The problem of streamlining the staff for the Education sector in Nghe An

Decisionlist many solutions

Education and Training is the sector with the largest total staff compared to other sectors, agencies and units in the province. Implementing the resolutions of the Central and the province onstreamlining the payroll, restructuring the team and innovating, reorganizing the apparatus, recently, the Department of Education and Training has coordinated with localities and affiliated public service units to review the reality, and at the same time propose comprehensive groups of solutions for implementation.

Director of the Department of Education and Training Thai Van Thanh inspected the organization of teaching and learning at Dang Thai Mai Secondary School (Vinh City). Photo: My Ha

On that basis, localities and public service units under the Department proactively develop projects and plans with a specific roadmap for streamlining staff according to Decree 108/2014-ND-CP, Decree No. 113/2018/ND-CP associated with recruiting qualified civil servants and public employees; arranging and streamlining the internal organization of each service unit; arranging schools and classes reasonably...

Like Con Cuong district, in order to streamline the staff, arrange and restructure the team, the district reduced schools, school locations, reduced classes, and increased the number of students per class. In the period 2017 - 2021, Con Cuong district merged 11 small-scale schools, including 2 Bong Khe Primary Schools into 1 school; 2 Chi Khe Primary Schools into 1 school; 3 Mon Son Primary Schools into 1 school; merged Cam Lam Secondary School and Chau Khe Secondary School into Chau Cam Secondary School; Don Phuc Secondary School and Mau Duc Secondary School into Mau Don Secondary School.

Class time of students at Thach Ngan 2 Primary School (Con Cuong). Photo: My Ha

Con Cuong District has converted Cam Lam Primary School and Don Phuc Primary School into a boarding school model to bring students from grades 3, 4 and 5 from satellite schools to the main school to increase the number of students per class, reduce the number of classes and satellite schools. Specifically, these two schools have eliminated 4 schools and reduced 8 classes. Including the district, in 2021 alone, although the number of students increased, the district reduced 16 elementary school classes. Currently, the district is continuing to convert Chau Khe Primary School into a boarding school model and organize the Chau Cam Ethnic Boarding School model.

At the same time, arrange schools and classes neatly and reasonably to streamline the team;Con's PalaceCuongArrange 55 teachers and staff for inter-school work and reduce the payroll by 9 people.

Regarding Quynh Luu district, according to Mr. Nguyen Huu Bo - Head of the district's Internal Affairs Department, the district has drastically implemented streamlining of staff and restructuring of the team.school mergeraccording to the inter-level model, including merging primary and secondary schools in the communes of Ngoc Son, Quynh Tho, Quynh Thuan, and Quynh My; at the same time merging and reducing separate schools in some localities.

Merging schools and classes reasonably, both streamlining staff and focusing resources on investing in facilities and equipment for teaching and learning. Photo: Mai Hoa

Quynh Luu district organizes the sharing of accounting staff at some schools; arranges teachers to teach at primary and secondary schools; and performs concurrently some subjects at secondary level, such as Math teachers teaching IT, Literature teachers teaching Civic Education. To overcome local shortages, Quynh Luu mobilizes and seconds 28 surplus secondary school foreign language teachers to teach at primary level (1-2 years depending on the unit); annually arranges, mobilizes and seconds cultural teachers between primary school units. The evaluation and classification of cadres, civil servants and public employees are strictly directed, serving as a basis for streamlining the payroll.

Gperiod 2015-2021, districtQuynh Luu reduced 78 people, of which 74 people retired under the 108 and 113 regimes, 4 people quit their jobs; districtThanh Chuong tidownsizing the staff under the 108 and 113 regimes with a total of 26 people.

The solution to streamlining the payroll that Thanh Chuong district focuses on is also to arrange the school network. In the period 2015-2021, the district merged 3 kindergartens Thanh Van, Thanh Tuong, Thanh Hung into Dai Dong Kindergarten; merged and reduced 17 separate kindergartens. At the primary level, 5 schools were merged into 3; 10 separate schools were reduced. At the secondary level, 2 schools were merged into 1 school. Teachers were arranged to teach inter-school subjects such as English and IT at the primary and secondary levels; teachers were arranged to teach interdisciplinary subjects at the secondary level.

The campus of Thanh Long Kindergarten (Thanh Chuong) has been expanded, creating conditions for children to play and participate in activities. Photo: Mai Hoa

According to data from the Department of Education and Training, the resultsreorganize the apparatusIn the period of 2015 - 2021, the whole industry has reduced 2 departments in the Department; reduced 99 public service units (including 85 kindergartens, primary and secondary schools; 1 project management board; 12 continuing education centers and 1 provincial general technical - vocational center). The whole province has reduced 162 school locations at 3 levels of kindergarten, primary and secondary school; reduced 582 professional groups and 1,291 office groups in schools.

