Director of the Department of Home Affairs discusses the mechanism and principles of allocating and recruiting teachers

PV:Dear comrade! Recently, the Central Government has added 2,820 public teacher positions to Nghe An for the 2022-2023 school year. Could you tell us what the basis for that addition was?

Comrade Nguyen Viet Hung:Currently, the number of teachers/class of 4 levels of education in Nghe An is lower than the maximum prescribed standards in the circulars of the Ministry of Education and Training, the Joint Circular of the Ministry of Education and Training - Ministry of Home Affairs. Specifically, for preschool education, for groups of children, on average 12.5 children are arranged with 1 teacher or 2 teachers/group of children, while Joint Circular No. 06 of the Ministry of Education and Training - Ministry of Home Affairs stipulates 1 teacher or 2.5 teachers/group of children for 10 children. Kindergarten classes study 2 sessions/day, 3-4 year old kindergartens are arranged with 1.6 teachers/class; 5 year old kindergartens are arranged with 2 teachers/class, while Circular No. 06 stipulates a maximum of 2.2 teachers/class.

Overview of the regular meeting of the Provincial People's Committee in June 2022. Photo: Pham Bang

Similarly, at the primary level, a class teaching one session a day is arranged with 1.1 teachers/class, while Circular No. 16 of the Ministry of Education and Training stipulates 1.2 teachers/class; a class teaching two sessions a day is arranged with 1.35 teachers/class, while Circular No. 16 stipulates 1.5 teachers/class. This quota allocated by the province includes teachers who are the General Managers of the Ho Chi Minh Young Pioneers Team, and if the teachers who are the General Managers of the Team are excluded, the ratio is only 1.05 teachers/class teaching one session a day and 1.3 teachers/class teaching two sessions a day. At the secondary level, the province arranges 1.9 teachers/class (including teachers who are the General Managers of the Ho Chi Minh Young Pioneers Team) and at the high school level, it arranges 2.25 teachers/class (including teachers working for the Youth Union).

Based on that reality, the Department of Home Affairs and the Department of Education and Training have coordinated to review and advise the Provincial People's Committee to propose the Central Government to supplement the staff for the Nghe An Education sector with a total of 7,814 people. On July 18, 2022, the Central Executive Committee of the Party issued Decision No. 72-QD/TW, after which the Ministry of Home Affairs issued Official Dispatch No. 3887 onsupplement public teacher staffThe 2022-2023 school year for Nghe An province is 2,820 people.

The working group inspected preparations for the new school year in Vinh city. Photo: My Ha

PV:The issue that is of most public concern today is the mechanism and principles for allocating additional staff to ensure transparency and fairness.

Comrade Nguyen Viet Hung:The lack of teachers at all levels is affecting the quality of education and the implementation of the 2018 General Education Program, creating labor pressure on the teaching staff, limiting the creativity of teachers. Therefore, after the issuance of Decision No. 72 of the Party Central Committee and Official Dispatch No. 3887 of the Ministry of Home Affairs, with a spirit of urgency to allocate and recruit teachers, the Provincial Party Committee Standing Committee held a meeting to give opinions and the Provincial People's Committee drafted a report to submit to the Provincial People's Council to issue a Resolution on approving additional public teacher staff for the 2022-2023 school year and adjusting the total staff of civil servants in public service units and the Association in 2022 and 2023, approved at the 9th Session, 18th term, 2021-2026, held on October 12, 2022.

Regarding the recruitment of teachers out of the total 2,820 people added by the Central Government, the issue that the public is concerned about is also the direction of the Provincial Party Committee Standing Committee, the Provincial People's Council Standing Committee and the Provincial People's Committee to ensure scientific, public, transparent, fair, and overcome the local surplus and shortage of teachers in localities. Based on that direction, after the Resolution of the Provincial People's Council was issued, the Department of Home Affairs closely coordinated with the Department of Education and Training to advise the Provincial People's Committee to issue a decision on the allocation and recruitment of teachers according to specific principles.

