Real-time pressure and expectations from the 40-hour/week regulation
The Ministry of Education and Training has just issued Circular 11/2026/TT-BGDDT (Circular 11) dated March 4, 2026, regulating the working regime for preschool teachers with many new points such as reducing 30 minutes of class per day; the time structure is re-allocated more scientifically, including time for preparing lessons, picking up and dropping off children and other professional activities,...
With 17 years of experience in the profession, Ms. Khau Thi Duyen - a teacher at Hoa Mai Kindergarten (Tuyen Quang) said that the current working hours of preschool teachers are often much longer than regulations.
She is present at the school from 7 am to prepare to pick up children and usually leaves at 6 pm to 6:30 pm when parents pick up all students. Before the information that Circular 11 officially separates the 5-hour 30 minute direct teaching time from the time for picking up and dropping off children in a total of 40 working hours/week, Ms. Duyen said that this is a positive change.
She believes that this regulation helps teachers have more time for themselves and their families, for example, her personal desire is to have time to learn more English.
However, Ms. Duyen also expressed concerns about the feasibility of practical application. According to her, the specific nature of the preschool sector is taking care of young children, so implementing the regulated time frame correctly is a major challenge. She suggested that when the regulation has been issued, it should be implemented seriously soon, ensuring fairness and transparency between teachers in the same educational institution.
The necessity of reduced hours for teachers raising young children
For teachers who are raising young children under 12 months old, the time pressure becomes even clearer. Ms. Nguyen Thanh Nga - teacher at Viet Quang I Kindergarten (Tuyen Quang) said that after the maternity leave ends, she has to maintain working hours at the school from 10 to 11 hours per day.
In addition to class hours, teachers also take on many other tasks such as taking children to nap, preparing teaching aids and preparing lesson plans in the evening after returning home. The long workload makes her often fall into a state of fatigue, while her young child has to be fully cared for by relatives during her time at work.
When she learned that Circular 11 stipulates that teachers raising children under 12 months old are allowed to reduce 5 hours of teaching per week, Ms. Nga said that this is a practical adjustment, helping young teachers have more motivation to stick with the profession. According to her calculations, if she could go home about an hour earlier each day compared to the late child-returning shift, she would have more time to directly take care of her children, and at the same time reduce psychological pressure.
In general, preschool teachers expect the new regulations to be implemented synchronously and practically in practice soon. "Calculating correctly and fully" teaching hours and working hours not only shows recognition for teachers' efforts but also contributes to ensuring professional health for the team.
Many teachers believe that understanding from management levels, along with clear guidance and notification from the school, will help teachers feel secure in their work and have more motivation to stick with the profession for a long time.
