The Ministry of Education and Training (MOET) has just sent to the Ministry of Justice a dossier for appraisal of a Decree regulating salary policies and allowance regimes for teachers. This is a decree detailing Clause 4, Article 23 of the Law on Teachers No. 73/2025/QH15, applicable to teachers in public educational institutions under the national education system.
In the process of summarizing, receiving and explaining the opinions of localities, the Ministry of Education and Training has pointed out a series of long-standing inadequacies in the allowance policy for teachers - one of the causes directly affecting income, motivation and ability to retain staff.
Dispersed, overlapping allowances, difficult to apply uniformly
According to the Ministry of Education and Training, the current allowance system for teachers is lacking synchronization. Types of allowances such as professional preferential allowances, regional allowances, attraction allowances, seniority allowances... are scattered in many different documents, leading to difficulties in implementation and uncoordinated application between localities.
Reality shows that the level of allowance enjoyment between levels of education and regions is still largely different, not reflecting the true nature of labor and working conditions of each group of teachers. In particular, teachers working in areas with particularly difficult socio-economic conditions when localities meet new rural standards often have their allowances suddenly reduced, causing income disruption and long-term psychological impact.
Conversely, many teachers in favorable areas have low allowances, while the workload and professional requirements are increasingly high. Some policies such as professional preferential allowances for maternity leave teachers between regions are also not uniform, causing disadvantages for workers.
Many new tasks are not yet subject to allowances
The Ministry of Education and Training also pointed out that the current allowance policy has not kept up with education innovation. A series of new tasks such as STEM education, digital transformation, integrated teaching, student competency assessment, school psychological counseling... have significantly increased the workload but have not been included in the allowance regime.
For preschool teachers - groups with heavy labor and high pressure - current allowances, although adjusted, still do not fully reflect the specificity of the profession.
In addition, teachers who have to move between many school locations, teach inter-schools, inter-levels or are sent on assignments are still not entitled to corresponding mobile allowances, causing many difficulties in practical work.
Inadequacies in allowances for professional team leader and deputy team leader positions
A noteworthy point is the allowance regime for team leaders and professional deputy team leaders. Currently, these titles are still entitled to leadership position allowances according to Circular No. 33/2005/TT-BGDDT, with levels from 0.15 to 0.3.
However, in the new regulations on the list of management position positions, no longer identifying professional team leaders and deputy team leaders as management titles, leading to the payment of allowances according to the old mechanism no longer being appropriate. Many documents on leadership position allowances have not been updated and adjusted promptly according to regional practice and school scale.
Minimum preferential allowance of 70%, especially difficult areas enjoy 100%
The above-mentioned inadequacies are also the basis for the National Assembly to issue Resolution 248 on a number of specific and outstanding mechanisms and policies to create breakthroughs in education and training development, which has just been approved and took effect from today.
According to the resolution, professional preferential allowances for public preschool and general education teachers will be increased to a minimum level of 70%, implemented according to the roadmap prescribed by the Government. School staff will receive professional preferential allowances for the first time with a minimum level of 30%.
Notably, teachers working in areas with particularly difficult socio-economic conditions, ethnic minority areas, border areas, and islands will enjoy a 100% allowance level.
For vocational education and higher education institutions, units are autonomous in deciding the additional income level for teachers and employees from legal revenue outside the budget, in accordance with internal spending regulations and operational efficiency.
According to the latest proposal of the Ministry of Education and Training, the increase in professional preferential allowances is divided into two phases.
In the period 2026-2030, preschool and general education teachers will enjoy allowances at a level of 45-85%, depending on the area of work; school staff will enjoy a level of 20%. From 2031 onwards, preferential allowances will be fully implemented according to the level approved by the National Assembly.
