The Ministry of Education and Training has just issued Circular No. 30/2026/TT-BGDĐT regulating professional standards for teachers of general education institutions.
The Circular takes effect from April 14, 2026, specifically stipulating training standards for high school (THPT) teachers according to each professional title rank.
According to Clause 3, Article 14 of Circular No. 30/2026/TT-BGDDT, grade I high school teachers must "have a master's degree or higher in a teacher training major suitable for the teaching subject or a master's degree or higher in a major suitable for the teaching subject and have a pedagogical professional certificate for high school teachers", and must also have a "standard professional development certificate for high school teachers".
Thus, a master's degree is a mandatory standard for teachers when being appointed or holding rank I according to new regulations.
Compared to the previous regulations in Circular No. 20/2018/TT-BGDĐT, this is a noteworthy change. Specifically, Circular 20/2018 does not stipulate the training level for each teacher rank but only requires a general requirement "achieve the training level standard according to regulations and complete all training courses and professional knowledge fostering", and does not set a mandatory requirement for master's degrees for first-class high school teachers.
In addition, Article 18 of Circular 30/2026/TT-BGDDT clearly stipulates that the standards for each rank are the basis for performing the task "after being appointed to a position in the corresponding rank and throughout the term of holding rank", and the principal can assign appropriate tasks according to the actual capacity of the teacher.
In addition, Article 16 of the Circular also stipulates a transition mechanism for the teaching staff. Specifically, teachers who have been recruited, received or transferred to a job position before the effective date of the Circular are not required to immediately meet the standards for professional standard training certificates; in case they are recruited from the time the Circular takes effect but do not have a certificate, they are supplemented within 12 months from the date the training program takes effect.
Circular 30 also stipulates that certificates issued before December 31, 2026 are still recognized as equivalent according to new regulations.
At the same time, Article 18 also allows the recognition of some cases where previous degrees and certificates are appropriate, and stipulates the roadmap for completing training standards for some cases until December 31, 2030.
