Preschool teachers should be considered a 'hard, toxic' profession

Regarding this issue, Nghe An Newspaper recorded some opinions of teachers and managers who are directly teaching and in charge of this level of education.

Teacher Nguyen Thi Van - Teacher at Nam Giang Kindergarten - Nam Dan:

I think that the Ministry of Education and Training's proposal to put preschool teachers in the group of heavy and toxic occupations is appropriate, because in reality, like ours today, a preschool teacher has to do a lot of work, from morning to night.

We are both teachers and mothers, taking care of the children meticulously and carefully, especially when they are sick or in pain. But we are also like sanitation workers, cleaning and tidying up all day long.

After more than 30 years in the profession, I clearly feel the hardships of this job. Sometimes we still wish the Government would have an early retirement policy for preschool teachers because this job is too stressful.

Furthermore, this will also create conditions for young teachers to enter the industry, suitable for the job in current conditions.

In fact, despite our efforts, older people find it difficult and slower to absorb information technology than younger people. Singing and dancing are no longer suitable for people over 50 like us.

Teacher Nguyen Thi Hoa - Vice Principal of Nam Giang Kindergarten - Nam Dan:

Preschool is a “come early, come late” industry. In our school, just arranging teachers for each class is extremely difficult. Most of the parents are working as workers in the local garment factories.

To ensure pick-up time, teachers have to arrive very early. Meanwhile, in the late afternoon, many parents work overtime and come very late to pick up their children, and sometimes teachers have to take the children home to return them to their families.

From this reality, I think not only me but all preschool teachers across the country are waiting for this policy to come into practice. With many tasks as it is now, preschool teachers are under pressure both in terms of time and work. If there is concern, it will encourage teachers to have more motivation to contribute and to stick with it for a long time.

Teacher Nguyen Thi Hong Nga - Vice Principal of Nghi Hoa Kindergarten - townCua Lo commune:

We are very pleased to hear that the Ministry of Education and Training proposed to the Ministry of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs to consider putting preschool teachers in the group of arduous and hazardous occupations. We strongly agree with this policy.

Indeed,preschool teacheris a very hard job, not only working 10 hours but sometimes 12 hours a day. In addition to professional work, another important task is to ensure absolute safety for students, forcing teachers to concentrate highly and not be negligent.

It is worth mentioning that currently, many kindergartens are lacking teachers. Our school is lacking 7 teachers, so the number of teachers required is not guaranteed. Teachers are all overloaded, and some classes even have only 1 teacher.

If interested, we also hope that the National Assembly should consider reducing the retirement age of preschool teachers to 55 years old. At this age, with its own characteristics, preschool teachers often fall into a state of lethargy, making it difficult to work effectively.

Teacher Le Thi Loi - Teacher at Nghi Hoa Kindergarten - ThiCua Lo commune:

Currently, I am teaching a class of 4-5 year olds. Due to the lack of teachers, there is only one teacher in the class and we have to take on a lot of work from education, child care, and classroom cleaning.

I see that the work of a preschool teacher takes up a lot of time. We often say to each other that we go to work before the sun rises and return when the sun sets, so time is very limited and there is no time to take care of the family. The biggest wish of preschool teachers is to be guaranteed policies, to be cared for and prioritized in their work so that teachers can work with peace of mind.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Hai Yen - Deputy Head of Preschool Education Department - Department of Education and Training:

Preschool education is a level that lacks many teachers and most teachers in schools are overworked. Due to their own characteristics, in recent years, many preschool teachers have quit their jobs or applied to transfer to other professions. From a management perspective, we are very sad to receive this information.

Many people think that having a separate policy for preschool teachers is a favor. But I think this is appropriate because it correctly assesses the difficulties, hardships, and hardships that preschool teachers are facing.

Personally, I also think that preschool teachers should be put into a toxic profession for many reasons such as: Preschool teachers are working at least 10 hours/day and do not have a lunch break, because many schools lack teachers. Besides, young preschool children need to be taken care of, observed and guided to play, study, eat, and sleep, so it is very hard. In fact, teachers at other levels have classes and breaks, but preschool teachers almost do not have this privilege and teachers are very disadvantaged./.