Teacher salaries are a hot topic.

On November 20th, Vietnamese Teachers' Day, the National Assembly discussed the draft Law on Teachers. Before the discussion, the National Assembly expressed its deep gratitude and sent its best wishes to veteran teachers, National Assembly deputies who have worked and are working in the education sector, and nearly 1.6 million teachers and education administrators across the country.

Many delegates expressed their views and concerns regarding salary policies and allowances, as well as preferential treatment for teachers. National Assembly delegate Tran Van Thuc (Thanh Hoa delegation), Director of the Department of Education and Training of Thanh Hoa province, stated that the salaries and preferential allowances for teachers, especially preschool and primary school teachers, are currently lower than those of officials and civil servants in other sectors, particularly in mass organizations within the same area.

A separate salary scale needs to be established for teachers.

As an educator, Mr. Thuc is concerned that the salaries and professional allowances for teachers are not commensurate with their professional activities, insufficient to meet social security needs, and inadequate to ensure a decent standard of living, especially for young teachers who are new to the profession and live in the plains and cities. The pressure of income is one of the reasons why talented people are not attracted to the teaching profession. "In reality, the salary for teachers, which is prioritized highest in Resolution No. 29, has not yet been put into practice," Mr. Thuc said.

National Assembly Deputy Hoang Ngoc Dinh ( Ha Giang delegation) assessed that one of the important proposals in the draft Law stipulates that teachers will be ranked highest in the administrative and public service salary scale system. Teachers recruited for the first time will receive a one-level salary increase in the administrative and public service salary scale system. These regulations are appropriate to attract and retain good teachers, meeting the needs of sustainable educational development.

Recalling that 27 years ago, the Central Committee Resolution No. 2 of the 8th Party Congress and the Central Committee Resolution No. 8 of the 11th Party Congress affirmed that teachers' salaries would be ranked highest in the administrative and public service salary scale system, with additional allowances appropriate to the nature of the work and according to region as stipulated by the Government, National Assembly Deputy Chau Quynh Dao (Kien Giang Delegation) said that the Party's viewpoints and policies consistently and clearly demonstrate the dialectical relationship between salary benefits and the responsibility and mission of teachers in training human resources for the country, creating a foundation for the socio -economic development of the country – these must go hand in hand. However, in reality, the 2019 Education Law only stipulates that teachers are paid salaries commensurate with their job position and professional work, and are given priority in receiving special professional allowances as stipulated by the Government.

"Therefore, the implementation of this policy through law, through real-life situations, and between the Party's guidelines are not consistent," Ms. Dao said, pointing out that based on the current reality, teachers still receive salaries according to Decree No. 204, which was issued 20 years ago, which is inappropriate.

“Currently, the policies and regulations regarding teachers, such as salaries and allowances, are still low. Teachers' salaries are not truly the main source of income to ensure their livelihoods, leading to many difficulties for them. This results in teachers feeling insecure in their work, and a significant number of teachers, especially young teachers, quitting their jobs. This is also a reason why the teaching profession is not attracting talented people, and many localities lack teachers. Therefore, this draft law, which stipulates preferential policies, salary regimes, and allowances for teachers, is necessary and appropriate to institutionalize Conclusion No. 91 of the Politburo and Resolution No. 29 of the Central Committee of the 11th Party Congress,” said National Assembly Deputy Le Thi Ngoc Linh (Bac Lieu Delegation).

Many National Assembly deputies believe that the salaries and preferential allowances for preschool and primary school teachers are currently low. Photo: Quang Vinh.

Teachers need to be protected.

According to National Assembly Deputy To Van Tam (Kon Tum delegation), the draft Law grants the authority to recruit teachers to the education management agency, which may either preside over the recruitment process or delegate, authorize, or have the head of the educational institution carry out the recruitment.

Mr. Tam agreed with this regulation and argued that granting such authority creates a basis for educational management agencies and educational institutions to recruit teachers to meet the requirements of the education sector, as well as to proactively coordinate staffing and teacher allocation within the education sector.

However, Mr. Tam argued that it is necessary to clarify the cases of special consideration and priority given to highly qualified and talented individuals. He suggested that a clear definition of what constitutes a highly qualified or talented person is needed to facilitate implementation during recruitment and ensure the feasibility of this regulation.

National Assembly Deputy Huynh Thi Anh Suong (Quang Ngai delegation) stated that, in practice, the lives of a segment of teachers remain difficult; teachers cannot yet make a living from their profession, and salaries are not truly the main source of income to ensure a decent life for teachers, especially young teachers and preschool teachers. Teachers have not received the attention and protection they deserve from society, leading to regrettable incidents regarding the way society, parents, and students treat teachers.

