"I worked from 6:30 am to more than 5pm, not to mention the lesson plan, cleaning the classroom. Salary and allowances are just enough to pay for the accommodation and meals for the whole family of 3 people. Having been working for 7 years is because of love, but if I have a long -term calculation, I have left for a long time" - I have heard a teacher in Hanoi shared about my work like that. Once else, when I went to work at the kindergarten in Huong Khe mountainous commune in Huong Khe district, Ha Tinh, I was told by my teacher Huong Mo about my work: "Try thinking, at home, I take care of my two children sometimes stressed, over here the whole class has 30-40 children. Always have to gently comfort. I think the kindergarten teacher must be patient, endurance and steel nerves."
Currently, preschool teachers are the lowest income group in the national education system. With a starting salary coefficient of 2.1 and a 35%preferential allowance, a new teacher only receives about 6.63 million VND/month. In the context of increasing price of living, this is a number that many people cannot stay with the profession. The press once stated the number of the second half of 2023 and the early 2024 with more than 1,600 preschool teachers who resigned - according to the Ministry of Education and Training. They leave not because of loving children, but because the income is not enough to live, the working time is prolonged, the career pressure is high and the lack of proper support.
The draft decree on preferential allowances according to occupations for civil servants and employees in public educational institutions announced by the Ministry of Education and Training on May 13, 2025 proposes to increase preferential allowances for preschool teachers from 35% to 45 80%, depending on regional conditions. This is an urgent step.
In fact, preschool teachers are not simply child caregivers. They are the ones whose families shape the personality, language, movement and emotions of children from the beginning of life. The workload is heavy, the working time is long, the pressure is huge, but the allowance is much lower than other levels of education - this is completely unreasonable.
Meanwhile, in disadvantaged areas and mountainous areas, many preschool teachers have to work as part-time cooking, sleeping, and taking care of the hygiene of dozens of children at the same time. With the current allowance level, it is very difficult to keep them attached to the school.
Raising allowances is not only to increase income, but also a proper recognition of the silent but noble work of preschool teachers. In the school system, preschool teachers are the ones who work the hardest but receive the least "contributes". It is time to remove this paradox.
If the regime is not adjusted soon, the shortage of preschool teachers will become increasingly serious. According to the report of the Ministry of Education and Training, many provinces and cities are lacking thousands of preschool teachers, especially after the COVID-19 pandemic. Not only affecting the quality of children's education, this also puts pressure on parents - especially workers and laborers in industrial parks.
This draft also expands the scope of beneficiaries: Not only teachers on the payroll but also people on probation and contracts are also entitled to preferential allowances. This is a positive and humane point, helping to attract more young people to participate in the preschool education sector.
