Dr. Nguyen Thi Mai Hoa, Vice Chairwoman of the National Assembly 's Committee on Culture and Education: Part of the responsibility for answering lies with legislators and policy makers.

The series of articles on the shortcomings in the implementation of the policy of sending teachers from the lowlands to work in the mountainous areas has shown a multi-dimensional approach, with many concerns about questions, silences, and hidden corners behind the arduous journey of "sowing knowledge" of teachers - perhaps that is why the topic, although not new, really leaves much to ponder. The responsibility for answering these questions, partly belongs to legislators and policy makers, when the legal basis for teacher rotation is still open; partly belongs to educational management agencies and local authorities, when the problem of overcoming the surplus-shortage of teachers still cannot be satisfactorily solved.

The issue becomes even more significant in the current context, because the increasing wave of teachers quitting their jobs has "heated up" the National Assembly; and for the first time, the Minister of Education and Training decided to organize a meeting with teachers, managers, and employees of the entire sector in person and online on August 15.

Obviously, it is necessary to fill the legal gap to implement in a unified and synchronous manner the issue of improving the quality and implementing fairness in access to education for the highlands. On the one hand, it is necessary to review and adjust the regulations on the mechanism of rotating teachers from the lowlands to the highlands, the criteria must be transparent, the responsibilities must be clear, to ensure that the policy for teachers "staying in the village" is implemented. On the other hand, there needs to be a solution (including reviewing and building a quality assurance mechanism for the recruitment policy) so that the highland provinces can proactively prepare the number of teachers who are local or voluntarily stay in the locality for a long time. This is a sustainable solution for human resources in the education sector in the highlands.

It is thought that these issues need to be raised and resolved in the law regulating teachers, expected to be submitted to the 15th National Assembly by the end of 2024.

Students and teachers in disadvantaged areas are in great need of good learning conditions. Photo: Khanh Ha

Associate Professor, Dr. Nghiem Dinh Vy, former Principal of Hanoi Pedagogical University, former Deputy Head of the Central Propaganda Department: Training teachers according to address plays an important role.

In the context of local teacher surplus and shortage in many localities, teacher rotation is an important solution to ensure the quality of education. This is a major policy, affecting the teaching staff and the quality of general education. However, teacher rotation needs to be carried out scientifically and reasonably to ensure the rights of teachers and the quality of education. The content of the articles has highlighted the current situation as well as the thoughts of those involved in this issue. Some places have done quite well in rotating teachers but not enough. Places facing many obstacles need to have stronger and more effective solutions. Rotated teachers need to be guaranteed their rights in terms of salary, bonuses, allowances and other regimes.

To address the issue of turnover, local teacher training plays an important role. Management levels need to invest more in this work, especially close coordination between education management agencies, teacher training institutions and localities. Teacher training institutions also need to develop training programs that are suitable for local needs and the characteristics of students who will return to their hometowns to work as teachers in these difficult areas.

Along with that, supplement a number of articles of the Law on Cadres, Civil Servants and the Law on Public Employees; decrees and instructions of the Government to solve the above difficulties, in which the Ministry of Education and Training is given autonomy in terms of staffing and finance. Return to specific regulations on the issue of teacher rotation in accordance with current conditions. If the highest salary level is implemented and priority is given to mountainous, remote and isolated areas as stated in Resolution No. 29-NQ/TW dated November 4, 2013, the rotation will be favorable.

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Comrade Nguyen Van Dinh, Deputy Head of the Propaganda Department of Dong Thap Provincial Party Committee: It is necessary to review regulations on teacher rotation.

Teacher rotation is a correct policy of the Party and the State. However, there are still many difficulties and problems in the implementation process. Many relevant regulations of the Central (and local) have changed over time. Therefore, there are still many teachers who have completed their tasks for a long time but have not been "returned". This problem has a significant impact on the current educational management work, especially for education in economically disadvantaged areas because if they have not "settled down", they cannot "find a job".

To overcome this situation, there need to be many short-term and long-term solutions, close coordination between levels and sectors. That is to review the regulations related to teacher rotation, it is necessary to supplement and adjust accordingly, ensuring the rights of those involved. Current regulations must be inherited and "responsible to history". Along with that, it is necessary to propagate and mobilize teachers who are performing rotation tasks to stay with the locality for a long time. Pay attention to investing in facilities and developing infrastructure to reduce the gap between education in regions. In the long term, promote the selection and training of local human resources capable of undertaking the task.

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Mr. Dang Tu An, Director of the Vietnam General Education Innovation Support Fund: The education sector must have real power.

The issues raised in the series are very real, reflecting the thoughts and aspirations of many teachers who have worked for many years in disadvantaged areas. One of the major problems for teachers returning from remote areas is the difficulty in competing with teachers from more favorable areas when taking the entrance exam. Teachers from more favorable areas are often more capable and have more teaching experience. They also have more opportunities to study and improve their expertise. In addition, many teachers from the lowlands, in order to have a stable job, have chosen to stay in remote areas to teach, where teaching and learning conditions are worse. After many years of "staying in remote areas", their knowledge and teaching methods are limited, and many teachers do not want to return.

This rotation problem will be solved when the knowledge level and qualifications of teachers among regions are equal; at the same time, when learners' awareness is raised, they will want to choose teachers with good professional knowledge and enough capacity to teach their children and teach their schools. I believe that local teachers can contribute a lot to the development of education in disadvantaged areas, if they are given better conditions to study and develop their careers; along with that, we implement preferential policies for teachers working in disadvantaged areas. We must "untie" and give real autonomy to the education sector.

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Teacher Hoang Thi Thuan, Sung Do Primary and Secondary School (Van Chan, Yen Bai): Teachers who want to transfer must have solid knowledge.

As a teacher with over 30 years of experience in particularly difficult areas, I have found that in these areas, people do not fully understand the need for education. Teachers still have to “coax” students to go to school, not to mention the seasons, rainy and flood weather affecting the attendance and quality of teaching and learning. Along with that, the facilities for learning are not guaranteed... Thus, over time, the knowledge of teachers in these places will be lost.

To solve the problem of teacher rotation, according to the experience of the locality, supported by the majority of teachers, I think there needs to be transparency in rotation based on wishes, years of working in difficult areas according to regulations; teachers who want to transfer must be really solid in knowledge, confident in professional capacity, responsible, dynamic, creative. That is not only based on certificates and awards but also on the progress of students. Such teachers, no matter where they work, always create trust from parents, students, and peace of mind from managers.

People's Army

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