On November 20, discussing the draft Law on Teachers, delegate Thach Phuoc Binh (Tra Vinh Delegation) gave comments on the retirement regime and extending working time for teachers.
According to delegates, the draft law stipulates that the policy of early retirement without deduction of pension rate only applies to some subjects, which can create inequality among teachers.
Regulations on extending working hours do not fully consider the needs and aspirations of teachers at different levels of education outside of university. As a result, some good teachers do not have the opportunity to contribute more while the next generation is not well prepared.
From there, delegates proposed expanding the scope of the policy of early retirement without deduction of pension rate to include teachers at all levels and in disadvantaged areas.
Consider extending working hours not only for professors, associate professors, and doctors but also for teachers with outstanding achievements in teaching.
Delegate Thach Phuoc Binh said that the regulation that teachers' salaries are ranked highest in the administrative salary scale and grade system is not clear, leading to different understandings and applications; preferential allowances are not attractive enough, especially for teachers working in remote areas with difficult socio-economic conditions.
The delegate emphasized that the priority given to teachers in specific professions lacks a specific mechanism on the level of priority, making it difficult to implement the policy consistently. As a result, teachers do not feel assured about their income, especially in disadvantaged areas, leading to a shortage of teachers in these areas.
Delegates proposed to develop a separate salary scale for teachers, ensuring a clearly higher salary level than other sectors in the public administration sector. Increase preferential allowances for jobs, especially in disadvantaged areas, with an allowance rate of 50 to 100% depending on the specific level of each locality.
At the same time, clearly stipulate the priority level and implementation mechanism for teachers in specific professions, ensuring fairness and efficiency.
Commenting on the issue of recruiting and using teachers, delegate Huynh Thi Anh Suong (Quang Ngai Delegation) said that in reality, there is still a local surplus/shortage of teachers, recruiting teachers to work in remote areas is still difficult, and there are even areas where teachers cannot be recruited.
Delegates suggested that there should be a unified focal point for education management, decentralization, and reasonable assignment to remove bottlenecks in recruiting and using teachers. At the same time, it is necessary to study and supplement regulations on reserving seniority allowances for teachers transferred to education management agencies.
Regarding salaries and benefits, delegate Huynh Thi Anh Suong suggested that attention should be paid to the lives and incomes of teachers, especially preschool teachers and young teachers. In addition, it is necessary to review and adjust the appointment and dismissal of teachers holding management positions in educational institutions.
Delegate Chau Quynh Dao (Kien Giang Delegation) said that according to the results of a practical study on the lives of teachers in the Southern region, teachers' income only meets an average of 51.87% of monthly spending needs. This is the group without a second job, and the group with a second job only meets 62.55%.
Therefore, delegates agreed with the regulation on ranking teachers' salaries as the highest in the administrative career salary scale system and having additional allowances depending on the nature of the job and the region.
