Ensuring benefits for school staff

Representatives from the Ministry of Education and Training (MOET) stated that they are researching a proposal to provide school staff with allowances commensurate with their positions and responsibilities. Simultaneously, the Ministry is continuing to review and assess the complexity of school staff's work to inform adjustments to current policies.

Students read books at the library of Thai Ha Primary and Secondary School - Thai Binh . Photo: Van Tuan.

According to information from the Ministry of Education and Training, there are currently about 150,000 civil servants nationwide working in support and service roles in schools; including over 37,800 accounting staff; over 32,100 medical staff, over 35,100 library staff, nearly 32,300 laboratory equipment staff, and over 13,600 IT staff, clerks, treasurers, educational administrators, and support staff for people with disabilities… The majority of school staff only receive salaries equivalent to intermediate level (starting coefficient 1.86) or at most college level (starting coefficient 2.1), making it very difficult to be promoted to university level – even though many have university degrees – due to numerous regulations and procedures.

In reality, school staff currently face demanding jobs with low incomes. The majority of the state budget allocated to public schools focuses on improving the quality of education for students and providing additional allowances for teachers. However, school staff positions are not eligible for these allowances.

According to Government Decree 204, school staff receive salaries based on a coefficient of 1.86-4.89, equivalent to a monthly salary of approximately 4.35-11.4 million VND. In addition, medical staff receive a preferential allowance of 20%; accountants, treasurers, and those in charge of laboratory equipment receive a responsibility allowance of 0.1-0.2%. Clerical staff, librarians, and IT staff do not receive allowances. Meanwhile, for the same work in other state administrative agencies, civil servants receive a public service allowance of 25%.

Previously, in 2023, after the Ministry of Education and Training issued guidelines on implementing policies and professional title promotions for school staff, several localities issued documents regarding the implementation of policies and professional title promotions for this group. Notably, although the Ministry of Interior, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, and the Ministry of Education and Training all issued documents regulating job positions, professional title promotions, salaries, and hazardous duty allowances, to date, besides their salaries, school staff in general, and school library staff in particular, have not received any additional benefits.

According to Associate Professor Tran Thanh Nam, Vice Rector of the University of Education (Vietnam National University, Hanoi), if all school staff were teachers, it would be difficult to classify them into ranks and grades. Would classifying them into library teachers, senior library teachers, and high-level library teachers be appropriate in practice? Specifically, Circular 02/2022 of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism clearly stipulates the professional title standards and salary classification for civil servants in the library sector. If library staff were also classified as "teachers" and adjusted according to the Law on Teachers, as many have proposed, it would create inconsistencies in defining the scope of the teaching profession and contradict Circular 02/2022. Recently, the Ministry of Interior issued Circular 05/2024 regulating the standards and conditions for promotion of administrative, clerical, and archival civil servants. Salary classification for those recruited and appointed as civil servants is regulated by Government Decree No. 85/2023. Accordingly, this document partially meets the aspirations of administrative, clerical, and archiving staff.

Recently, Deputy Minister of Education and Training Hoang Minh Son stated that the Ministry has reviewed and coordinated with other ministries and agencies to advise the Government on amending several policies, especially the salary regime for civil servants in the education sector in general and teachers in particular. First, they will research and propose that school staff receive a professional allowance commensurate with their position, job, and level of training. Next, they will review and assess the complexity of school staff positions to serve as a basis for adjustment according to current regulations, contributing to improving income…

Source: https://daidoanket.vn/dam-bao-quyen-loi-cho-nhan-vien-truong-hoc-10295863.html