Abandoned school, teachers lose their jobs
In Nong Trang ward, Phu Tho province, Song Hong Technical - Professional Secondary School (abbreviated as Song Hong Secondary School) nearly 2 hectares wide, once a place of study for hundreds of students, has now become deserted.
The wide yard is covered with weeds growing lushly, in some places as tall as knees. Rows of classrooms are closed and silent, thick layers of dust stick to glass doors, tables and chairs inside are stacked and abandoned for many months.
The practice workshop area - where the sound of machinery and practice once resounded - also fell into a desolate scene. Many equipment is covered in dust, rusty, and no longer shows signs of working.
Behind the campus, the dormitory is degraded, the doors are locked, the corridor is deserted. The walls are patchy, clearly showing signs of prolonged abandonment.
A vocational training institution that used to be vibrant, now the entire space is immersed in silence, and the facilities are degraded. Along with that, dozens of teachers are struggling to make ends meet.
Teacher Ta Van Thanh (40 years old) - lecturer at the Faculty of Civil Engineering - currently has to work as a construction worker every day to support his family and three young children.
In the situation of "single father raising children", precarious income from manual labor has caused teacher Thanh's life to fall into a deadlock, mental and physical exhaustion.
The most painful thing is not only poverty, but also the gossip when people see me - a teacher - working manually" - teacher Thanh explained.
In the same situation, Ms. Ta Thi Ha (official of Song Hong Intermediate School) is also frantically searching for a livelihood. For nearly 20 months, she has had to do all kinds of odd jobs. Every day, she imports spring rolls, sausages, and sausages to sell online. But the work is precarious, sometimes 2-3 days without any orders.
Not only losing income, dozens of teachers have also been stopped from paying social insurance and health insurance from the end of 2024. This has put those who are sick in a state of exhaustion.
Teacher Mai Ha Thanh (59 years old, Engine Department) has worked at the school for 24 years, currently undergoing stomach cancer treatment. In the first two years of treatment, teacher Thanh was still covered by health insurance, but for nearly two years now, all expenses have to be paid for himself.
I just hope to retire, having 3-4 million per month is also okay, to have money for treatment. But there are obstacles, so it has not been resolved" - teacher Thanh expressed.
Not only teacher Thanh, but also many other teachers are also suffering from dangerous diseases. Even if detected early, they still have to go for periodic outside examinations, without any support regime.
Teacher Dang Dang Khoa - Head of the Computer Department - calculated that with a coefficient of 5.33, his monthly salary is more than 10 million VND (excluding allowances). For nearly 20 months, losing the main source of income, his family's life was difficult when they had to take care of their elderly parents and children.
“We even had to take family money to teach because when the school was first transferred, there were still students trained in continuing education centers in Tan Son, Doan Hung and Tram Tau districts, former Yen Bai province. Remote area, no funding, many teachers had to pay out of their own pockets to maintain the class. By June 2025, when resources ran out, they could not continue. The class was unfinished, and students were left halfway through” - teacher Khoa recounted.
Wearily waiting for an exit
23 years of working at the school, witnessing the school's development stages, Mr. Truong Ngoc Khanh - Head of the General Department, Song Hong Intermediate School - explained that the matter started in August 2024, when the school was transferred from the Ministry of Construction to the Phu Tho Provincial People's Committee.
Through many subsequent conversions, by September 25, 2025, the school was merged into Phu Tho Vocational College according to the Decision of the Ministry of Education and Training.
The Ministry of Education and Training requests the original handover of finance, assets and personnel and affirms that the merger aims to streamline the apparatus and improve the quality of training.
Teacher Khanh supports the above policy, but said that, in fact, from August 2024 to now, all officials and employees have not been received by any unit, have not been assigned tasks, have no salary, have not received social insurance, health insurance, unemployment insurance or any support.
Meanwhile, before being transferred to the province, the school was financially autonomous, had enrollment quotas and funding from the Ministry of Construction's budget.
Mr. Truong Ngoc Khanh added that the school's suspension of operations not only affects teachers but also directly affects students currently studying at the school.
At the time of transfer to Phu Tho Provincial People's Committee, the school was still training 4 classes with more than 130 students studying. These students had to drop out and were not awarded their diplomas, which was very disadvantageous.
We feel very difficult, and just listen to the leaders to wait, wait a little longer and now 20 months have passed" - teacher Mai Ha Thanh said on behalf of the feelings of 29 teachers over the past time.
Attached to the profession for more than 37 years, teacher Dang Dang Khoa feels heartbroken to see the school deteriorate over time, while colleagues live day by day, not due to capacity, but due to obstacles in the transfer process.
Teachers are a special profession. When students have to drop out of school halfway, we are very remorseful. Humans are different from machines, we cannot abandon them like that" - teacher Khoa said.
Nearly 20 months have passed, although temporarily leaving the podium, looking for other jobs to make a living, dozens of teachers are still waiting anxiously for an answer. They still keep in their hearts a simple wish: To return to the podium, to live by the profession they chose.
We hope that Phu Tho province will soon direct relevant departments and branches to stabilize the organization and completely resolve this situation" - Mr. Truong Ngoc Khanh said.
