Investing in teachers will bring double benefits

To achieve the goals set out in the Program for Modernization and Improvement of the Quality of Education and Training, especially making English the second language of instruction, National Assembly delegates suggested that it is necessary to pay attention to the conditions to ensure that "equipment goes first - people follow" or vice versa, especially the need to design a policy system to develop the teaching staff.

Ensuring comprehensiveness, leaving no investment gaps

Discussing the National Target Program on modernization and improvement of education and training quality for the period 2026 - 2035, National Assembly Delegate Be Minh Duc (Cao Bang) noted that at Point b, Clause 1, Article 1, the goal is that by 2035, preschool and general education institutions will have enough teaching equipment to implement teaching and learning, including English as a second language in schools.

To ensure comprehensiveness and no investment gaps, delegates suggested researching and using clear and appropriate quantification in line with the goal of "100% of educational institutions meeting standards in terms of facilities", to affirm the commitment to consistency and fairness.

National Assembly Delegate Be Minh Duc ( Cao Bang ) speaks. Photo: Pham Thang

Besides, delegate Be Minh Duc emphasized that there should be a breakthrough policy for teachers in ethnic minority areas; and innovation in the mechanism to attract teachers to work in areas with difficult socio-economic conditions.

Reality has shown that the core problem of education in ethnic minority areas is brain drain and lack of competent teachers. However, according to the analysis of the delegate, in section 1, point b, clause 1, Article 1 of the draft only sets out a specific target for completing facilities by 2030, there is no specific target for teachers implementing the Program, only stipulates "step by step guarantee".

Delegates suggested that it is necessary to identify specific goals and develop specific mechanisms, policies, and fundamental solutions to ensure human resources as teachers for long-term goals in the Program.

Delegates attending the meeting. Photo: Quang Khanh

To achieve the set goals, the delegate said that there needs to be a mechanism and solution for the staffing of the teaching staff to be arranged sufficiently at all levels and in all classes, including remote areas right from the first stage of implementing the Program. Because, the reality in Cao Bang province shows that in the 2025-2026 school year, the province needs 14,031 civil servants, while the assigned staff is only 11,825 people, 2,206 civil servants short of the norm. "We invest thousands of billions of VND to build schools, but if there are not enough teachers in the classroom, the teaching staff does not have enough access to information and knowledge, then all material investments cannot be effective," the delegate emphasized.

In fact, in the 5 component projects of the Program, the funding allocation for this content is somewhat modest. Delegates suggested that research should give appropriate priority to investment in training the teaching staff, ensuring sufficient quantity, improving quality, and adapting to the task of education and training in the era of national development.

Delegates attending the meeting. Photo: Quang Khanh

“Investing in teachers is an investment that brings double benefits, both improving the quality of education and ensuring social equity. If this draft Resolution truly pioneers in creating a breakthrough policy for teachers in ethnic minority areas, we will create a historic boost, remove the biggest obstacle for a long time, and bring real development opportunities to areas with a large ethnic minority population,” emphasized delegate Be Minh Duc.

To achieve the goal of making English the second language in schools, National Assembly Deputy Ha Anh Phuong (Phu Tho) noted that it is necessary to pay attention to the conditions to ensure that "equipment goes first - people follow" or vice versa.

The delegate also emphasized that “teaching English as a second language in schools” is not the same as teaching “English as a foreign language”. Investment in facilities at all levels of education depends largely on this difference. Therefore, priority should be given to implementation according to a stratified roadmap and ensuring regional equity.

According to delegate Ha Anh Phuong, the gap is not only in equipment, but also in the number and quality of teachers, curriculum, and the level of teaching English as a language in schools will be different in different regions and between different levels of education. In fact, Decision No. 2371/QD-TTg of the Prime Minister approving the Project "Putting English as a second language in schools for the period 2025 - 2030, with a vision to 2045" has determined its own scope and roadmap.

Delegates attending the meeting. Photo: Pham Thang

In addition, it is also necessary to reasonably allocate resources for training and attracting a sufficient number and quality of English teachers, suitable for each region, promoting the mechanism of decentralization and delegation of authority, giving local authorities the initiative, educational institutions are free to decide and take responsibility for investing in facilities, avoiding the situation of purchasing equipment that does not meet the needs, quickly becoming outdated and degraded.

From the above reasons, the delegate proposed to amend the regulation at Point b, Clause 1, Article 1 of the city "by 2035, 100% of preschool and general education facilities will meet the conditions for teaching English with national quality standards; in which the rate of facilities implementing the English as a second language model must ensure suitability with local conditions and the goal of educational equity".

Teachers need to be retained through development opportunities, not just through allowances.

Also interested in this content, National Assembly Deputy Nguyen Hoang Bao Tran (Ho Chi Minh City) pointed out that over the past 20 years, we have applied many rotation models to attract teachers to disadvantaged areas. This is the right policy, contributing to supplementing human resources for remote schools. However, the number of teachers willing to stay long-term is not much, and the effectiveness of the traditional rotation policy shows signs of decreasing.

National Assembly Delegate Nguyen Hoang Bao Tran (Ho Chi Minh City) speaks. Photo: Quang Khanh

“Reality shows that teachers not only need allowances, but also need a clear career development path, a safe, stable, fair working environment, professional support and proper recognition.” Emphasizing this issue, delegates proposed a group of systematic solutions that can be integrated into the Program.

Accordingly, instead of requiring rigid rotation as an obligation, it is necessary to design a three-step career path for young teachers including: in-depth professional study, international standard training; experience in difficult areas for 1-2 years, but with benefits: priority for excellent teacher exams, priority for upgrading; long-term dedication in units suitable for capacity.

Delegates attending the meeting. Photo: Quang Khanh

At the same time, build a team of "mobile core teachers" - including good teachers to support schools lacking teachers, provide professional support for young teachers, organize regional professional activities, and implement new teaching methods. "This group of teachers operates in a 3-6 month cycle, but maintains the same rights and positions at the original school. This helps difficult areas to immediately have good teachers, regardless of staffing quotas," the delegate stated.

According to the delegate, it is necessary to digitize teacher competency profiles - transparent and fair, because many teachers reflect that their efforts have not been fully recognized, and the evaluation is still manual. This requires adding to the Program the content of investing in the system of "digital teacher competency profiles", fully recording the work process, annual evaluation results, self-improvement topics, innovative teaching method products, and contributions to the community. According to the delegate, this is accompanied by a public competency evaluation system, based on real data. At that time, truly good teachers will be recognized correctly, promoted, and assigned tasks.

Delegates attending the meeting. Photo: Quang Khanh

In particular, the delegate suggested that there should be specific support policies to ensure that people are retained through opportunities, not just through allowances; at the same time, it proposed three key support groups on housing, scholarships for teachers' children and career development scholarships for teachers in disadvantaged areas. In particular, the delegate said that it is necessary to invest in standard public housing, not luxurious but safe and with basic amenities for teachers in mountainous, highland and island areas. Implement the model of "satellite schools - central schools"; form a Fund for developing human resources for education to mobilize both the State and enterprises.

Delegate Nguyen Hoang Bao Tran emphasized that this National Target Program is an opportunity for us to solve outstanding issues that are of particular concern to the people. If properly designed and implemented, the program will create very clear changes: expanding learning opportunities for all children, creating a safe and developing environment for teachers, and contributing to narrowing the educational gap between target groups.

Source: https://daibieunhandan.vn/dau-tu-vao-giao-vien-se-mang-lai-loi-ich-kep-10397922.html