Career news and changes in education
The job of a preschool teacher every day is associated with young children, from meals, sleep to every game, requiring patience, dedication and unconditional love. Behind the innocent smiles of the children are the worries, pressure and even the silent sacrifice of teachers at the beginning of their school years.
Having been in the profession for more than 14 years, Ms. Nguyen Thi Thanh Tam - a teacher at Mai Lam Kindergarten (Dong Anh, Hanoi) - shared that the only reason for keeping her is her love for children: "If I hadn't truly loved children, I wouldn't have been able to continue in the same profession until today".
When she first started her career, Ms. Tam's salary was only nearly 4 million VND/month. At that time, she was young and unmarried, so she was still temporarily balanced. But later, when she had a small child, the cost of living increased, and she started to find more ways to increase her income. "There was a period when I finished my class time and took advantage of selling online. Many of my colleagues are the same, some receive clothes tailoring, some even paint their houses in the evening to save more. Everyone tries to make ends meet with many different jobs, both to take care of their families and to continue to stick with the job" - Ms. Tam recalled.
Meanwhile, work in class was already full of pressure. A classroom has dozens of children, all their activities from eating, sleeping, cleaning to studying are taken care of by teachers. Many days she almost has no time to rest, having to work hard to take care of and care for her. "There were times when I was so tired that I disbanded, but then just hearing the call "am", watching the crabys playing gave me more motivation" - Ms. Tam confided.
In recent times, thanks to the attention of the State, the salary and policies for preschool teachers have been significantly improved, from the salary coefficient to the allowances... Currently, Ms. Tam's income is more than 11 million VND/month, nearly three times higher than when she first started her career. "This salary helps me feel much more secure. Now I no longer have to run around like before, I can spend more time and effort in class, in my students" - Ms. Tam shared.
Resolution 71 and aspirations for educational development
Improvements in policies for teachers are a positive signal, but the picture of Vietnamese education still has many tasks ahead. In that context, the Politburo issued Resolution 71-NQ/TW, considering education and training as one of the strategic breakthrough areas, with many new policy decisions of orientation and creating a strong change.
According to Ms. Nguyen Thien Huong - Vice Principal of Mai Lam Secondary School (Hanoi), the changes in policies and regimes in the past are a step in the right direction. However, to realize the great aspirations set by Resolution 71, there needs to be more synchronous and drastic intervention.
Ms. Huong emphasized that improving income and benefits in the past is only the beginning of the journey to improve the status of teachers. According to her, the teaching profession needs to be recognized in accordance with its role in society, becoming a job with attention, recognition and enough to attract capable and dedicated people. When teachers can live a stable life in their profession, without having to worry too much about making a living, they will wholeheartedly devote themselves to teaching and educating students.
Not only stopping at the treatment regime, Ms. Huong believes that social respect and recognition are also extremely important. Teachers need to be recognized as the force that creates core values for national development, not simply the one who implements knowledge. Only when teachers feel happy with their profession can they truyen positive energy to students, arouse creativity and become a pioneer in educational innovation - Ms. Huong emphasized.
From a broader perspective, Resolution 71 sets a goal of completing the universal education of preschool education for children aged 3 to 5, popularizing compulsory education through junior high school, and at the same time raising the rate of adolescents completing high school and equivalent to at least 85% by 2030, no locality has below 60%.
Further, with a vision to 2045, Vietnam strives to build a modern, fair and quality national education system, in the top 20 countries in the world... According to Ms. Huong, this is a big task, requiring synchronous efforts and possibly facing many difficulties, especially in areas lacking socio-economic conditions.
In urban areas, conditions are more favorable, but in remote areas, where facilities are lacking, ensuring schools and teaching staff is still a big challenge. The State and the Government need to pay more attention, have specific policies to support to be able to get closer to the goals set by the resolution" - she analyzed.
Ms. Huong believes that to reach the goal, it is necessary to simultaneously improve the quality of teacher training, innovate the assessment mechanism and build a humane and creative educational environment. At that time, the teaching staff will truly become the core force to help realize the aspiration for national development through the path of education.
Resolution 71-NQ/TW not only sets specific requirements for the industry, but also affirms the central position of education in the national development strategy. If solutions are implemented synchronously and focused, especially in disadvantaged areas, Vietnam's education will have the opportunity to make a breakthrough, meet the requirements of international integration and affirm its stature in the future.
