Education sector cannot attract talent because of pay policy
The pay policy under which teachers receive salaries based on length of service is believed to be the reason why talented people do not want to become teachers.
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The teacher of a high school in district 3 in HCM City said she receives less than VND4 million a month. The income includes salary for 7 years of service and allowances for the titles “emulation fighter’ and ‘outstanding young teacher’. The basic salary offered to new graduates is lower.
VND4 million is just enough to cover the basic needs of a single urbanite, who doesn’t have to pay rent and travel a lot every day.
The teacher said she received a prize worth VND1 million at the competition among creative teachers at the city’s level. “The amount of VND1 million is nothing if compared with the effort I make and the expenses I pay to reform the teaching method,” she said.
Education experts pointed out that the current pay policy is unreasonable. Many teachers receive very low pay though they have many initiatives to improve the teaching method.
Le Phan Vuong Quoc, a teacher of the Nguyen Dinh Chieu Primary School in HCM City, said at a recent workshop that teachers hesitated to reform and improve teaching methods because they can’t see any benefits.
Bad, good teachers equally paid
In fact, teachers are classified every year based on their capability and contributions. However, as a high-school teacher in district 1, HCM City said, the assessment is made just on teaching hours and competitions, not through a long process.
Dr Nguyen Thien Tong said that competition must exist in the educational sector, and more capable teachers must be treated better.
“The more reasonable pay policy explains why non-state owned schools can attract good teachers,” Tong said.
The headmaster of a high school in the suburban district of Cu Chi said a lot of trainee teachers promised to work for the school after they graduate.
However, they have not come back because of low salaries and the hard work they anticipate.
“The service length-based pay has become out of date,” he commented. “Instead of praising teachers and encouraging them to work in remote areas, it would be better to offer appropriate pay and allowances to them." This is the best way to attract teachers to remote areas, he said.
