these people only perform their duties when students work in businesses, factories, and practice workshops. "Those with experience, skills, and expertise are encouraged to participate in guiding students in practice, but they are not subjects in the draft Law on Teachers," Mr. Son added.

Some opinions suggest that localities should not be encouraged to issue additional policies to support teachers in order to ensure fairness and to make it easier for remote provinces to attract teachers.

Mr. Nguyen Kim Son said that some localities with conditions should encourage the allocation of resources to support teachers. Ho Chi Minh City has proactively allocated funding to support teachers' lives to make them less difficult, limiting job transfers and resignations. The Minister affirmed that this is a valuable and encouraging thing.

"We support fairness if it is a good thing, fair, and the conditions for teachers to enjoy the best benefits. But fairness here should not keep everyone suffering equally, everyone having the same difficulties. We should encourage places with conditions. For places that do not have conditions, the State must have additional policies to support the localities.

In fact, teachers in remote areas and ethnic minority areas enjoy many preferential policies. The State also needs to pay more attention to favorable areas. It is necessary to encourage localities to have more policies for teachers...", said Minister Nguyen Kim Son.

Source: https://vietnamnet.vn/bo-truong-gd-dt-cong-bang-cho-giao-vien-khong-phai-deu-kho-nhu-nhau-2398208.html