Building the Law on Teachers to enhance the status of teachers

Teachers and students of Hanoi University of Transport

At the legal seminar in June 2023, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh concluded: Agreeing with the Ministry of Education and Training's submission on the necessity of promulgating the Law on Teachers. This information was happily received by teachers and they hope that the National Assembly will soon consider and give opinions on passing this draft law.

It is necessary to promulgate the Law on Teachers.

From the highlands of Na Hang district (Tuyen Quang), Ms. La Thi May, a teacher at Nang Kha Primary School, is always wondering how to have a law specifically for teachers. Thereby, not only creating a legal corridor to protect the rights and legitimate interests of teachers, but also limiting many overlapping documents. “After more than 16 years standing on the podium, I have tasted the “sweet and bitter” of the teaching profession, but I also cannot help but feel sorry when teachers’ lives are still difficult. The salary is not enough to live on, forcing many teachers to struggle, “the outside leg is longer than the inside leg,” Ms. May confided.

The Government has agreed with the Ministry of Education and Training's Proposal on the need to promulgate the Law on Teachers. This information made Ms. May and her colleagues extremely excited, because she had previously read and studied the Proposal proposing the development of the Law on Teachers project of the Ministry of Education and Training; which included many practical policies. For example: Policies on recruitment and treatment of teachers.

“I agree with the proposal on salary policy for teachers. Accordingly, for teachers in public educational institutions, salaries must be ranked at the highest coefficient in the professional and technical salary scale applied to civil servants and public employees,” Ms. May expressed, hoping that this proposal will be specified in the upcoming Law on Teachers and soon be considered and approved by the National Assembly.

Sharing the same view, Ms. Nguyen Thi Thuy Linh, a teacher at the Ethnic Boarding High School in Nghe An province, said that despite being concerned, salary policies for teachers still have many shortcomings and are not suitable for the characteristics of the profession, so they have not created motivation for teachers to stick with the profession. "The fact that many teachers have quit and changed jobs in recent times is one of the evidences of this problem," Ms. Linh cited.

From her actual work, Ms. Linh realized that the work of teachers has a special nature: From objects, tools, processes to products, all are done by humans and directly affect humans. Therefore, the working conditions of teachers need to be creative, salary policies, treatment, honor and reward for teachers also need to have their own regulations, commensurate with the position and characteristics of pedagogical work.

"I believe that when the Law on Teachers is in place, the above problems will be solved, helping the team feel secure in their work, dedicated and devoted to the cause of educating people," Ms. Linh expressed.

Teacher La Thi May and students

Hope the National Assembly considers and approves

Appreciating the Prime Minister's conclusion on the necessity of promulgating the Law on Teachers, Ms. Dinh Thi Hau, Principal of Ngoc Linh Kindergarten (Son La City, Son La Province) acknowledged that the Government and the Ministry of Education and Training always accompany, care for, and understand the teaching staff. Although it is just the "starting" step, we are very happy and hope that the proposals of the Ministry of Education and Training will soon become a reality, meeting the wishes and expectations of the teaching staff nationwide," Ms. Hau confided.

Working in the non-public sector, Ms. Hau found that current regulations, including the Law on Public Employees, mainly refer to teachers in the public sector. In addition, policies for teachers working in non-public educational institutions have not received due attention. This makes Ms. Hau even more hopeful that the Law on Teachers will soon be promulgated to remove difficulties and obstacles for non-public teachers.

Also a teacher, delegate Chau Quynh Dao (Kien Giang National Assembly delegation) said that in previous sessions, some delegates also proposed to develop a Law on Teachers. However, so far, it has not met the requirements to be included in the National Assembly's agenda. Hopefully, once the Government has agreed, this draft Law will be considered and commented on by the National Assembly at sessions in 2024.

Teachers are regulated by the Law on Education, the Law on Amendments and Supplements to a Number of Articles of the Law on Cadres and Civil Servants, and the Law on Public Employees. However, according to delegate Chau Quynh Dao, these laws have not addressed the specific nature of teachers' work. Even the Law on Education cannot cover all related issues, because it is a framework law for the education sector. Therefore, a separate law is needed so that teachers are protected, honored, and feel secure in their work.

In addition, if there is a Law on Teachers, many shortcomings will be resolved, including issues related to policy mechanisms, the surplus and shortage of teachers, etc., and sanctions when teachers violate professional ethics. "From the above analysis, I think it is necessary to issue a Law on Teachers, in order to meet the expectations of teachers in particular and those working in the education sector in general," said delegate Chau Quynh Dao.

According to the draft Proposal to develop the Law on Teachers submitted by the Ministry of Education and Training to the Prime Minister, by the end of the 2021-2022 school year, the country has about 1.6 million teachers and educational managers working in public and non-public institutions, from preschools, general schools, universities and vocational training systems.

In addition, there are more than 900 thousand retired teachers who still contribute to education in many different aspects. There are nearly 115,000 students studying at universities and colleges of education nationwide. This is an important additional reserve source for the teaching staff in the future.

The directives and resolutions of the Party and the State have affirmed the position and role of the teaching staff in the overall development of the country. However, because they have not been legalized, there is a lack of basis for implementation. In the context of the innovation of the General Education Program in 2018, the position and autonomy of teachers in implementing the program, managing and educating students, and performing professional activities need to continue to be legalized to create conditions for teachers to promote their capacity and perform their tasks.

According to Education and Training