Teacher allowance increase will be lower than proposed

The Ministry of Education and Training said it has agreed with the Ministry of Home Affairs to propose increasing preferential allowances for preschool teachers by 10%, lower than the 35-50% level that the Ministry previously proposed.

At the 5th meeting of the Culture and Education Committee on the afternoon of May 27, Minister of Education and Training Nguyen Kim Son expressed his wish to receive support from National Assembly deputies on increasing preferential allowances for teachers.

Mr. Son said that after the Ministry proposed this issue at the 4th session of the 15th National Assembly, the Government directed ministries and branches to consider specific plans. The Ministry of Education and Training worked with the Ministry of Home Affairs and within the possible conditions, the two sides agreed to propose increasing the preferential allowance for preschool teachers by 10%, compared to the current level of 35-50%. In addition, the two ministries also proposed increasing the preferential allowance for primary school teachers by 5%, to 40-55%, applicable from July 1.

This plan has been forwarded to the Ministry of Finance for consideration.

Thus, the increase in preferential allowances for preschool teachers is not as expected by the Ministry of Education and Training. In the draft report to the Government in November 2022, the Ministry proposed a preferential allowance of 100% for preschool teachers working in extremely disadvantaged communes, in ethnic minority, mountainous, island and border areas; the rest will receive 70% - double the current amount.

"There are many wishes, but the salary issue that the Ministry of Home Affairs calculated the conditions for can only be like this," Minister Nguyen Kim Son told VnExpress on the morning of May 28.

Minister Nguyen Kim Son speaks at the plenary session on the afternoon of May 27. Photo: MOET — Minister Nguyen Kim Son speaks at the plenary session on the afternoon of May 27. Photo: *MOET*

In 2022, more than 16,000 teachers nationwide will quit their jobs, 40% of whom are preschool teachers. According to Minister Nguyen Kim Son, the average income of a preschool teacher after 5 years of work is 4.5 to 4.7 million VND, including allowances and seniority. For new recruits, the income is only about 3 million VND in the first 2-3 years.

Preschool teachers in particularly difficult areas receive a 70% subsidy, plus local incentives, or work in specialized schools (schools for children in need of special care). After 5 years of work, their salary can reach 6 million VND, but the number is not much. These teachers have to work in a particularly difficult environment, and the salary is not commensurate with their efforts.

Therefore, the proposal to increase preferential allowances aims to help prevent teachers from quitting their jobs.

"In the support at the National Assembly forum, I hope delegates will support increasing preferential allowances for teachers, to ensure the number of people working in educational institutions," Minister Son shared.

According to current regulations, preschool teachers receive salaries ranging from 3.1 to 9.5 million VND per month. This level for primary school teachers is 3.4-10.1 million VND per month, depending on rank and level. From July 1, when the basic salary increases to 1.8 million VND, preschool and primary school teachers' salaries range from 3.78-12.2 million VND per month.

In addition to salary, teachers receive seniority allowance (5% after 5 years of work, 1% added each year), and career incentive allowance (from 30 - 50%).

If the above-mentioned preferential allowance increase is approved, preschool and primary school teachers' salaries will increase by about 360,000-440,000 VND per month.

Dawn

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