Policies on allowances and benefits will help further motivate teachers to stay in the profession. VNA/VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI — Policies on teacher development, recruitment, remuneration and quality improvement have made positive progress, but many challenges remain, requiring bottlenecks to be identified and solutions to be implemented in a coordinated manner.

As a matter of urgency, a teaching workforce that is sufficient in number, strong in professional expertise and capable of meeting the demands of educational reform is required.

The 2026-27 academic year marks an important transition, as teachers are, for the first time, covered by a dedicated law – Law on Teachers, alongside a range of new policies on salaries, allowances, working hours, training, recruitment and retirement.

These new regulations provide a stronger foundation for enhancing the status of the profession, attracting and retaining teachers, and meeting the demands of educational reform.

Nguyễn Thanh Mai has recently been hired by Phục Dực Primary School in the northern province of Hưng Yên right after graduating from college.

“The recruitment process was conducted objectively and fairly,” Mai told giaoducthoidai.vn.

“Notably, the newly recruited teacher was not required to undergo a probationary period and received 100 per cent of the salary.”

According to the Law on Teachers that came into effect in January, 2026, teachers working in public educational institutions are given priority to be placed at the highest level within the administrative and service sector compared with other professions requiring equivalent qualifications and working conditions.

Mai added: “This is regarded as one of the important policies to improve teachers’ roles and professional conditions, enhancing the appeal of the profession and helping to retain teachers in their schools."

Along with the Law on Teachers, Decree 182/2026 that came into effect in July, concretised the policy on occupational preferential allowances for teachers.

Teachers at preschools and primary schools are entitled to a professional preferential allowance of 45 per cent; preschool and primary school teachers working in communes classified as Region I or II (in ethnic minority and mountainous areas), island communes, islands, and border communes are entitled to a rate of 60 per cent.

Teachers working in areas with extremely difficult socio-economic conditions are entitled to a 70 per cent allowance; those at certain specialised educational institutions, schools for persons with disabilities, and locations with extremely difficult conditions are entitled to an 80 per cent rate.

These rates took effect on January 1, 2026.

Châu Thanh Tuyền, a teacher at An Phú Primary School in Tịnh Biên Commune of the Mekong Delta province of An Giang, said that the allowance policy not only helped improve income but also reflected the Government’s recognition of teachers’ contribution.

“Teaching is a demanding profession involving high pressure and a heavy workload, while teachers’ incomes, particularly those of preschool and primary school teachers, remain a challenge,” Tuyền said.

“Income improvement policies would provide an incentive for teachers to work with greater peace of mind and remain committed to the profession.”

Tuyền believes that salary and allowance policies should form part of a broader package of measures addressing the working environment, reducing administrative pressure and supporting teachers’ mental well-being.

When these issues are addressed in a coordinated manner, teachers would be better placed to focus fully on their professional duties, teaching and caring for their pupils, she said.

Teachers – a decisive factor of education quality

Dr Nguyễn Tùng Lâm, vice president of the Việt Nam Association of Educational Psychology, believes there are still significant challenges to effectively putting the policy into practice.

He pointed out that there are still teacher shortages, disparities in working conditions between areas and growing administrative and professional pressures.

In some areas, income and working environments are not attractive enough to recruit and retain teachers, particularly in subjects, education levels and locations where recruitment is difficult.

Lâm suggested that policies should continue to be refined with teachers at the centre, ensuring that income is commensurate with workloads and job requirements.

“Alongside improvements to salaries and allowances, there should be flexible recruitment mechanisms based on the needs of each locality, with priority given to policies aimed at attracting teachers to disadvantaged areas and subjects facing shortages,” Lâm said.

“At the same time, administrative paperwork and reporting requirements should be reduced, while teachers should be given greater professional autonomy and better working conditions.”

“More importantly, training and professional development policies should be aligned with practical needs, enabling teachers to regularly update their skills to meet the demands of educational reform.”

The 2026-27 academic year is also a period in which the education system will continue restructuring its network of educational institutions under the new local government model.

According to Dr Vũ Thị Minh Huyền from the Department of Legal Affairs and General Planning at the Việt Nam Academy of Traditional Medicine and Pharmacy, this presents both opportunities and challenges for the education sector and teachers.

“If the process stops at mergers, adjustments to management structures or changes in organisational arrangements without creating added value for learners, the restructuring objectives will not have been achieved,” Huyền said, calling for a stronger focus on improving school governance.

In the current context, an educational institution needs not only to be well managed but also governed effectively, according to Huyền.

This requires school leaders to adopt innovative thinking, use data in management, anticipate development needs and develop long-term strategies.

Following the restructuring, many schools will be larger and have broader areas of responsibility, placing greater demands on their management capacity.

Strengthening the governance skills of education managers should be regarded as a priority.

Huyền added: “The teaching workforce remains the decisive factor in education quality.

"After completing the restructuring, localities should focus on reviewing and reorganising their teaching workforce in a rational manner, while strengthening training and professional development to meet the demands of educational reform.”

The transfer and placement of teachers should not merely address immediate staffing needs, but should also serve the goal of long-term professional development, Huyền said.

When teachers work in supportive environments, are given opportunities to improve their professional qualifications and have their abilities properly recognised, they could become the driving force behind positive changes in schools, Huyền said. — VNS