Arguing that these issues lead to a lack of interest in teaching, with a significant number of teachers quitting or changing jobs, and also contribute to the failure to attract talented individuals to the teaching profession, Ms. Suong proposed researching regulations on teachers' rights related to employment, working environment, safety, and respect, unless violations are stipulated. Teachers should be protected against any infringement, including from students, parents, and others, including criminal acts and the dissemination of illegal information.

"For teachers affected by abuse and violence from various sources, there needs to be a protection and rehabilitation support system so that they can return to teaching as soon as possible. For teachers working in disadvantaged areas, it is necessary to regularly monitor and review working conditions to promptly implement solutions and provide support so that teachers can work with peace of mind," Ms. Suong expressed.

Sharing the same view, National Assembly Deputy Nguyen Thi Ha (Bac Ninh delegation) stated that in the current context, while the rights of parents and students are being emphasized, the rights of teachers seem to be being disregarded, especially the right to protect their dignity and honor, specifically the right to protect their dignity and honor in cyberspace. Therefore, the regulation prohibiting organizations and individuals from publicly disclosing information about teachers' misconduct before an official conclusion is reached by competent authorities during the disciplinary review or legal prosecution process is necessary to protect teachers, especially in the context of the strong development of social networks and online media. While teachers who commit misconduct are subject to sanctions according to regulations, the nature of the teaching profession is unique, particularly when teachers directly teach in classrooms, which has a significant impact on the psychology of students. Therefore, if there is no plan to protect teachers, the affected will not only be teachers themselves but also millions of future leaders of the country.

National Assembly Deputy Thai Van Thanh (Nghe An delegation), Director of the Department of Education and Training of Nghe An province, assessed that the policy of protecting and attracting teachers will create a legal framework and conditions to attract talented individuals with pedagogical training to become teachers.

“With policies protecting teachers, a favorable and democratic working environment will be created so that teachers can work with peace of mind, be dedicated to their profession, and be creative in a cultural space where they are honored, recognized, and supported by the whole society,” Mr. Thanh said, adding that in the policy regime for teachers, the salary and allowance system has a very significant impact on teachers. Therefore, when the Law is enacted and takes effect, it will quickly resolve the difficulties in the lives of teachers, especially those working in preschool, special education, or in mountainous areas inhabited by ethnic minorities.

National Assembly Deputy Hoang Van Cuong (Hanoi Delegation):

Teachers make up 70% of the total workforce, yet we apply the same salary scale as the civil service to them. Even if we claim they are ranked at the highest level, this is inappropriate. Therefore, we need to develop a separate salary scale for this 70% of civil servants—teachers—to better suit their specific characteristics and job positions. The salary system should adequately compensate for their labor costs, allowing teachers to feel secure, dedicated, and passionate about their profession without having to worry about additional work to make ends meet.

Minister of Education and Training Nguyen Kim Son:

The income of a large proportion of the 1.6 million teachers is still insufficient to live on, and insufficient income makes it impossible for them to fully dedicate themselves to teaching. When considering a strategic breakthrough as a top national priority, certain priorities must definitely be met. Specifically, what salary level should be implemented to ensure a minimum standard of living for teachers? Regarding teachers' tutoring, we are advocating not for prohibiting tutoring in general, but for prohibiting tutoring activities that violate the ethics of teachers as well as professional principles.

Working day 21, 8th Session, 15th National Assembly

On November 20th, the National Assembly began its first working day of the second phase, which was also the 21st working day of the 8th Session of the 15th National Assembly, at the National Assembly building in Hanoi.

Morning: Under the chairmanship of Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly Nguyen Thi Thanh, the National Assembly held a plenary session in the assembly hall to discuss the draft Law on Teachers.

Afternoon Session: * Agenda 1: Under the chairmanship of Vice Chairman of the National Assembly Tran Quang Phuong, the National Assembly held a plenary session in the assembly hall to hear the following: Member of the Standing Committee of the National Assembly, Chairman of the National Assembly's Ethnic Council Y Thanh Ha Nie Kdam, Head of the Drafting Committee, presented the Submission on the draft Law amending and supplementing a number of articles of the Law on Supervisory Activities of the National Assembly and People's Councils. Chairman of the National Assembly's Law Committee Hoang Thanh Tung presented the Verification Report on the draft Law amending and supplementing a number of articles of the Law on Supervisory Activities of the National Assembly and People's Councils.

* Content 2: Under the chairmanship of Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly Nguyen Duc Hai, the National Assembly discussed the following issues in the plenary session: Investment policy for the high-speed railway project on the North-South axis; Adjustment of the investment policy for the Long Thanh International Airport project as stipulated in Resolution No. 94/2015/QH13 of the National Assembly.

Source: https://daidoanket.vn/quoc-hoi-thao-luan-luat-nha-giao-nong-voi-luong-giao-vien-10294912.html