Information from the Ministry of Education and Training recently said that by the end of the first semester of the school year 2024 - 2025, the whole country lacked more than 120,000 preschool and public teachers. In particular, nearly 65,000 staff has been assigned to localities but only recruited about 6,000 people. Thanh tried, the story of a serious lack of teachers without the source of recruitment, along with that many teachers across the country have become the focus of attracting the attention of public opinion in and outside the education industry in recent days.
The "hot" and urgent issue has caused Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh to sign Official Dispatch 61/CD-TTg, dated May 10, 2025 on organizing the High School Graduation Exam, ensuring the staffing of preschool, high school teachers and summer vacation for children and students in 2025. In particular, the Prime Minister requested to ensure enough teaching staff from the 2025 - 2026 school year and that children and students have fun, practice healthily, safely and effectively during the summer vacation.
The shortage of teachers at all levels has many causes, but a major cause that cannot be ignored is the salary policy with many shortcomings, the lives of teachers, especially contract teachers, are still facing many difficulties.
In fact, many remote and border areas of many Central and Central Highlands provinces still have teachers who have worked for 10 or 20 years, even though they have taught on a contract, they still go to school tirelessly with words, sowing green shoots, and training many generations of students. But that year, someone knew that the salary they received was only a few million VND. Many teachers have to live a miserable life, work extra farming, work for hire... to maintain their lives. The most difficult thing is during the summer vacation months, when contract teachers have their salaries cut, without allowances. If it were not for love of the profession, no one would want to continue with the "ferrying" career!
Mr. Alang Nga - General Head of the Team, Ethnic Boarding School for Primary and Secondary School in Dang Commune, Tay Giang District, Quang Nam Province - said: "As the most difficult commune in the district, the lives of teachers are also difficult. However, compared to previous years, it is less difficult because "electricity - roads - schools - stations" are enough and are increasingly improved. Although there are many difficulties, the teachers here are always passionate about their profession, always loving and caring for students, because the career of educating people in this difficult mountainous area".
That is not to mention the hidden corner of the job application mechanism. A retired teacher (name changed) shared: "My favorite teacher in life is a contract teacher. Many teachers bury their youth in contract teaching with only 3 to 5 million VND/month salary, but have no salary during summer vacation, and are negative in the entrance exam....
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh once said: "We listen to see if the policy is correct, has been achieved, and if the results have been achieved, for what reasons". This also means that, to effectively implement the Government's policy of "Creating - integrity - Action", policy makers need to step out of the coldroom, listen and touch the breath of society, accompany life to make laws. At that time, the policies, policies, and legal documents will be vitable.
Therefore, to solve the problem of serious teacher shortage, it is time for authorities as well as responsible managers to have a comprehensive solution suitable for each level of education, in which it is necessary to boldly decentralize - "untie" the recruitment mechanism to each locality, each educational institution. And boldly giving recruitment rights to principals is not an opportunity to "release power", but an opportunity for school leaders to take responsibility for the quality of teaching and learning.
At the same time, managers should also recognize and solve the problem: Receiving contract teachers - there are issues of income, regimes, positions of contract teachers in society... until policies must be suitable for practice, highly feasible in practice.
