Teaching profession: The greater the salary, the greater the responsibility

TP - November 20 this year is quite special when the National Assembly meets to discuss 3 draft laws related to the education sector: Law on Vocational Education, Law on Education, Law on University Education. The increasing status of teachers requires greater responsibility.

Teaching - the heart of professions

Ms. Ninh Thi Hien, a teacher at Yen Ninh Kindergarten, Ninh Binh, is always busy with her daily work: cleaning the classroom and picking up the children, from feeding and coaxing them to sleep on time to organizing games and keeping the classroom safe. Her working day starts at 7am and ends late afternoon. But the current salary coefficient for preschool education still has many shortcomings. The difference is that the starting salary coefficient for a grade II preschool teacher is only 2.34, but for primary school teachers it is 4.0.

Teachers at Nguyen Du Secondary School, Hanoi in a class. Photo: TRONG QUAN

According to a recent research project on the current working conditions of preschool teachers conducted by the Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (Vietnam General Confederation of Labor), preschool teachers are affected by very specific factors such as: noise, stress, fatigue from working all day, high responsibility requirements... Their average working time is about 10 hours/day.

Despite seniority allowances and career incentives, most preschool teachers receive between 5.8 and 18.5 million VND/month. Because the qualifications are not as high as those of other levels, they are always in the low-wage group, while the work is the hardest. Therefore, many teachers are happy to receive the information that preschool teachers may soon receive a special salary coefficient of 1.25.

Working at Kon Tum Province Boarding School for Ethnic Minorities before moving to Ngo May Secondary and High School, Quang Ngai for 17 years, teacher Vo Buu Nhi shared that teachers have never felt that the teaching profession is as cared for as it is now. “Although we always try our best, in the coming time, we must try even harder to be worthy of the attention of the Party and the State,” said teacher Vo Buu Nhi.

According to Associate Professor Dr. Dang Thi Thanh Huyen, former Director of the Institute for Educational Management Research, Academy of Educational Management, the teaching profession has its own characteristics. This unique feature is shown by the fact that teachers do not create specific products but create people who work in all professions. Teachers not only teach, but also create human character. "I think that the teaching profession is the heart of all professions. I call this the unique beauty of the teaching profession," Ms. Huyen affirmed.

2025 is a special year for teachers, because the education sector has never had the position and received the care and attention it has today. Many new policies have been issued by the Party and the State, especially the Law on Teachers passed by the National Assembly, effective from January 1, 2026.

The law stipulates that teachers' salaries are ranked highest in the public administrative salary scale. The Politburo issued Resolution 71 on educational breakthroughs with the aim of ensuring that teachers receive appropriate treatment.

The Ministry of Education and Training is seeking comments on the draft Decree on remuneration for teachers. The Ministry has determined that the minimum allowance for teachers is 70%, school staff 30% and teachers in disadvantaged areas is 100%. Minister of Education and Training Nguyen Kim Son affirmed that the education and training sector has never had the position, been given the mission and been cared for as it is today.

With great rights comes great responsibility.

Associate Professor, Dr. Dang Thi Thanh Huyen shared that this has long been the wish of many generations of leaders of the Ministry of Education and Training and all teachers. This is a clear political and social message. Teachers are the most important force in the cause of human development. The focus of this message is to reaffirm the special position of the teaching profession. Education is placed at the center of the country's development, is the top national policy, an issue that was raised 30 years ago.

The status of teachers is reflected in salary policies. It can be said that this policy represents a breakthrough change in thinking.

“In the past, increasing teachers’ salaries was considered a sacrifice of society for education. Now it is an investment for society. Our perspective has changed, we care about teachers with a very clear message about professional fairness, especially for teachers in difficult areas with 100% allowance. Policies and conditions for teachers to be motivated to love their profession, stick with it and make sustainable contributions,” Associate Professor Dang Thi Thanh Huyen stated.

Associate Professor Dang Thi Thanh Huyen acknowledged that even in the most difficult times, teachers are still full of passion, love their profession, and are still very attached to it.

Prof. Dr. Hoang Anh Tuan, Principal of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam National University, Hanoi, informed that at this time, it can be affirmed that the Vietnamese teaching staff is happy and excited by the attention to strategies and policies of the Party, State, ministries and branches. This attention is systematic and comprehensive. He believes that in the coming time, policies and strategies will be concretized to all levels.

“I think that at this time, every teacher is aware of their responsibilities. As the attention and benefits increase, the responsibility placed on teachers becomes more and more,” said Professor Hoang Anh Tuan.

According to him, teachers are the “main machine” to train high-quality human resources for the country. To do this, each person must be aware of their responsibility in renewing thinking, methods, content, educational methods as well as renewing approaches. Each teacher must be responsible and renewing thinking is a very important innovation.

In the past, teachers only needed textbooks, chalk, blackboards, or more advanced information technology to present. But now, teachers need to design comprehensive learning and teaching plans from the lowest level, preschool to the highest level, university and post-graduate, so that students can develop their full potential.

Professor Hoang Anh Tuan affirmed that these innovations are the teachers' own responsibility, a natural responsibility.

“In fact, even when we were facing difficulties and did not have many national policies or strategies for teachers, teachers themselves were aware of their responsibilities. At this time, with the attention, the responsibility must also be greater. Rights always go hand in hand with responsibility and I believe, with the intelligence, identity, and humanity of Vietnamese teachers, in the coming time, each teacher will change.

Overall, Vietnam's education sector will also have breakthroughs, worthy of the expectations of the Party and the State," said Professor Hoang Anh Tuan.

To let teachers wholeheartedly cultivate people

Associate Professor, Dr. Dang Thi Thanh Huyen believes that it is time to discuss the issue of public school teachers not having to work extra hours and being able to devote themselves to teaching like private schools do today.

Ms. Huyen affirmed that people's expectations of teachers are always limitless, but it is necessary to help teachers realize their responsibilities and create conditions for them to create more value. Not only the issue of living wages, teachers need a safe working environment and relatively adequate facilities to be able to promote their capacity well and meet the increasingly high demands of society. Teachers need to be respected more than the issue of salary.

A class of Hanoi students. Photo: Trong Quan

The 2018 general education program, the domestic and international context is posing new requirements for students to be citizens with digital thinking, creativity and lifelong learning ability in the future. Schools have not really kept up with these requirements. This is the point that needs to be prioritized for investment to make a breakthrough and improve the quality of education.

At the recent 8th National Emulation Congress of the Education Sector, President Luong Cuong emphasized that the first important thing in education is moral education, "growing people" must start with personality, then knowledge and skills. According to Ms. Huyen, with such orientation, we should understand the role and responsibility of teachers in educating students' personality, both to ensure the mission of "growing people" and to avoid expectations that exceed the limit.

However, family, school and society are three entities that go together, avoiding the situation of bureaucracy and focusing on achievement and competition criteria. “If the family has no tradition or discipline, no matter how hard the school tries, it will be nothing. Society is the environment that reinforces and nurtures human behavior. Only when all three of these factors work well together can human development be truly sustainable,” Ms. Huyen assessed.

Source: https://tienphong.vn/nghe-giao-dai-ngo-cang-lon-trong-trach-cang-nhieu-post1798057.tpo