According to statistics from the Ministry of Education and Training, the whole country has about 150,000 civil servants doing support and service work in schools, including accountants, health workers, librarians, laboratory equipment, information technology, clerical staff, cashiers, education staff, support for people with disabilities...
They are public employees in the education sector but are not teachers, so in addition to salaries based on coefficients, they do not enjoy many preferential policies like teachers. Therefore, even though they work in schools together, the income of this team is still low, and many people have difficulty making ends meet. From letters and phone calls reflecting from library staff, accountants, clerical staff, and school equipment in many localities, over the past 3 years, Lao Dong Newspaper has produced hundreds of articles, conveying the thoughts and recommendations of workers to functional agencies.
After a long journey, the voice of the school staff has been heard. For the first time, education support personnel in public educational institutions are included in the area to enjoy professional preferential allowances at a rate of 20%, according to Decree No. 182/2026/ND-CP dated May 22 of the Government.
Ms. Nguyen Thu Hien - a school employee in Hanoi - said that Lao Dong Newspaper has played a bridge role between workers and management agencies. According to her, the newspaper not only reports but also creates a forum for thousands of school employees across the country to speak out. "The greatest value for workers is sometimes not only money but also the feeling of being listened to and not being alone. The quick feedback and respectful attitude of the reporters have helped us have more faith to continue speaking out" - Ms. Hien said.
In Lao Cai, Ms. Nguyen Thi Hoe, an accountant at an inter-level primary and secondary school, also said that Lao Dong Newspaper has become a reliable address for many school staff. "We see the newspaper as a bridge to help the voice of workers get closer to leaders at all levels" - Ms. Hoe shared.
Ms. Trinh Thi Ngoc Chung - library staff of Xuan Cao Elementary School, Thanh Hoa province - said that she has worked for 20 years in the western mountainous area of the province. About 3 years ago, Ms. Chung started contacting reporters of Lao Dong Newspaper to reflect on the inadequacies in the regime for school staff. "From then on, many thoughts and aspirations of me and my colleagues have been brought to readers nationwide by the newspaper," Ms. Chung said.
Although happy when the 20% preferential allowance policy was issued, many school staff believe that there are still issues that need to be further concerned. Ms. Chung also hopes that functional agencies will continue to study policies for school staff working in mountainous areas, remote areas, and particularly difficult areas, to reduce disadvantages compared to actual conditions.
And Ms. Hien expects future policies to continue to properly recognize the role and responsibility of school staff. "This will be a motivation for them to stick with their work and persistently pursue recommendations for their legitimate rights," she said.
