On August 29th, regarding information for the new school year, Deputy Minister of Education and Training Pham Ngoc Thuong stated that there is a shortage of 51,955 teachers in preschools, 33,112 in primary schools, 19,304 in lower secondary schools, and 13,882 in upper secondary schools. Compared to the 2021-2022 school year, the number of teachers still needed has increased by 11,308.
The positions from last year have not yet been filled.
Explaining the shortage of preschool teachers, Mr. Pham Ngoc Thuong said that in the 2022-2023 school year, the number of children attending school increased by 132,245 compared to the 2021-2022 school year, equivalent to a need for approximately 5,500 more teachers. Meanwhile, at the primary school level, the percentage of classes with two sessions per day increased by 4.6% compared to the 2021-2022 school year, equivalent to an increase of 10,811 classes with two sessions per day, requiring approximately 3,000 more teachers. At the high school level, approximately 1,500 more teachers are needed.
In addition, the 2022-2023 school year saw a large number of teachers retiring and resigning nationwide (10,094 teachers retiring and 9,295 teachers resigning). The majority of teachers resigning were concentrated in socio -economically developed regions, where there were more career options with higher incomes.
According to Deputy Minister Pham Ngoc Thuong, other reasons for the teacher shortage include a lack of recruitment for some specialized subjects; limited appeal to the profession; inadequate recruitment and downsizing in some areas; and in some localities implementing downsizing in a uniform manner, lacking flexibility and mechanically reducing the number of employees.
In the 2022-2023 academic year, the whole country recruited 17,208 new teachers, only 61% of the allocated additional staffing quota. In addition, there are still 74,172 teacher positions allocated in previous years that have not yet been filled.
Deputy Minister Pham Ngoc Thuong said that to address the teacher shortage, the Ministry of Education and Training, in coordination with the Ministry of Interior, proposed allocating additional teacher positions. Based on this proposal, the Politburo has allocated an additional 65,980 teacher positions for the period 2022-2026, with 27,850 additional positions for public preschool and primary school teachers specifically for the 2022-2023 school year.
Teacher shortages are a major concern for the education sector ahead of the new school year. Photo: HOANG TRIEU
Improving and stabilizing teachers' lives.
The Ministry of Education and Training also proposed solutions for the future to address the teacher shortage, such as focusing on improving the working environment and conditions, and stabilizing the lives of teachers. The Ministry of Education and Training, in coordination with the Ministry of Interior, advised the Government to issue Resolution No. 102/2020/NQ-CP on solutions for the staffing of education and health sectors, which allows educational institutions to sign labor contracts (under 12 months) for teacher positions within the allocated staffing quota and according to regulations. This is to promptly replace teachers on maternity leave or retirement, and to arrange teachers for the second session of the day (for educational institutions teaching two sessions per day).
Furthermore, according to Mr. Pham Ngoc Thuong, the Ministry of Education and Training has issued guiding documents on implementing the downsizing of personnel for education sector officials. The Ministry has directed teacher training institutions to open new training programs for subjects and interdisciplinary teacher training programs. It has also strengthened contact and connection with education management agencies and educational institutions in localities to determine specific teacher needs by qualification, subject, and educational level, in order to plan for recruitment, training, and professional development of teachers appropriately, ensuring the quantity, quality, and structure of each subject and educational level.
Mr. Pham Ngoc Thuong affirmed that the Ministry of Education and Training will review the management of staffing, recruitment, utilization, evaluation, and implementation of policies and regulations for teachers and education management staff in localities. A database for the education sector will be built and put into use to serve the management and direction of the sector from 2019, serving as a basis for calculating the surplus and shortage of teachers in localities nationwide.
In the coming period, the Ministry of Education and Training will continue to implement solutions, including amending and supplementing regulations on teacher-to-class ratios; piloting an autonomy mechanism for public preschool and primary education institutions; promoting the socialization of education; proposing to competent authorities policies and regulations for teachers to attract talented individuals to become teachers, ensuring teachers feel secure in their work and committed to the profession, and guaranteeing the stability of the teaching staff; continuing to review and reorganize the school network; and preparing sufficient teacher recruitment resources...
Addressing local shortages and surpluses
For localities, the Ministry of Education and Training proposes strengthening the leadership and guidance role of Party committees and authorities in addressing the localized surplus and shortage of teachers. It also recommends promoting the restructuring and reorganization of preschool and general education institutions while improving educational quality; and advising competent authorities to issue appropriate policies and regulations tailored to local conditions to attract and support teachers in working in disadvantaged areas.
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