Nghe An's recruitment of education officials: An opportunity to screen and select talented individuals.

New hopes

"During an English lesson, while the whole class was discussing a question, one student didn't participate. As a result, this student was teased and criticized by their classmates. In that situation, how should the teacher handle it?...". This is a professional and technical question that Ms. Nguyen Thi Kim Thoa (English teacher – Nghi Van Primary School, Van Kieu commune) received during the recent recruitment of civil servants in the Education sector.

With over 10 years of teaching experience, this is a familiar situation that Ms. Kim Thoa handles daily: A student's lack of cooperation isn't necessarily due to a lack of ability, but rather a lack of confidence. Therefore, as a teacher, I would tell the class that we need to help and encourage this student to overcome the obstacle and integrate into the class – Ms. Thoa recounted.

In 2026, Ms. Nguyen Thi Kim Thoa will turn 37 and has been a contract English teacher at Nghi Van Primary School for over 10 years. Over the years, despite a salary of only about 5 million VND per month, she has remained dedicated to her job and has never considered changing careers.

During her many years as a contract teacher at the school, this female teacher had also waited many times for an opportunity to be hired.recruitmentHowever, this has not been implemented due to a lack of available positions. Therefore, this 2026 civil servant recruitment exam is also the first time she has participated in an exam to recruit teachers.

"

This year, Nghi Loc district (formerly) had 5 positions for primary school English teachers, but there were 19 applications. Therefore, I was very worried before participating in this exam. However, I told myself that I had to try my best so that even if I failed, I would have no regrets.

Teacher Nguyen Thi Kim Thoa

After much determination, on the day she received the results, teacher Kim Thoa shared that she felt very happy to have achieved 67 points and ranked 5th in the entire (former) district. Although there hasn't been an official announcement yet, she hopes that in a short time she will become a civil servant in the Education sector and be able to stay in the profession for a long time: "Previously, at the end of each school year, contract teachers at the school always carried many mixed feelings and always wondered if they would be able to continue teaching. That insecurity haunted us year after year, and not everyone had enough patience to stay in the profession," the female teacher added.

In the recent exam, with 86 points, Ms. Nguyen Thi Binh, currently an equipment and library staff member at Bao Thanh Secondary School (Hop Minh commune), was the candidate with the highest score in the province for this position.

Previously, after 17 years of working and living a meager salary of only 85% of the basic wage (approximately 4 million VND/month) on a district-level contract, she shared that life was extremely difficult, especially while supporting her elderly mother and three children who were still in school. "This recruitment period seemed like my only chance to overcome the difficulties ahead. Therefore, I studied very seriously, applying all the experience I had gained. I believe the results accurately reflect my abilities, and I am very happy and grateful," affirmed this female school employee born in 1988.

Realistic and accurate assessment of abilities.

The recruitment exam for civil servants in the education sector was held after the implementation of a two-tiered local government system and was also the first time the province entrusted the education sector with recruiting teachers and staff from preschool to junior high school.

To ensure the examination is conducted seriously, during the process, the Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee repeatedly requested the Education sector to implement it in a spirit of openness, transparency, objectivity, and legality, in order to recruit a sufficient number of teachers and school staff to meet the requirements of improving the quality of local education.

Prior to the exam, due to a higher-than-expected number of applicants, the province directed a shift from oral to written exams to ensure quality and prevent irregularities. Furthermore, to increase transparency, the province, for the first time, invited an external unit to create and grade the exam questions. Simultaneously, a surveillance camera system was installed in all examination rooms, ensuring strict control over the recruitment process with the participation of relevant agencies. Provincial leaders also demanded that the recruitment process be fair among all candidates, selecting a team with good capabilities and qualities, thereby building trust among the people.

With thorough preparation, the first exam implemented by the Education sector has initially yielded positive results. The published results somewhat reflect the abilities of the candidates, with only about 60% of applicants scoring above 50 points and meeting the requirements for official admission.

Publicizing exam results along with related information on qualifications, expertise, and professional skills not only ensures transparency but also helps candidates compare and assess their own abilities against a common standard, thereby creating consensus and trust in the recruitment process. In reality, high-scoring candidates who are expected to be officially hired are all capable and passionate professionals, many of whom have years of teaching experience. In addition, many young, recent graduates have also had the opportunity to demonstrate their abilities.

Among the candidates in this year's exam, Do Huyen Trang is one of the youngest, having just graduated from university in 2025. However, with a distinction degree from Ho Chi Minh City University of Education and experience teaching English at various centers, Trang has accumulated a wealth of practical experience. As a result, Trang achieved the highest score in the exam for the position of primary school English teacher in the former Vinh City area.

The prospective primary school teacher also stated that, after being officially hired, she will strive to apply her learned knowledge and continuously update her knowledge of information technology in teaching to create lively and engaging lessons for her students.

"

I have great confidence in this exam, from its organization and question setting to its grading. Personally, with my score of 93, I am completely satisfied with the result. Besides the general legal knowledge section, the professional skills section, tailored to the job requirements, was very practical…

Candidate Do Huyen Trang

Besides the positive results, the 2026 civil servant recruitment exam also left some regrets as quite a few candidates had low scores. Initial summaries show that out of 69 recruitment positions, concentrated in mountainous communes, no candidates met the minimum requirement (50/100 points) for consideration.

Evaluating this year's exam, Director of the Department of Education and Training Nguyen Van Khoa said that the exam was organized "completely" and provided many opportunities for candidates.

"

We received many messages from parents expressing their joy that their children had been accepted, including some who graduated with excellent grades and had an IELTS score of 8.0 but had to work temporarily in Hanoi for 3 years before they had the opportunity to return home.

Director of the Department of Education and Training Nguyen Van Khoa

Immediately after the results were announced, the Department also sought the province's opinion and seriously carried out the re-evaluation of more than 300 exam papers to ensure the rights and fairness of all candidates.