Teachers in the mountainous region of Nghe An receive Tet bonuses of MSG and tea

It is easy to see that at the end of the year, when administrative units have high bonuses for cadres, civil servants and public employees, teachers in remote areas of Nghe An province are lucky to only receive a maximum bonus of 500,000 VND. Some other schools, due to limited budgets, can only "encourage" teachers with 50-70 thousand VND along with a package of MSG and a package of tea.

Nam Can Ethnic Minority Boarding Secondary School (Ky Son) is located in a particularly difficult border area with 25 staff and teachers, and is also busy preparing for Tet on weekends.

This year, according to the teachers, thanks to the support of the school, the Party cell and the union, each person also received a bonus of 400 thousand. This is also a great encouragement for the teachers who have devoted themselves to this remote area.

Teachers in the mountainous region of Nghe An prepare peach branches and dong leaves to take home for Tet. Photo: PV

Teacher Ho Dang Quyen shared: My hometown is in Quynh Luu, I have been working here for 12 years, each semester I can only go home a few times because the road is far away. When I heard about Tet holiday, I just want to quickly go home to my family. I am the head of the family in the house, but since I came here to work, I have never had the chance to personally prepare the offerings for the Kitchen Gods. The school's bonus this year has also partly helped with the transportation costs for this occasion. "Luckily, this year I received 2 months' salary at once, otherwise with 400,000 VND for Tet holiday, I wouldn't know how to shop or spend it" - teacher Quyen said sadly.

Repairing the motorbike to prepare to cross the forest to return home. Photo: PV

Unlike the teachers at the same school, who are skillful, many female teachers at this school take advantage of their free time to make many kinds of candies to bring home to celebrate Tet. Ms. Nguyen Thi Tinh, from Thanh Chuong, confided that every year, the Tet holiday is short, including the day of departure and the day of return, which takes 2 days, so even though she comes home for a holiday, she never prepares Tet for her family by herself. Her salary is low, and her bonus is only 400 silver coins, so many things have to be prepared at school before bringing them home. "Thanks to the sisters at school, this year, in addition to peach blossoms and dong leaves, I can also make candied fruit and jam to bring home for my family to celebrate Tet. After being home for a few days, I have no time to take care of my children and do offerings," Ms. Nguyen Thi Tinh shared.

Mr. Nguyen Hong Hoa - Head of the Ky Son Education and Training Department said: "The Tet bonus is all up to the schools to balance their budgets and the education department does not have a policy to direct how much to reward. Some schools with a lot of money get 500,000 VND, some schools with little money get 300-400,000 VND/person. The operating expenses for the school, besides salary, are only over 100 million VND per year, nothing more. Schools with a lot of income get high bonuses, but in Ky Son, there is almost no income, so the Tet bonus is very limited."

Mr. Lo Kham Phu - Principal of Nam Can Secondary School for Ethnic Minorities said: "The Tet bonus for staff and teachers depends on the school's budget balance. However, every year, no matter how little or much, the unit sets aside a little to reward everyone for coming home for Tet as encouragement."

Teachers of Nam Can Ethnic Minority Boarding Secondary School wrap cakes for students to celebrate New Year's Eve. Photo: PV

At Huu Khuong Primary School (Tuong Duong), one of the most difficult areas in Nghe An province, this year's Tet bonus is more limited. Mr. Bui Van Hao, the school's principal, said: "Due to the school's limited budget, on November 20, we also gave each staff and teacher a bonus of 200,000 VND/person, so this time the unit will not give any Tet bonus. In other places, there are still sources of income, but our school only relies on other expenses provided by the state. This source is mainly used for professional activities and school work. Therefore, this time, staff and teachers are only supported with 50-70 thousand VND along with a package of MSG and a package of tea to go home for Tet."

Teachers' cars were packed with things to go home for Tet. Photo: PV

Ms. Hoang Thi Hien, a teacher at Huu Khuong Primary School, who married a man from Ninh Binh province, sadly shared: “I married a man far away, so every year I have to travel nearly 500 km to get home. My monthly salary is not enough to cover the travel and shopping for my family during Tet. However, getting a packet of MSG and a packet of tea to bring home is already a great comfort.”

Thus, it can be seen that the Tet bonus for teachers in the highlands mostly depends on the budget of the schools. But in the end, it is only at a meager level of encouragement. That is also a disadvantage for those who sow letters in the "remote mountains and valleys" of Nghe An.