motivation for teachers to stick with the profession
The draft Decree regulating salary policies and allowances for teachers has just been announced by the Ministry of Education and Training for comments, attracting great attention from teachers nationwide.
According to the draft, all teachers will be subject to a special salary coefficient. Preschool teachers are entitled to a coefficient of 1.25 compared to the current salary; other titles of teachers are entitled to a coefficient of 1.15.
Teachers also receive work responsibility allowances, mobile allowances and heavy, toxic, and dangerous allowances depending on the nature and teaching conditions of each position.
Having been involved in the teaching profession for nearly 35 years, at the age of 57, Ms. Chu Thi Ly - a teacher at Sung La Primary Boarding School for Ethnic Minorities, Sa Phin Commune, Tuyen Quang - still regularly goes to class, tirelessly teaching students every day.
After nearly 35 years of working, her total income has reached about 25 - 26 million VND/month, thanks to the addition of allowances for mountainous areas, border areas and seniority. That is the result of decades of attending classes in difficult conditions, teaching in cold weather, on winding red dirt roads leading to Lao Xa school - where students have to walk for hours to get to class.
When hearing that teachers may receive a salary increase and additional allowances from 2026, Ms. Ly said that this is an issue that many teachers in mountainous areas are particularly concerned about. As expected, if the job allowance is increased to 70%, her income can exceed 30 million VND per month. However, what made her happiest was not only the extra money, but the State's attention to teachers.
Expectations for new policies to help solve the problem of teacher shortage
Similarly, Mr. Nguyen Van Loi - Principal of Sung La Primary Boarding School for Ethnic Minorities, Sa Phin Commune, Tuyen Quang - said: "This is good news, a great source of encouragement for our teaching staff. When income is improved, teachers' lives will certainly be more stable, thereby feeling secure in their work and staying in the profession for a long time".
According to Mr. Loi, the new salary policy not only helps improve the lives of teachers but can also attract young human resources to participate in the education sector.
In fact, at Sung La Primary Boarding School for Ethnic Minorities, Mr. Loi said that the rate of young teachers is currently almost non-existent. Therefore, Mr. Loi expressed his hope that this policy will be implemented soon, attracting young people to become attached to the teaching profession in mountainous areas, solving the problem of teacher shortage.
Sharing the same view, Ms. Pham Thi Xuan - Principal of Dao San Primary Boarding School for Ethnic Minorities (Dao San commune, Lai Chau province) - commented: "This policy will motivate many young teachers, who have a pedagogical degree and are working elsewhere, who want to go to the highlands to contribute. The biggest wish of teachers is to live on their salary".
