A teacher with cancer was sent on a secondment 35km away from home and was allowed to return to her old school.

On the afternoon of September 19, the leader of the Department of Education and Training of Nghe An province said that they were completing procedures for Ms. TTH, a teacher at Nam Can Primary and Secondary Boarding School (Na Ngoi commune), who has peritoneal cancer and is on secondment to a school in Huu Kiem commune, 35km from her home, to return to work at her old school.

“After the incident, the Department directed the school to report and explain. Currently, the Department has directed the school to prepare a document to send her back to work at her old school. At the same time, the Department has issued two documents to guide and direct schools to follow the regulations related to seconding teachers,” said the leader of the Department of Education and Training.

Regarding the incident, Ms. H. said that she had received a notice to return to her old school to work. She wished to stay at her old school for a long time to work with peace of mind and not have to go on assignment again.

Nam Can Primary and Secondary Boarding School for Ethnic Minorities

For the past two years, Ms. H. has been suffering from peritoneal cancer and has been undergoing chemotherapy regularly. Recently, she had to go on assignment to an elementary school in Huu Kiem commune, 35km from her home.

Previously, explaining this incident to the press, Mr. Lam Nguyen Ngoc, Principal of Nam Can Primary and Secondary Boarding School for Ethnic Minorities, said that Ms. H. had cancer but was still on the list of people sent on secondment.

According to Mr. Ngoc, Ms. H. is a special case. Although she has worked at the school for 25 years, she has never been on a secondment. “The three previous times Ms. H. was considered for secondment, she was exempted. This time, there are two more teachers in the school who also have cancer. If Ms. H. is exempted, it is mandatory to exempt the other two teachers, so it is very difficult,” Mr. Ngoc said.

On this occasion, in addition to Nam Can Primary and Secondary Boarding School for Ethnic Minorities, there are many other schools in mountainous and border areas that also have a large number of seconded teachers such as: My Ly 1 Primary Boarding School for Ethnic Minorities (8 people); Ta Ca Primary Boarding School for Ethnic Minorities (8 people); Ta Ca Primary and Secondary Boarding School for Ethnic Minorities (9 people)...