Meeting all conditions but still... standing still
According to Lao Dong reporter's research, the slow promotion of teachers is happening in most localities in Thanh Hoa province. Although Thanh Hoa has approved 8,987 promotion targets in 2025, mostly for the education sector, the implementation is almost stalled due to problems with the structure and allocation ratio according to regulations of the Ministry of Home Affairs.
At Le Hoan High School, Mr. Nguyen Duy Trinh said that he has fully met the standards according to Circular 13 of the Ministry of Education and Training, including promotion training certificate, IT, foreign language and two consecutive years of completing tasks. However, for the past 12 years, his salary coefficient has remained at 4.98 and has never been considered for promotion.
Principal of Le Hoan High School, Mr. Nguyen Quang Dung, said that this situation is not only for the school but also for the whole province.
About 6 years ago, teachers completed all their certificates to prepare for promotion.But since then, there have been no reviews for high school.I myself have been at the salary of 4.98 for 13 years, said Mr. Dung.
At Trieu Son 3 High School, Mr. Trinh Quoc Phuong said that the school has 57 teachers eligible for promotion since 2018.Teachers have completed their IT, English certificates and been trained for professional titles as required, but so far they have not been considered.
Not only high school, many other levels of education are also facing a similar situation. A principal of a kindergarten in Thanh Hoa City shared that she was ranked II since July 2008, but for more than 17 years she has not been considered for promotion to Grade I even though her working time has exceeded the requirements. Not being promoted causes my income to be clearly disadvantaged and I am always in a state of waiting, said the Principal.
In Thieu Hoa district (old), although there are 207 promotion targets, of which 176 targets are preschool level, according to Official Dispatch 64/BNV-CCVC dated January 5, 2024 of the Ministry of Home Affairs, each public service unit is only allocated a maximum of 10% of grade I and 50% of grade II civil servants. This has caused many schools that have achieved or are close to the rate of not being able to propose more teachers for promotion.
What did the authorities say?
On October 24, 2025, the Thanh Hoa Department of Education and Training issued document 4113/SGDDT-TCCB requesting the Department of Home Affairs to organize the consideration of promotion of the professional title of high school teachers, based on previous instructions. However, according to Mr. Ta Hong Luu - Deputy Director of the Department of Education and Training of Thanh Hoa, the Department of Education and Training is only a coordinating unit, not directly authorized to consider promoting civil servants. This authority belongs to the Department of Home Affairs.
A representative of the Department of Home Affairs of Thanh Hoa province informed that in recent years, the Department has advised on organizing promotion for teachers at all levels: In 2019, 7,421 teachers were promoted; in 2020, 1,281 people. By 2023, implementing new regulations of the Ministry of Education and Training, the Department of Home Affairs will coordinate with the Department of Education and Training to guide local People's Committees to appoint from the old position to the new position. However, since then, new rounds of review have been almost not implemented.
To resolve the long-standing problem, on November 25, 2025, the Ministry of Education and Training issued Document 7723/BGDDT-NGCBQLGD requesting the People's Committees of the provinces to comprehensively review the promotion work. The Ministry stated that from 2016 to present, many localities across the country have never organized promotion; some have developed projects but have not approved them; some have approved them but have not implemented them or have not implemented them synchronously between levels of education.
These shortcomings affect the rights of tens of thousands of teachers, especially those who have worked for a long time and are qualified. The Ministry requires localities to submit reports before November 30, 2025 and continue to organize promotion consideration in accordance with current regulations.
Implementing the direction of the Ministry, on November 26, 2025, the People's Committee of Thanh Hoa province issued Document 20916/UBND-THDT assigning the Department of Education and Training to preside over reviewing the promotion work, synthesizing and reporting to the Provincial People's Committee and the Ministry of Education and Training on time, and at the same time advising on organizing the promotion consideration according to regulations.
However, according to Lao Dong's research, up to this point, thousands of teachers in Thanh Hoa still have to continue to wait. The main reason comes from the difference between allocation targets, regulations on controlling the rate of professional classes and slow implementation progress by competent authorities.
In the context of the Law on Teachers being prepared for the National Assembly and the model of local government at both levels being operated in the coming time, the Department of Home Affairs affirmed that it will coordinate with the Department of Education and Training to advise the Provincial People's Committee to issue a Project to consider promotion from Grade III to Grade II and from Grade II to Grade I for all civil servants in the education sector.