The first,Based on regional characteristics, advantages and disadvantages (which have been carefully considered and researched when drafting Resolution No. 23 on approving the total number of employees receiving salaries from the budget and contract workers according to Decree No. 68 of the Government in public service units that have not yet ensured regular expenditures and organized in 2023, issued on July 14, 2022) to allocate, add or subtract in accordance with reality, and share with places and regions with difficult conditions.

It is necessary to allocate staff in accordance with reality and share with places and regions with difficult conditions. In the photo: Class time at Dooc May Primary School (Ky Son district, Nghe An). Photo courtesy: Duc Anh

Monday,For each level of education, including preschool level allocated to groups of children and kindergarten classes of each district, city, and town, the direction of the Provincial Party Standing Committee and the Provincial People's Committee is to prioritize staffing arrangements toRecruiting all contract preschool teachersAccording to Joint Circular No. 09, issued on March 11, 2013 by the Ministry of Education and Training, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Home Affairs and Decree 06 of the Government, issued on January 5, 2018, on a province-wide scale. In the case of kindergarten teachers 06, 09 who do not meet the standards, especially qualifications, the establishment will still be allocated to units with contract teachers so that teachers can complete the standards, and new teachers will not be recruited to be included in the establishment this time. For primary and secondary schools, the allocation is based on the number of classes in each district, city, and town. High school levels are allocated based on the number of teachers lacking in schools and the proposed opinions of the Department of Education and Training.

PV:So, how is the recruitment process and recruitment time carried out? Could you please share more specifically about this issue?

Comrade Nguyen Viet Hung:Of the total 2,820 additional positions, the Central Government has specifically allocated them to 4 levels of education, including 2,164 preschool teacher positions; 498 primary school teacher positions; 142 secondary school teacher positions; and 16 high school teacher positions. For the 3 levels of primary, secondary and high school, the allocation principles are quite clear. Through understanding, the issue of most concern to the public at present is the recruitment of preschool teacher positions.

The issue that is of most public concern today is the recruitment of preschool teachers. In the photo: A lesson between teachers and students at Thanh Thuy Kindergarten (Thanh Chuong). Photo: Mai Hoa

As shared above, the direction of the Provincial Party Committee Standing Committee and the Provincial People's Committee is to recruit all contract teachers under categories 06 and 09. As of April 1, 2022, through the joint review of the Department of Home Affairs and the Department of Education and Training, the whole province has 1,777 contract teachers under this category, but by early October 2022, because localities when assigned the payroll have organized the recruitment of teachers 06, 09 into the payroll or some teachers have stopped working, so there are only 1,330 teachers left.

Thus, in the total of 2,164 preschool teacher positions added, except for the recruitment of 1,330 teachers with contract 06, 09, there are 834 positions to be recruited. Specifically, currently in some units there are teachers with district and school contracts, although the contracts are not in accordance with regulations, this team is still contributing to the Education and Training sector every day.

This is an issue that the comrades in the Standing Committee of the Provincial Party Committee and the leaders of the Provincial People's Committee are concerned about. Currently, the Department of Education and Training and the Department of Home Affairs are coordinating to build a set of criteria and a score framework for recruitment, in which priority is given to those who have contributed a lot in terms of time, those with excellent and outstanding achievements in the working process, children of families with preferential policies, etc.

Based on the set of criteria issued by the province, the roles and responsibilities of localities, first of all the responsibilities of the heads - Chairmen of People's Committees of districts, cities and towns, must research and implement public, transparent and clear recruitment; ensure recruitment is both of high quality and overcomes local surpluses and shortages.

Regarding the recruitment time, due to the budget source to ensure salary payment for this team when recruited into the payroll, the Department of Home Affairs is currently continuing to coordinate with the Department of Finance to develop a submission to the Ministry of Finance to allocate the budget to pay salaries for 2,820 positions that the Central Government has added to conduct recruitment and salary payment for teachers. The recruitment time will be carried out in the 2022-2023 school year at all 4 levels.

PV:Thank you comrade!