Official candidates are still anxiously waiting for recruitment
Hundreds of candidates in Cao Bang have passed the 2026 teacher and public employee recruitment exam in the education sector but have not yet been able to receive recruitment decisions when the locality requested to temporarily suspend the process due to problems with staffing quotas. This takes place in the context that the province still lacks more than 1,100 teachers before the new school year.
Having participated in the civil servant recruitment exam three times, Mr. V.V.H (32 years old, Thuc Phan ward, Cao Bang province) finally achieved the result to become a physical education teacher. However, that joy quickly gave way to worry when the unexpected recruitment exam was proposed to be temporarily suspended.
“I failed the exams a few years ago, and when I passed this year, I received a postponement notice. Having a stable job can both help my wife and children and have the conditions to pursue my favorite profession” - Mr. H shared.
According to Mr. H, many candidates have spent time and money to study. Passing the exam but not knowing whether they will be recruited or not makes everyone anxious. Sharing the same feeling, Ms. N.T. H said that her group of friends had three people participating in the recruitment exam, of which two people had passed and one person was waiting for re-examination.
According to the Department of Education and Training (GDĐT) of Cao Bang province, the 2026 recruitment of teachers and public employees in the education sector has 648 quotas. The marking work has been completed and it is expected that about 520 candidates will be admitted, and is currently in the review processing stage before announcing the final results.
Lack of teachers but obstacles in staffing
According to the Department of Education and Training, after Decision No. 333-QD/TW on assigning staff for 2026 was issued, the total number of civil servants in the education sector of the province decreased by 596 targets. The adjustment took place at the right time when the recruitment process was being implemented, causing localities to face difficulties in arranging the number of targets that have been approved.
Up to now, the deadline for receiving applications for re-examination has ended, but the Department of Education and Training has not yet been able to implement the next steps because there are no instructions for handling the reduced staffing. The unit has reported to the Provincial People's Committee and requested permission to temporarily suspend the recruitment process until there is an opinion from a competent authority.
It is noteworthy that the staff reduction takes place in the context that the Cao Bang education sector has been lacking human resources for many years. The whole province currently has more than 136,000 students, while the number of civil servants working is nearly 1,000 people lower than the assigned staff and nearly 2,800 people shorter than the Ministry of Education and Training's quota. In the 2026-2027 school year, it is expected that more than 200 teachers will retire, raising the total shortage to over 1,100 people.
The teacher shortage situation is concentrated in remote and isolated areas and specialized subjects such as English and Informatics.
The Department of Education and Training said that the addition of about 520 teachers from the 2026 recruitment period will contribute to solving human resource difficulties and ensuring teaching in the new school year.
Therefore, in addition to reporting to the Provincial People's Committee, the Department of Education and Training has also proposed to the Ministry of Education and Training to consider and guide the removal of obstacles regarding staffing, and at the same time propose to add more than 1,100 redundant staff for the 2026-2027 school year, of which 520 targets are expected to be recruited from this year's recruitment.
While waiting for guidance from competent authorities, hundreds of candidates who have passed the exam still have to continue waiting. For them, the most desired thing at this time is to be able to soon receive a recruitment decision to stand on the podium after many years of pursuing the teaching profession.
