Taking care of teachers during Tet: Warmth from sharing.

In addition to the bonus scheme under Decree 73/2024/ND-CP, the money received from savings in regular operating expenses is considered a "Tet bonus," helping school workers alleviate some of their worries at the end of the year.

Don't wait until everything is fully prepared to take care of teachers' lives.

Huong Lam Kindergarten is located in the particularly disadvantaged mountainous area of Huong Xuan commune ( Ha Tinh province). Despite limited facilities and financial resources, for many years the school's management has always considered caring for the well-being of its teachers as a priority alongside professional duties.

According to Ms. Nguyen Thi Hoa, Principal of Huong Lam Kindergarten, from savings in regular operating expenses, the school allocates approximately 2-2.5 million VND per person each year to support and encourage teachers during Tet (Lunar New Year). "The amount isn't large, but it's a practical way to share and help teachers feel secure in their work," Ms. Hoa said. For the 2025-2026 school year, the school has 27 staff and teachers and 2 childcare workers. Among them, two teachers are in particularly difficult circumstances. Understanding and sharing, the school's management board, in coordination with the trade union and the women's committee, organizes many fundraising activities each year to support teachers and students in need. Despite being a school in a disadvantaged area, the school has never failed to provide support for teachers during Tet.

Last school year, the school collaborated on the "Spring of Love" program, awarding 12 gifts to students and 3 gifts to teachers, each worth between 500,000 and 1,000,000 VND. "This year, the school has just met the criteria for a standard school, so the budget is limited. However, the school's management team and teachers still made efforts to provide Tet gifts for their colleagues. It's a small gift, but it's an encouragement and a boost of confidence for teachers to stay committed to their profession," Ms. Hoa shared.

Deeply moved by this gesture of support, Ms. Dinh Thi Ha said: “The money helps me cover some of my medication expenses. The most valuable thing is that despite the difficulties, the school administration always understands, supports, and gives me the strength to continue teaching.”

Not only at Huong Lam Kindergarten, but also at Thach Luu Primary School (Thach Ha, Ha Tinh), the school maintains its efforts to care for teachers' well-being during Tet (Lunar New Year) through various flexible and creative methods. Every year, the school allocates funds from its additional income and proactively creates a fund through internal activities to support teachers, especially young teachers, those working far from home, and those in difficult circumstances.

To save costs, many tasks are handled directly by teachers instead of being outsourced. Recently, when the local government allocated funds for the construction of projects to celebrate the Party Congress, the school's teachers took advantage of their days off to participate in the construction, and the savings were put into a fund to support teachers during Tet (Lunar New Year).

Currently, Thach Luu Primary School has 21 tenured teachers and 4 contract teachers as per regulations. Among them, Ms. Truong Thi Hong Nguyen (born in 2000) is a young, newly tenured teacher from Quang Tri province. Her husband works far away, and she has to rent accommodation while earning approximately 6 million VND per month. During Tet (Lunar New Year), the school provides an additional 2.5–3 million VND; contract teachers facing difficulties receive 1–2 million VND each.

According to Ms. Tran Thi Hong, Principal of Thach Luu Primary School, through spring programs and social media, the school proactively connects with businesses and philanthropists to mobilize social resources to support teachers and students in difficult circumstances.

"All donated gifts are given to the right recipients, openly and transparently. This clarity and effectiveness in our approach has built trust, allowing organizations and individuals to confidently partner with us in the long term, thereby providing teachers and students with additional encouragement and peace of mind in their work and studies," Ms. Hong emphasized.

For Tet 2025, the school mobilized 60 gift packages, totaling 54 million VND, to give to teachers and students in difficult circumstances. “We are not afraid to connect; we only hope that teachers and students will have more motivation when Tet comes and spring arrives. These gifts may not be large, but they represent sharing and support, helping teachers feel secure in their profession. They also demonstrate the spirit of companionship, responsibility, and humanity in the educational environment,” Ms. Hong shared.

Teachers at Huong Lam Kindergarten (Huong Xuan, Ha Tinh). Photo: Phuong Ho

The joy of receiving a year-end bonus.

Along with salary reform policies, the implementation of Government Decree 73/2024/ND-CP on bonuses from the State budget has provided practical encouragement, helping employees in the education sector feel more secure in their work and committed to their profession.

The Lunar New Year of 2026 marks the second year that Decree 73 has been implemented. According to the regulations, bonuses are paid based on outstanding work performance and the results of annual performance evaluations and rankings. The bonus fund is determined by 10% of the total salary fund (excluding allowances), separate from the reward fund under the Law on Emulation and Commendation. This amount is usually paid at the end of the year, so many teachers consider it a "Tet bonus," helping to alleviate some of their worries as Tet approaches.

