Increase preferential allowances to stop the "wave" of preschool teachers quitting their jobs

The main reason for this situation is that the work of preschool teachers is hard and stressful, but their income and benefits are not commensurate. Many opinions agree with the proposal to increase preferential allowances so that preschool teachers can feel secure in their profession.

Low income and high work pressure are reducing the motivation of preschool teachers to stick with their profession. (Photo for illustration purposes only)

According to the Draft Decree regulating preferential allowances according to profession for civil servants and employees in public educational institutions, which has just been announced by the Ministry of Education and Training for public consultation, the preferential allowances for civil servants and employees in public educational institutions will be adjusted to ensure fair benefits for teachers and educational administrators.

Specifically, the new draft Decree adjusts the preferential allowance levels according to occupations. In particular, preschool teachers are proposed to increase their allowances from 35% to 45% in favorable areas and up to 80% in areas with particularly difficult socio -economic conditions, to accurately reflect the complexity and pressure of their work. Teachers of pre-university schools are proposed to increase their allowances from 50% to 70%, equal to those of teachers at ethnic boarding schools, ensuring fairness for similar tasks. School staff are supplemented with allowances for the first time, at 15% for support and service positions (library, clerical, etc.), 20% for shared professional titles (accounting, medical, etc.) and 25% for specialized titles, to recognize their important role.

The Ministry of Education and Training said that the total income of preschool teachers is currently not commensurate with the specificity and complexity of their professional activities: Preschool teachers have to care for andeducate children from 3 months to 6 years old, requiring high concentration to ensure safety and attract children's attention, often working 9-10 hours/day... However, their income is the lowest compared to other levels of education (starting salary coefficient 2.10, allowance 35%, total income about 6.63 million VND/month).

Wages that are too low to meet living needs while work pressure is increasing have led to a high rate of preschool teachers quitting their jobs, with 1,600 preschool teachers quitting their jobs from August 2023 to April 2024, accounting for 22% of the total number of teachers quitting their jobs.

Similarly, the current preferential allowance for teachers of preparatory colleges is not fair compared to teachers of ethnic minority boarding schools. Although the level of complexity of the work is similar, the preferential allowance for teachers of preparatory colleges is 50% while that of teachers of ethnic minority boarding schools is 70%.

As for school staff, this group is not currently entitled to preferential allowances according to their profession. Currently, most staff positions apply the salary scale of type B or A0 civil servants according to Decree No. 204/2004/ND-CP, which are the two lowest salary scales among the salary scales of cadres, civil servants and public employees.

In addition, the positions of laboratory equipment officers, academic affairs officers, and disabled education support officers have only one rank, so there is no opportunity to be promoted to a higher professional title and are subject to a salary scale with a higher starting salary coefficient, a longer salary gap between ranks, and a wider salary range; other staff positions actually have very few opportunities to be promoted.

With the current income level and job requirements, educational institutions find it difficult to recruit full-time staff positions. Staff duties to support teaching and education activities are not complete, timely, and do not ensure the required quality...

Many opinions agree with the adjustments in the Draft Decree related to the allowance regime for preschool teachers, university preparatory school teachers and school staff. These adjustments aim to overcome shortcomings in current regulations, ensure fair rights and demonstrate the commitment of the Party and State in developing the team of teachers and educational managers.

In reality, the shortcomings in policies for preschool teachers, school staff, etc. have been reducing the motivation to stick with the profession, affecting the quality of education and the stability of the education sector's human resources, requiring a new regulation to ensure fairness and more effective support.

Prof. Dr. Pham Tat Dong, former Vice President of the Vietnam Association for Promoting Education, said that teaching is considered a noble profession, but due to low salaries and high work pressure, many teachers have had to quit their jobs. Of these, preschool teachers account for a large proportion.

According to Prof. Dr. Pham Tat Dong, for preschool teachers today, the reason for quitting the profession is not only because the salary and allowance policies are still low and do not meet the requirements of life, but also because there are almost no opportunities for advancement for them; work pressure is increasing. Currently, the preferential allowance for preschool teachers is calculated at 35%. This preferential allowance level needs to be increased in accordance with the conditions of each locality to help teachers have enough to cover their living expenses and feel secure in their profession.

Source: https://cand.com.vn/giao-duc/tang-phu-cap-uu-dai-de-chan-lan-song-giao-vien-mam-non-nghi-viec-i768518/