KThe result of streamlining the payroll in 2021 compared to 2015 for the whole industry is 1,783 people; of which the preschool, primary and secondary school sectors reduced by 1,401 people; the units under the Department reduced by 382 people.

Itemtarget, missionfor the next phase

The policy of streamlining the payroll for the 2021 - 2025 period continues to set a target of 10%. Streamlining the payroll in the context of increasing student numbers at all levels, especially the requirement to ensure the teaching staff implements the 2018 General Education Program and the current teacher/class ratio has not yet reached the regulations, is posing a difficult problem for the Nghe An Education sector.

Currently, the ratepreschool teachersThe province's ratio of teachers per class and group of children (including labor contracts) is only 1.78 teachers per class and group of children (including labor contracts); meanwhile, Circular No. 06/2015/TTLT-BGDĐT-BNV stipulates 2.5 teachers per group of children and 2.2 teachers in charge per kindergarten class. Similarly, the ratio of primary school teachers is only 1.28 teachers per class, while the maximum is 1.5 teachers per class. At the secondary school level, the ratio is 1.75 teachers per class, while the maximum is 1.9 teachers per class. Thus, compared to the prescribed norms to carry out the tasks, in the 2021-2022 school year, Nghe An Education sector is still short of more than 8,000 teachers at all levels.

The demand to streamline staffing amid increasing student numbers is putting pressure on the teaching staff. Photo: Mai Hoa

“VThe lack of teachers will affect the quality of education and the implementation of the 2018 General Education Program, create labor pressure on the teaching staff, and limit teachers' creativity...".

Mr. Thai Van Thanh - Director of Department of Education and Training

We learned that in the 2021-2022 school year, the allocation of staff to the Education sector has changed, with the total staff assigned higher than previous years, better meeting the needs of educational institutions. However, difficulties continue to arise. Specifically, the total staff assigned is 54,475 people; of which 45,980 people receive salaries from the budget; 8,459 contracts receive salaries from career revenue; 36 people have contracts according to Decree 68/2000/ND-CP.

According to the reflection of Mr. Le Thanh An - Head of the Department of Education and Training of Con Cuong district, although the staff assigned to the locality has increased, the number of contract workers receiving salary from career revenue, including 78 preschool teachers, 36 primary school teachers and 25 secondary school teachers for Con Cuong, cannot be implemented because the locality and schools do not have the source to pay contract salaries. This is also a common reality in localities, meaning that 8,459 contracts receiving salary from assigned career revenue are currently not feasible. Regarding this issue, Mr. Nguyen Quoc Khanh - Deputy Head of the Department of Organization and Personnel, Nghe An Department of Education and Training said: The assignment is to have a basis for localities and educational institutions to find sources of revenue to pay; but currently there is no source of revenue to implement.

Attention should be paid to arranging enough staff to reduce pressure on the teaching staff. Photo: Mai Hoa

To ensure the team implements the goals of building schools that meet national standards and educational quality assessment criteria, improve the quality of education, reduce labor pressure on the teaching staff and create conditions for creativity and innovation, the Department of Education and Training recommends supplementing the payroll, ensuring the number of people working at all levels according to regulations. On the other hand, the Department has also proactively proposed a number of solutions to continue streamlining the payroll and restructuring the team in the period of 2022 - 2026.

Accordingly, the requirement is to continue reviewing, arranging and reorganizing kindergartens and general schools in association with improving the quality of education, forming inter-level general schools and commune clusters; consolidating the system of ethnic minority boarding schools at the junior high school level; building a system of ethnic minority boarding schools at the primary level. At the same time, it is necessary to build a school model that operates in the direction of partial financial autonomy; piloting a model of key schools, piloting a model of advanced schools; developing a project to streamline the payroll, especially the leadership and management group; professional, technical and administrative, serving in the direction of increasing the concurrent holding of medical, equipment, accounting, clerical and treasurer positions; strengthening the assessment and classification of civil servants and public employees to streamline those who do not meet the requirements of the job position...

In the period of 2022 - 2026, Nghe An Education sector continues to review, arrange and reorganize kindergartens and general schools; form inter-level general schools and commune clusters; consolidate the system of ethnic boarding schools at the junior high school level; build a system of ethnic boarding schools at the primary level.

Tuong Duong District Ethnic Minority Boarding Secondary School - one of the first boarding schools at the secondary level to be established and invested in spacious and modern facilities. The school currently has nearly 400 students studying. Photo: My Ha