For teachers to be truly happy with their profession

When teachers are happy, they can and want to create and bring happiness to students... So what will make teachers truly feel happy, secure in their commitment and dedication to their profession?

Living Wages and Fair Teacher Policies

Teachers’ salaries are not enough to live on, a problem that has existed for decades. However, in any school or locality, teachers who are dedicated and devoted to their profession still make up the majority. Many teachers confide that if they always only compare their salary with the effort they put in, they certainly will not be able to stick with the profession.

As one of the outstanding teachers nationwide this year, Ms. Dang Thi Nu, a teacher at Sung Trai Secondary School for Ethnic Minorities (Dong Van District, Ha Giang ), also shared that despite working in one of the most difficult areas in the country, she and her colleagues always overcome. However, she earnestly requested that the Government have a better treatment and support regime for teachers and students in mountainous areas, as well as in particularly difficult areas of Ha Giang and the whole country; especially a support regime for teachers, staff and those working at ethnic minority boarding schools.

Teachers can only teach well when they feel happy and peaceful in their souls.

JADE PEACH

Associate Professor Chu Cam Tho, Head of the Department ofEducational Evaluation Research (Vietnam Institute of Educational Sciences, Ministry of Education and Training), said that in reality, the income from teaching is not enough for teachers to ensure their lives. This is the main reason why many teachers do not stick with the profession. Ms. Tho said that during a discussion with teachers at a school in Ha Nam province, when she asked, is there any teacher who has to do a part-time job to make ends meet? Surprisingly, all the teachers present at the meeting that day said that they all had to do another job to support their families.

Mr. Nguyen Van Duong, a teacher at Phu Xuyen A High School ( Hanoi ), also believes that if we only think about salary, we certainly will not be able to have dedicated teachers. However, according to Mr. Duong, saying so does not mean that teachers must always accept all disadvantages for themselves. Especially, in the context of not being able to increase salaries for teachers to have enough income to live on, policies related to teachers' rights must be ensured to be fair, avoiding making teachers feel ashamed of being "granted" rights or not.

Mr. Duong cited the recent frustrations of hundreds of teachers in Hanoi about having to speak up to demand the right to be considered for promotion in their professional titles on an equal basis with other teachers and said: "Those seemingly obvious benefits should have been applied to implement the fastest way for teachers. The fact that teachers who have dedicated themselves for many years and have a long history of achievements but are not considered for promotion, the opportunity to improve the already limited salary of teachers, makes many people very worried and have no motivation to strive and contribute anymore", Mr. Duong shared.

C fleet hopes for "highest teacher salary"…

Ms. Ha Anh Phuong, a National Assembly delegate and also a teacher directly teaching at Huong Can High School (Phu Tho), said: "Resolution 29 of the Party Central Committee on fundamental and comprehensive innovation of education and training states: "Teachers' salaries are given the highest priority in the administrative and career salary scale system and have additional allowances depending on the nature of the work by region". But in reality, after 10 years of implementing the salary regime, teachers' income is still low, even some groups of teachers do not have enough to cover their family's living expenses. Besides, school staff play a very important role in the operation and development of a school, but they do not receive public service allowances like civil servants and they do not receive seniority like teachers, even though they work in the same education sector. Currently, their allowances are very low, even some positions do not receive any allowances".

Although for many years teachers' salaries have not been enough to live on, in any school or locality, dedicated and devoted teachers are still the majority.

NHAT THINH

Therefore, Ms. Ha Anh Phuong suggested that in this salary reform, it is necessary to set teachers' salaries at the highest level in the administrative career salary scale system. There should be additional allowances depending on the nature of the work by region in accordance with the spirit of Resolution 29. At the same time, there must be solutions to increase salaries and allowances for school staff so that they can work with peace of mind and dedicate themselves to their profession. Meeting the requirements of teaching and learning in the current period.

In the question and answer session at the 6th session of the 15th National Assembly, the issue of teachers' salaries also received attention from many delegates. Here, Minister of Home Affairs Pham Thi Thanh Tra affirmed that in the coming time, when implementing salary reform, the Ministry of Home Affairs will base on Resolution 27 on salary reform, especially thoroughly implementing Resolution 29 of the Central Committee. Accordingly, teachers' salaries are prioritized to be placed in the highest salary scale in the administrative career system.

Unequal pay and improved working conditions

Many teachers expressed their support and believed that teachers have the right to hope for a salary increase. However, Dr. Nguyen Tung Lam, Vice President of the Vietnam Association of Educational Psychology, said that the important thing is how to bring that salary to teachers on schedule. School leaders must also use and pay that salary for the right job position and labor efficiency, not equalize it. If equalized, it will not encourage teachers to be proactive, creative and dedicated.

Sharing the same view, Associate Professor Chu Cam Tho also said that the biggest problem in the current salary scale and allowances for teachers is that while society is paying salaries based on ability and job position, the education sector mainly calculates salaries based on seniority. "In addition to increasing salaries, it is necessary to reform work processes to reduce teachers' labor in unnecessary tasks. At the same time, improve teachers' working conditions. Teachers will be truly happy if their work is invested in production materials so that they can work with peace of mind," Associate Professor Chu Cam Tho suggested.

Happy schools are always emphasized by the Ministry of Education and Training with 3 core criteria: love, safety, respect.

NHAT THINH

Respect, be proactive and creative

Although salary is very important, teachers and education experts also point out that it is not the only decisive factor that makes teachers feel secure in their dedication.

Independent education expert Nguyen Quoc Vuong shared his observations of the current work of teachers. He found that teachers are having to do many unreasonable jobs, including selling some services in schools to collect money or having too much pressure on books and competition... "The teaching profession is greatly influenced by emotions. Teachers can only teach well when they feel happy and at peace in their souls. If they lose the feeling of happiness when in class, teachers will feel increasingly tired," said Mr. Vuong.

Mr. Dang Tu An, Director of the General Education Innovation Support Fund, former Director of the Department of Primary Education (Ministry of Education and Training), said: In the current educational innovation, both teachers and students are under pressure. Once teachers feel happy when renewing their lessons, students will have good learning results and progress, from which they will be happy. "A happy school belongs to both teachers and students, in which teachers need to be given special attention. Ensuring a secure life is the most important factor, but more importantly, they must feel respected, proactively creative and happy with the teaching profession," Mr. Dang Tu An stated his opinion.

Mr. Vu Minh Duc, Director of the Department of Teachers and Educational Managers (Ministry of Education and Training), also shared that the Ministry recognizes that students, teachers, and schools are under more and more pressure, especially in the context of the explosion of social networks. Therefore, the Ministry of Education and Training always emphasizes the building of happy schools with 3 core criteria: love, safety, and respect.

Minister of Education and Training: Will take all measures to improve the status of teachers

Speaking at the ceremony to honor outstanding teachers nationwide on the afternoon of November 19, Minister of Education and Training Nguyen Kim Son emphasized: "The education and training sector is implementing an unprecedented fundamental and comprehensive innovation in education and training for all levels from preschool to university, in which, it is currently focusing on implementing extensive innovation in general education, specifically implementing the 2018 General Education Program. To successfully carry out this task, it is necessary to ensure the implementation of many different factors, in which, the teaching force plays a decisive role in the success of this entire process.

The Ministry of Education and Training identifies that developing the teaching staff is an important factor, a sustainable foundation, and determines all successes of education and training. The leaders of the Ministry of Education and Training have been, are and will be trying to do everything and take every measure to improve the position and develop the teaching staff in both quantity and especially quality."

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