Senior teachers must have a master's degree: Necessary and appropriate regulation

GD&TĐ - Many opinions say that the draft regulation on determining the equivalent of a teacher title when changing job positions is necessary and suitable for practice.

Affirming the role of teachers

The Ministry of Education and Training is seeking comments on a draft circular regulating the determination of equivalent teacher titles. The purpose is to serve as a basis for competent authorities to decide on changing teacher job positions and appointing equivalent teacher titles.

According to the draft, the group of positions equivalent to group 3 has a master's degree or higher; the group of professional positions of civil servants type A2, group 1 (A2.1) includes senior university preparatory teachers, main intermediate teachers, senior primary school teachers, senior junior secondary school teachers and senior high school teachers.

When issued, the Circular will apply to teachers in public educational institutions; it will not apply to teachers who enjoy attraction and treatment policies according to Government regulations or teach in educational institutions under the Ministry of Public Security or the Ministry of National Defense.

From a grassroots perspective, Ms. Nguyen Thi Van Hong - Principal of Chuong Duong Secondary School (Hong Ha, Hanoi) said that this draft compared to the current regulations basically has a continuation and expansion to affirm the role of teachers in the entire education sector. To become a senior teacher - that is, a first-class teacher, one must pass an exam and have a master's degree or higher.

“The draft proposes a list of groups of equivalent teacher titles, in which teacher titles are classified mainly based on training level and groups of civil servant professional titles. The issuance of this Circular is expected to create consistency and transparency in the conversion of titles when teachers transfer jobs between levels from preschool to high school without affecting the rights of teachers,” Ms. Van Hong emphasized.

Agreeing with this draft, Mr. Ha Van Hai - Principal of My Tho High School (Ninh Binh) said that the determination of equivalent teacher titles is based on the standard training level. This is consistent with the practical requirements of teachers' classroom teaching.

Titles are determined to be equivalent when the standard training level is equivalent or not lower than the prescribed one. Teaching titles are determined to be equivalent when they are in the same group of civil servant job titles and have the same salary coefficient. The group of civil servant job titles and salary coefficients are implemented according to the provisions of the law on civil servants.

“However, in high schools, teachers with university degrees, who have completed their salary levels but cannot move up in rank, are at a disadvantage. Therefore, we also hope that the leaders at higher levels will have flexible policies or guidelines to create the most favorable conditions for teachers,” Mr. Ha Van Hai suggested.

9th grade teacher and students at Tay Dang Secondary School (Quang Oai Commune, Hanoi) during a Geography class. Photo: Dinh Tue

Need to implement with a roadmap

Ms. Le Thi Phuong Chau - teacher at An Cuu Primary School (An Cuu, Hue) expressed that the regulation that high-level general education teachers must have a master's degree or higher is a good policy in terms of raising staff standards, but it should be applied flexibly, avoiding rigidity to be feasible in practice at the grassroots level. Ms. Chau herself has a master's degree but is still a grade II teacher due to not having enough years of work experience.

Master’s degrees can help teachers improve their qualifications, promote research, and innovate teaching methods. However, not everyone has the conditions to continue studying, especially teachers in remote areas, where economic conditions and time are limited. Moreover, degrees do not necessarily reflect the true capacity, dedication, and work efficiency of a teacher.

“In my opinion, if the Ministry of Education and Training wants to implement it, it should have a clear roadmap, appropriate support policies and assess actual capacity, not just put too much emphasis on the degree. The ultimate goal is still the quality of teaching, not the teacher's degree, only then can it create practical effectiveness and ensure fairness,” Ms. Chau added.

Highly appreciating the necessity of issuing the new circular, Mr. Vu Van Tien - Principal of the High School for the Gifted (Hanoi) affirmed that the group of primary, secondary and high school teachers must have a master's degree or higher because it will bring many practical benefits.

Firstly, it will encourage teachers to feel secure in their jobs; secondly, it will encourage teachers to be determined to study and improve their qualifications; thirdly, it will attract good students to study at pedagogical universities. Schools such as specialized pedagogical universities often have many teachers with doctoral and master's degrees, but if it is the general level in the whole country, this rate is not high.

Previously, the Ministry of Education and Training announced a draft Circular on codes, appointments and salary classification for teachers, which is expected to replace the current "classification" of I, II, III for preschool and general education teachers with a new professional title framework (teacher - main teacher - senior teacher). It is expected that preschool and general education teachers of grade I will be appointed to the title of senior teacher.

Currently, except for Grade I high school teachers who require a master's degree or higher, there is no regulation for Grade I primary and secondary school teachers to have a master's degree or higher. According to the above draft, in the coming time, primary and secondary school teachers who want to receive a salary as a senior general education teacher must have at least a master's degree in terms of training. Some teachers who are receiving Grade I salary but do not have a master's degree can be transferred to the position of main teacher.

Source: https://giaoducthoidai.vn/giao-vien-cao-cap-phai-co-bang-mac-si-quy-dinh-can-thiet-va-phu-hop-post754140.html