More than 13,700 school staff request to immediately apply 30% professional preferential allowance
The Ministry of Education and Training has completed the draft Decree regulating professional preferential allowances for civil servants and employees in public educational institutions and sent it to the Ministry of Justice for appraisal. Accordingly, for the first time, school staff are proposed to enjoy professional preferential allowances at a rate of 20%, with a cost of about 158 billion VND/month, applied from January 1, 2026 to the end of December 31, 2030. The Ministry of Education and Training believes that this level is suitable for the current budget capacity, creating a premise for continuing to improve policies.
From January 1, 2031, professional preferential allowances will be implemented in the spirit of Resolution 71, in which school staff are entitled to a minimum of 30%. However, many employees believe that the 20% level in the initial stage is not commensurate with their efforts and professional responsibility. In fact, low income and high work pressure make them want to immediately enjoy a minimum of 30% from 2026.
More than 13,700 school staff across the country have sent letters of appeal to the Ministry of Education and Training and the Ministry of Home Affairs to adjust policies, proposing to increase allowances for staff by at least 30%, especially school accounting from 50% and 70% in difficult areas. Ms. Nguyen Thi Hien - school accountant in Hanoi is heartbroken when mentioning the salary issue. Working in the education sector for nearly 27 years, her salary is only nearly 10 million VND/month. See more...
Bonuses according to Decree 73 and notes for teachers and contract employees
At the time near the 2026 Lunar New Year, bonuses according to Decree 73 - often called "Tet bonuses" or "13th month salary" by teachers - are being paid attention to by many teachers, especially teachers and contract employees. According to new regulations, bonuses are no longer spent equally or tied to salary coefficients, but based on evaluation results, they can be distributed according to the first 6 months and the last 6 months of the year, paid before December 31, 2025.
The bonus fund is determined separately, equal to 10% of the total salary fund (excluding allowances), applied to both full-time and contract teachers 111. However, the state budget is only calculated according to the number and salary coefficient of full-time teachers; bonuses for contract teachers must be used from the assigned budget and other legal revenue sources. The head of the unit, under the management of the Provincial People's Committee, is responsible for developing specific bonus payment regulations.
The bonus level between schools, even within the same unit, has a clear difference; some places excellent teachers receive over 16 million VND, others just over 10 million VND. For contract teachers, some schools flexibly find sources to pay bonuses, some schools almost do not have them. Some places have mobilized full-time teachers to deduct bonuses to share with contract colleagues, which is considered a humane way of doing things, helping teachers feel secure to welcome Tet. See more...
Challenges and opportunities for pedagogical students in the current context
