Top provinces and cities leading the national excellent student exam in the 2025-2026 school year
The Ministry of Education and Training announced the results of the national excellent student selection exam for the 2025-2026 school year with nearly 3,700/6,750 contestants winning prizes, accounting for about 59%. The exam took place in two days, December 25-26, gathering contestants from 38 units across the country, competing in 13 subjects.
By locality, Ho Chi Minh City leads the country with 288 prizes, followed by Ninh Binh (238 prizes), Phu Tho (229 prizes), Hai Phong (208 prizes). Hanoi dropped to 5th place with 207 prizes. In the top 10 this year, many new localities appeared such as Bac Ninh, Da Nang, Lao Cai, Hung Yen; only Thai Nguyen was a locality that was in the top 10 years ago.
The Ministry of Education and Training also announced the quota points for candidates to participate in the 2026 Olympic team selection exam in Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Biology and Informatics. The international Olympic exam is scheduled to be held in Hanoi at the end of March 2026, the regional and international team list will be announced on April 3, 2026. See more...
Teachers' salaries: Localities propose clarifying the change of title and the basis for salary ranking
Many localities and higher education institutions proposed that the Ministry of Education and Training clearly stipulate the conversion from old professional titles (I, II, III) to new teacher titles, in order to serve as a basis for appointment, timely salary ranking and ensure that teachers' income is not lower than the current level enjoyed.
Accepting this opinion, the Ministry of Education and Training said that it will develop conversion principles based on competency standards, rank retention time and evaluation results. The content of conversion and salary ranking will be specified in Article 42 of the draft Decree and guiding circulars, in order to ensure continuous rights for the teaching staff.
From January 1, 2026, the Law on Teachers officially abolishes the division of grades I, II, III, switching to new titles such as teachers, principal teachers, senior teachers; and at the same time replacing promotion with professional promotion consideration. The appointment, change of title and salary ranking are linked to job positions, professional standards, ensuring publicity, transparency and suitability to the needs of each educational institution. See more...
Teachers await positive changes from salary and remuneration policies
Decree 73/2024/ND-CP for the first time brings joy to many teachers when receiving Tet bonuses "13th month salary". The bonus is deducted from 10% of the unit's salary fund, based on unexpected work achievements and annual evaluation and ranking results. In many schools, the bonus level for teachers ranges from about 9-10 million VND, becoming a practical source of encouragement after a year of work.
In addition to bonuses, teachers have high expectations for changes in salaries and benefits from 2026 when the Law on Teachers takes effect. Accordingly, teacher salaries will be ranked highest in the administrative and non-business salary scale system. The Ministry of Education and Training also proposes to apply a special salary coefficient, in which preschool teachers enjoy a coefficient of 1.25, other titles enjoy a coefficient of 1.15, along with many types of allowances according to the nature of the job.
New policies are expected to help teachers' incomes increase significantly, improve living standards and retain staff.
Ms. Nguyen Thi Bay - homeroom teacher of class 5A3 Tay Tuu A Primary School (Hanoi) - said that 2026 is a special year, when the Party and State issued many policies to encourage and motivate the teaching force in the Education sector.
I as well as my colleagues are also looking forward to those policies to implement. Because they will promote and create motivation for us to work in the profession and feel more secure in our profession" - Ms. Bay expressed. See more...
