A STEM-oriented lesson for teachers and students at Phu Dong Primary School (Hai Chau District, Da Nang City). Photo: NTCC
This has caused concern among many because, despite having the same workload, professional qualifications, and even having won numerous awards and contributed many innovative ideas, some teachers have not yet been considered for promotion due to the quota being filled.
A place to queue, a place with wide doors.
Following the promotion review for kindergarten, primary, and secondary school teachers from rank III to rank II in public education and training institutions under the Hai Chau District People's Committee in 2024, Ms. Nguyen Thi Huyen's salary coefficient changed from 2.67 to 4.0.
Having joined the profession in 2014 and been assigned to teach at Le Dinh Chinh Primary School (Hai Chau District, Da Nang City), by the time she participated in the professional title promotion exam, Ms. Huyen had one year as an outstanding teacher at the district level and won the Encouragement Prize in the city-level E-learning lesson design competition.
"Compared to many colleagues in other schools and even within my own school, I consider my achievements quite modest. Therefore, being selected and promoted from rank III to rank II after 10 years of teaching is a stroke of luck for me," Ms. Huyen shared.
Le Dinh Chinh Primary School does not yet have 50% of its teachers at rank II as stipulated in the civil servant rank structure and professional title structure. Therefore, despite having a perfect score of 100 on her application and 0 points on her achievement score, Ms. Huyen still passed the promotion exam.
Meanwhile, Nui Thanh Primary School, located in the same district, already had 47% of its teachers at rank II. Therefore, out of 12 candidates, only 7 passed the promotion exam. The teacher ranked 8th on the list of candidates from Nui Thanh Primary School also had 9 achievement points, the same as the teacher ranked 7th, but failed to pass due to a secondary criterion: fewer years of service.
According to Ms. Truong Thi Nha Truc, Principal of Phu Dong Primary School (Hai Chau District, Da Nang City), the percentage of Grade II teachers at the school has reached 75%, exceeding the prescribed structure by 25%. Meanwhile, in 2024, 12 teachers will be eligible for promotion from Grade III to Grade II. Therefore, if these teachers continue working at the school, they will have to wait for teachers to transfer to other schools or retire, so that the percentage of Grade II staff falls below 50%, before they have a chance to be promoted.
According to Ms. Truong Thi Nha Truc, in 2025, the school will have 2 teachers of rank II reaching retirement age, and in 2026, there will be 5 more. Adding up the number of rank II teachers retiring in the next two years, the percentage of rank II teachers at the school will still be above 50%, higher than the regulations require.
The above regulations lead to inconsistencies: in schools where the required number of teachers has been reached, even those who are eligible for promotion, despite their best efforts, do not have the opportunity. Meanwhile, in some places, because the percentage of teachers in each category is not yet sufficient, teachers who are recognized as outstanding or excellent at the school level are still eligible for promotion.
Teachers who won awards at the Primary School Safe Traffic Skills Education Exchange Day for the 2023-2024 school year, organized by the Da Nang Department of Education and Training. Photo: NTCC
A ratio should not be stipulated.
In 2024, Phan Dang Luu Primary School (Hai Chau District, Da Nang City) had 8 vacancies for teacher promotion to Grade II. Meanwhile, 5 teachers met the requirements of 9 years of service along with other criteria. Therefore, all 5 applicants were selected, even though one only had 1 point for achievement.
In 2025, Phan Dang Luu Primary School has 8 teachers in Grade III who are eligible for promotion to Grade II, but only 2 positions remain. Ms. Nguyen Quynh Van, the school principal, stated: “Although only a year apart, the ‘context’ for teachers in the same unit participating in the promotion exam is different. When the number of positions is less than the number of applicants, the competition becomes more intense. Therefore, at the beginning of the school year, the school management encouraged the 8 teachers who will be participating in the promotion exam to strive and make significant progress in order to have a chance to be promoted.”
According to Ms. Van's analysis, with the promotion exam from rank III to rank II, sometimes teachers meet all the criteria, from seniority to teaching achievements—that is, they have both the necessary and sufficient conditions—but still have to queue through the narrow gate due to quota restrictions.
"As a result, teachers feel that the standards applied to this school are not met in other schools, rather than being a common standard. Therefore, the teaching staff hopes for a common standard, perhaps a higher standard than the current requirements, but without specifying a percentage to ensure fairness," proposed the Principal of Phan Dang Luu Primary School.
"Sitting on the teacher promotion examination board, I realized that not all teachers have a background of graduating from primary school teacher training and passing the civil service exam immediately after graduation. For these cases, the 9 years of seniority requirement would be very advantageous. But teachers are trained from many different sources, such as Bachelor's degrees in Mathematics Education, History Education, etc."
Then there are teachers who have taught at centers for several years or on budget-funded contracts, and previously even had contracts with schools. So, the 9 years of seniority for many colleagues is full of difficulties and obstacles, and it's only counted from the time they contributed to social insurance," Ms. Quynh Van said, adding: "Some teachers at Phan Dang Luu Primary School have suggested that the 9 years of seniority required to be eligible for promotion is too long and they hope it can be shortened."
The Board of Directors of Phu Dong Primary School continues to encourage young teachers to consider transferring to schools in the area with a low percentage of Grade II teachers to increase their chances. However, the number of teachers requesting transfers is almost negligible.
“We encourage young teachers who are eligible for promotion but are still waiting in line, assuring them that their teaching achievements will be preserved and added to their promotion application files. Therefore, their efforts in self-improvement of professional skills and teaching experience, demonstrated through professional competitions, will further enhance their individual achievements and be an advantage when the school has promotion quotas, rather than diminishing them,” Ms. Nha Truc shared.
Besides years of service, the conditions for promotion from rank II to rank I are very difficult, with some criteria almost impossible for teachers to meet. For example, the criterion of compiling a document or article that is widely used in teaching and learning.
Many teachers have never served as district or city-level presenters and have not had the opportunity to participate in the district-level civil servant recruitment committee. Therefore, although the percentage of Grade I teachers is 10% in each school unit, not every school has teachers who meet the requirements to apply for the exam. – Ms. Huynh Thi Thu Nguyet (Principal of Le Dinh Chinh Primary School)
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