Sad but still have to laugh, dance, sing...
She started teaching at SOS Ca Mau Kindergarten in 2008, but up to now, Ms. Tran Hong Thoa's salary is less than 6 million VND/month. Ms. Thoa honestly said: "Teaching at the school has a very low income, although we have not had a salary increase for many years, we are still attached to the school. Many times, seeing other friends graduate and go to work with high salaries, it hurts and makes me sad, but every day I still have to laugh, dance and sing with the children."
Having just received her salary, Ms. Vo Hong Diep - who has been teaching at the school for 14 years - honestly showed us her account balance of 4,792,000 VND she had just received. "Because I love my job and children, I have been working here since I graduated," Ms. Diep shared.
Ms. Ly Tuyet Ly - Principal of SOS Ca Mau Kindergarten - said that the school has had 11 teachers here for a long time. Teachers' income is low compared to the average level of the local education sector. The school has tried every way to increase their salaries but encountered difficulties due to the mechanism. "Even the Principal's monthly salary is only over 8 million VND/month," Ms. Ly said.
Want to separate the school from the SOS Village
SOS Ca Mau Kindergarten belongs to SOS Children's Village (SOS Village) Ca Mau, so all activities must follow the regulations of SOS Village. SOS Village was established under an international organization managed by the Ministry of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs. SOS Village Ca Mau is assigned by the Ministry to the Department of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs of Ca Mau province for management.
Since 2020, funding for the operation of SOS Villages has encountered many difficulties. Therefore, the kindergartens in SOS Villages have had to switch to operating under an autonomous model.
However, the school's autonomy process also faces many difficulties due to being managed by many different places in terms of expertise, profession, and personnel. The teachers teach, but are not on the payroll of the education sector.
Ms. Ly Tuyet Ly confided: The teachers teach but do not follow the salary scale of the education sector; they say they are autonomous but are still governed by the regulations of the SOS Village system. According to Ms. Ly, the school has proposed to the leaders of Ca Mau province to separate the school from the SOS Village to become an autonomous public school. "We do not want to become a public school that is a burden to the locality, that is why we are requesting autonomy. We know that this is a new model, facing many difficulties but will try to overcome them," Ms. Ly said.
The problems of SOS Ca Mau Kindergarten were received by Vice Chairman of Ca Mau Provincial People's Committee Nguyen Minh Luan at the weekly Business Coffee session. Sharing the difficulties that SOS Ca Mau Kindergarten is facing, the Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee hopes that the Board of Directors and teachers of SOS Ca Mau Kindergarten will encourage each other and try to overcome the difficulties in the current period.
Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Nguyen Minh Luan said: The Provincial People's Committee has proactively worked with the Ministry of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs on the management and organization model of SOS Ca Mau Kindergarten. Ca Mau province is ready to receive and manage in case the Ministry of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs hands it over to the province.
"After receiving the school, the province will arrange and reorganize the school's activities in accordance with current policies and regulations and the local situation," Mr. Luan informed.
