Expecting policy to be implemented soon
Recently, the Hanoi Department of Education and Training issued Document No. 2461/SGDĐT-TCCB on researching and advising on building additional income standards for officials of the Capital's education sector.
Accordingly, the Department assigned relevant units to study and develop an additional income expenditure level for education sector officials, and at the same time calculate and include this expenditure in the price of educational services to report to the City People's Committee to submit to the City People's Council for consideration and approval, ensuring funding for implementation at educational institutions.
The above information received great attention from the Hanoi teaching staff.
Talking to Lao Dong Newspaper, Ms. Ho Thi Xuan Thu - a teacher at Khuong Ha Primary, Secondary and High School (Hanoi) - said she was very happy that the city pays attention to the lives of teachers.
I sincerely thank the City leaders and departments and branches for their concern for teachers in the Capital. We hope that the additional income will be paid stably along with monthly salaries so that teachers can soon enjoy the policy," Ms. Thu shared.
Sharing the same feeling, teacher Dao Cuong - teacher of My Duc C High School - said that the city's assignment to specialized agencies to advise on building norms for increased income expenditures shows listening to the aspirations of teachers.
According to Mr. Cuong, teachers want to enjoy a support mechanism that is not lower than the policy currently applied to cadres, civil servants, and public employees of the capital.
Ms. Le Thi Huong - a teacher at Chuc Dong High School - also proposed that teachers should enjoy an additional income level equivalent to other groups of civil servants and public employees in the city.
The teaching profession has a large workload, high professional pressure, long working hours outside of office hours and direct responsibility in training human resources for society. Ensuring increased income will contribute to improving life, creating motivation for teachers to feel secure in their work and stick with the profession for a long time," Ms. Huong said.
Agreeing with this view, Ms. Nguyen Thi Khuong - a teacher at Hai Boi Secondary School - said that paying additional income to officials, civil servants, and public employees is not a new policy, because before Hanoi, some localities such as Ho Chi Minh City and Hai Phong had implemented it.
What teachers want is to be treated equally like other groups of city officials. We do not need special priorities, we just want to fully enjoy general policies," Ms. Khuong shared.
Hoping for a direct payment mechanism, avoiding arising problems
Besides agreeing with the policy of building an additional income policy, many teachers expressed concern about the implementation method for units that are piloting ordering educational service prices.
Ms. Ho Thi Xuan Thu - Khuong Ha Primary, Secondary and High School - believes that there needs to be a clear mechanism for support to come directly to teachers, avoiding difficulties in the implementation process.
If possible, the city should have a direct and public payment mechanism so that teachers can conveniently monitor their rights," Ms. Thu suggested.
Teacher Dao Cuong also proposed that the payment of additional income should be implemented according to an independent mechanism, not associated with ordering educational services to avoid the risk of overlapping funding sources and ensure transparency.
According to Ms. Le Thi Huong - Chuc Dong High School (Hanoi), increased income is a policy to support workers, so it needs to be identified as a separate expense, transferred directly to officials and teachers.
If this funding is included in the price of educational services, the source of money may become part of the unit's general operating budget. This will make it difficult for teachers to monitor and supervise the implementation of policies as well as difficult to ensure that the support is fully transferred to employees," Ms. Huong stated her opinion.
Ms. Nguyen Thi Khuong - a teacher at Hai Boi Secondary School - said that without specific guidance and a strict monitoring mechanism, the additional income source may be dispersed for other expense tasks of the unit, leading to teachers not being fully or promptly entitled to benefits.
Therefore, she proposed that the Hanoi Department of Education and Training soon issue guidelines on the management, allocation and payment of increased income; and at the same time publicize a monitoring mechanism to ensure that funds are used for the right purpose and for the right subjects.
Sharing the same proposal, Ms. Vu Kim Tien - Head of the Social Group, Me Linh High School - hopes that the city will have a suitable support mechanism for the teaching staff, and at the same time separate the additional income from the mechanism of ordering educational services to ensure transparency in budget management and use.
Hanoi teachers expect the policy of spending additional income to be soon concretized by a clear implementation mechanism, stable funding sources and transparent payment methods, to create motivation for teachers to feel secure in their work.