According to Principal Nguyen Thi Thu Ha of Yen Trach Kindergarten (Yen Trach commune, Thai Nguyen province), immediately after receiving the guidelines, the school proactively developed internal spending regulations and a plan for distributing bonuses, ensuring transparency and suitability to the actual conditions.

This school year, 34 teachers and staff members were rated as having performed well or excellently in their duties, receiving bonuses ranging from 8 to 9 million VND per person. “Although the bonus isn’t large, it has significant spiritual meaning, especially at the end of the year. This is timely recognition of the silent efforts and contributions of the teaching staff, helping teachers to be more motivated to stay committed to the profession,” Ms. Ha shared.

At La Bang Primary School (La Bang commune, Thai Nguyen province), according to Deputy Principal Ho Thi Anh Dao, as a public institution with no revenue source, the school has not had a separate Tet bonus system for many years. Therefore, the bonus policy under Decree 73 is especially awaited by the staff and teachers.

According to Ms. Dao, the school has established a year-end reward system based on two levels of employee performance: "Good performance" and "Excellent performance." "With a clear and fair reward mechanism, each staff member and teacher has more goals to strive for, thereby enhancing their sense of responsibility and the quality of their work," Ms. Dao stated.

Not only in Thai Nguyen, but also in many schools throughout Tuyen Quang province, the atmosphere of excitement is spreading. This Lunar New Year, the joy of the teaching staff is amplified as many important state policies for teachers officially come into effect and are being implemented comprehensively. Most notably, the Law on Teachers, effective from January 1, 2026, stipulates that teachers' salaries will be ranked highest in the administrative and public service salary scale, along with many preferential allowances, special allowances, and subsidies for disadvantaged areas.

Furthermore, Resolution No. 71-NQ/TW of 2025 on increasing allowances for teachers working in disadvantaged areas continues to be an important support, helping the teaching staff feel secure in staying in remote areas and spreading education in mountainous and border regions.

Teachers and contract staff at Le Dinh Chinh Primary School receive bonuses and additional income. Photo: NTCC

Tet Sharing

Besides general policies, many educational institutions proactively allocate savings from their budgets to provide Tet (Lunar New Year) gifts for their staff, teachers, and employees. According to Ms. Tran Thi Vu, Principal of Huong Duong Kindergarten (Thuan Hoa commune, Tuyen Quang province), even though the school will no longer have a Trade Union from July 2025, the school management still uses its savings to give Tet gifts to 100% of its staff, teachers, and employees, totaling 23 million VND. The school also launched a campaign to support the "Tet for the Poor" program – an annual activity with profound humanitarian significance.

With some contract staff not eligible for bonuses under Decree 73, many teachers at Yen Trach Kindergarten voluntarily donated a portion of their bonuses to encourage and support their colleagues. At the same time, the school proactively proposed that the local authorities provide additional support to staff and teachers facing difficulties, so that everyone could have a joyful and warm Tet holiday.

According to the internal spending regulations of Le Dinh Chinh Primary School (Hoa Cuong Ward, Da Nang City), the fixed Tet bonus for permanent staff and teachers is 3 million VND per person. In addition, thanks to effective management and cost savings in areas such as electricity, water, and consumables, the school has created a supplementary income fund for those who have worked for six months or more.

The additional income is paid based on individual performance ratings and positions, with an average ranging from 6-7 million VND per person. The lowest recorded amount is approximately 6.2 million VND, depending on the actual length of service during the year.

According to Principal Huynh Thi Thu Nguyet, the humane aspect of caring for staff during Tet at Le Dinh Chinh School is clearly demonstrated through the attention given to nearly 50 temporary contract staff members, including those in positions such as dormitory supervisors, cooks, service staff, security guards, and assistant accountants. Each staff member still receives a Tet allowance of 500,000 VND from the school.

Furthermore, using funds from the increased income, the school provides monthly support to this staff to improve their earnings. Specifically, security guards receive 400,000 VND per month for 12 months; cleaning staff receive support for 9 months of work. For contract teachers on maternity leave, the school still applies appropriate support levels to ensure that no one is left behind.

“The reward funds from the school’s internal spending savings are distributed equally among teachers, permanent staff, and contract employees with six months or more of service. When developing the internal spending regulations, we do not differentiate between contract employees receiving salaries from the state budget and permanent staff in the welfare system,” said Ms. Huynh Thi Thu Nguyet (Principal of Le Dinh Chinh Primary School).

Source: https://giaoducthoidai.vn/cham-lo-tet-cho-nha-giao-am-ap-tu-su-se-chia-post765645.html