HCM CITY – Leaders of the HCM City Party Committee and People’s Committee on Friday had a meeting with educators in the city on the 35th anniversary of Việt Nam Teachers’ Day (November 20).

During the meeting, more than 300 teachers and educational officials, who represent more than 10,000 educators in the city, shared their concerns with the city’s leaders.

Huỳnh Công Minh, former director of the city’s Education and Training Department, raised a question to the city’s leaders: “Can teachers live on their salary?”

He said the salary for teachers in Việt Nam was too low, only VNĐ3 million (US$136) for a new graduate.

Most of participants agreed with Minh, and pointed out that low salary did not encourage teachers to wholeheartedly dedicate to their career.

“A new payment mechanism for teachers will help the city’s education sector develop sustainably,” said Minh.

Delegates also expressed their thoughts on appyling advanced curricula in the school.

Hà Hữu Thạch, head of the Lê Quý Đôn High school in District 3, said “We suggest the city’s leaders and the Education and Training Department allow us to import internationally well-known advanced curricula to teach in the school along with the current curricula. This act may prevent the brain drain.”

He gave an example that his school lost about 90 excellent students each year to studying abroad, even though advanced curricula and outdoor activities for students were used in the school.

Thạch hoped the schools with advanced curricula would apply self-control financial mechanisms soon in order to attract more skilled teachers and to send teachers to study abroad.

In addition, the students’ moral in today society is also a huge challenge to the city’s educators.

Minh said “We are focusing on moral education in the high school, while kindergarten and primary are the best levels for teaching morals.”

He added that the city needed to care more about collaboration between society and the schools.

On behalf of the city’s leaders, Tất Thành Cang, deputy secretary of the HCM City Party Committee, said that the city’s education sector was facing challenges, such as an unattractive salary mechanism and out-of-date curriculum and textbooks.

Cang said “The city has collected all delegates’ opinions, which will be used for the project on educational development.”

He also expressed the city’s gratitude to educators in the cause of nation building, and developing HCM City. VNS