Lacking money to pay teachers' salaries, a public school in Dong Nai asks for financial autonomy

Dong Nai University's Pedagogical Practice High School is short of money to pay teachers' salaries. Teaching activities at the school are at a standstill due to lack of funds.

Lacking money to pay teachers' salaries, Dong Nai Pedagogical Practice High School is facing problems with teacher retention and teaching quality - Photo: HM

Only enough money to pay teachers' salaries for 7 months

Explaining the lack of money to pay teachers' salaries, Dr. Dau Thanh Vinh, principal of Dong Nai Pedagogical Practice High School, said: "The school operates under a mechanism of partial financial autonomy.

Currently, the school has 150 staff, teachers, 78 classes with over 3,300 students. However, from 2019 to now, each year the Dong Nai Provincial People's Committee has allocated a budget of 3.6 billion VND, which is not enough for the school to operate and pay salaries. On the other hand, the basic salary has increased to 2.34 million VND, leading to an increase in allowances, putting pressure on the school's salary fund."

According to Mr. Vinh, with the annual budget allocated by Dong Nai province, the school can only pay salaries to staff and teachers for 7 months instead of 12 months. Just calculating salaries and insurance for nearly 150 staff and teachers, each month requires 1.2 billion VND. The school also cannot invest in innovation and improve the quality of teaching to meet the requirements of the 2018 general education program.

Lacking money to pay salaries, Dong Nai Pedagogical Practice School is asking for autonomy - Photo: HM

Please be financially independent.

According to Mr. Vinh, the school has proposed to adjust the budget allocated to the school, but the reason given is that the school's financial autonomy project (2021-2025 period) has been approved so it cannot be changed. This causes the school to continue to face difficulties. Because revenue is not enough to cover expenses, the school has almost no money to invest in facilities and organize other activities.

"The school is given a mechanism of partial financial autonomy, but all financial sources currently only meet no more than 50% of the school's necessary expenses. Trying our best, the school only has enough money to pay the salaries of the staff and teachers for 7 months before running out of money," said Mr. Vinh.

Regarding the information about overcharging to balance the school's finances, Mr. Vinh explained: "The school collects fees according to the level presented in the financial autonomy plan for the 2022-2025 period approved by the Provincial People's Committee, including the garbage disposal fee according to the agreement with the parents' representatives at the beginning of the school year. In particular, fees for high-quality classes are collected according to the signed agreement according to the wishes of each parent."

Responding to Tuoi Tre Online about the best solution at this time to help teachers feel secure in teaching, Mr. Vinh said: "The long-term solution is to provide enough funding for 30% of the salary increase for 100 teachers receiving salaries from career income, because career income is not enough to pay salaries for 100 civil servants. At the same time, the school requests that state agencies provide guidance on increasing revenues so that the school can balance revenue and expenditure to ensure sufficient operating funds."

Mr. Vinh also said that due to fluctuations in revenue and expenditure, the school has sent a document to the Provincial People's Committee, the Department of Finance and Dong Nai University to request to implement the financial autonomy mechanism according to Government regulations.

Nearly 2,800 boarding students

Dong Nai Pedagogical Practice High School officially organized teaching and learning activities from the 2015-2016 school year. Initially, the school had only 20 staff and teachers, 10 classes (including six 6th grade classes at the junior high school level and four 10th grade classes at the high school level).

By the 2019-2020 school year, the school continued to expand enrollment for the first grade of primary school and officially became a general school with all three levels of primary, middle and high school. To date, the school has 2,776/3,338 boarding students.

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/thieu-tien-tra-luong-giao-vien-mot-truong-cong-o-dong-nai-xin-tu-chu-tai-chinh-20241106091507255.htm