The challenge of 'rejuvenating' the team of Head of the Youth Union:

"Aging" of the team of Head of the Youth Union

Born in 1974 and about to become a grandmother, teacher Nguyen Thi Minh Hanh still continues her work.Team LeaderThanh Lam Primary School (Thanh Chuong). She is one of the oldest Head of the Youth Union participating in the Provincial-level Youth Union Head Competition. Ms. Hanh said that she wants to bring achievements to the school and motivate younger teachers to strive for success.

Having served as the Head of the Youth Union for 25 years, she says it's a fascinating job with many beneficial activities, and that working with the Youth Union makes her feel much younger than her age. However, with the desire for the school's Youth Union activities to be more innovative and dynamic, she hopes to soon find a replacement. Or at least, someone with the same passion and enthusiasm so she can gradually train and nurture them.

"I work far from home and have dedicated many years to my profession, so I want to spend time with my family and focus on my work. But honestly, finding young people is difficult, and finding someone who understands and loves the job is even harder. So, even though I've been proposing this for two years, the school still hasn't found someone who meets all the requirements," Ms. Hanh shared.

Teacher Nguyen Thi Minh Hanh - Head of the Youth Union at Thanh Lam Primary School (Thanh Chuong).

At nearly 50 years old, teacher Nguyen Doan Cong from Nghia Hoan Secondary School is also one of the oldest Head of the Youth Union in Tan Ky district. Originally a physical education teacher, he has a fondness for extracurricular activities and possesses many unique talents, so since 2002, the school has entrusted him with the additional responsibility of Head of the Youth Union.

According to regulations, the term of office for a Head Teacher in charge of the Youth Union is usually only 5 years, but the difficulty in finding a replacement has caused him to extend this position from one term to the next. Even now, he doesn't know when he will be able to retire because the school doesn't know when they will find a suitable replacement.

Speaking further about his specific job, teacher Nguyen Doan Cong said: "Although I really enjoy being the Head of the Youth Union, compared to the past, it's difficult for someone my age to be effective now because my enthusiasm is no longer as high as it was when I was younger."

At the recently held provincial-level competition for outstanding teachers in charge of the Youth Union, Tan Ky district had a quota of 4 teachers to participate. However, after reviewing primary and secondary schools in the district, only 2 teachers met the criteria, both of whom were over 40 years old.

Adding further details, Ms. Vo Thi Huyen Nhung, a specialist from the Tan Ky District Department of Education and Training, stated: Currently, those serving as Head of the Youth Union in the district are all teachers with additional responsibilities, and they are quite old, ranging from 40-45 years old. In the future, "rejuvenating" the team will be very difficult because this is a specialized job.

Besides enthusiasm and passion, those serving as Head of the Youth Union also need to possess talents in culture, arts, physical education, and sports, and especially experience, particularly given the current 2018 General Education Program which requires organizing many extracurricular experiential activities. The current difficulty, especially at the secondary school level, is that most schools have not been recruiting additional staff for a long time. Therefore, building a successor team faces many challenges.

Strengthening the training of "new talents"

A typical workday for Mr. Nguyen Cao Bang, a music teacher and head of the Youth Union at Thai Son Primary School (Do Luong district), usually lasts until nearly 6 PM. His extra time is primarily dedicated to extracurricular activities, often held at the end of each school day and completely free of charge, including folk dancing, practicing Youth Union rituals, and singing and dancing in the schoolyard.

Four years ago, Mr. Bang was the top scorer at the provincial-level competition for Head Teachers of the Youth Union. With many years of experience in Youth Union work, Mr. Bang is currently a member of the District Youth Union Council and a core teacher who regularly participates in training, professional skills development, and Youth Union activities organized by the Do Luong District Youth Union Council. Through his experience in Youth Union work at the school, Mr. Bang shared: "When you first become a Head Teacher of the Youth Union, everyone has their own unique challenges."

However, to succeed, besides talent, one must have passion, a thirst for learning, and a specific, focused plan for the year to allocate time appropriately. I often share these experiences with my colleagues.

The entire Do Luong district has 53 youth teams in schools, along with 53 teachers serving as Head of the Youth Team. Besides their other duties, the age of these Heads of the Youth Team is quite high, with 36 of them being 40 years old or older.

Based on the above reality, over the years, the District Youth Union and the District Children's Council of Do Luong district have determined that it is necessary to quickly train and develop a new generation to rejuvenate the team of Head Teachers of the Children's Union in schools. Most recently, at the provincial-level competition for Head Teachers of the Children's Union, the district had 3 teachers who won first, second, and third prizes, all of whom are young teachers under 35 years old. Mr. Bang and several other Head Teachers of the Children's Union in the district made a significant contribution to this overall success.

Elaborating on this, Mr. Nguyen Tat Hung, Deputy Secretary of the District Youth Union and Chairman of the District Children's Council, said: "Older leaders of the Children's Council will face many difficulties in their activities. Meanwhile, they possess enthusiasm, experience, and many outstanding skills. Therefore, during the training and development process, we consider them the main force and core group to support younger people."

Regarding the aging of the team of Head Teachers of the Youth Union, the recent provincial-level competition for outstanding Head Teachers of the Youth Union revealed alarming figures: the number of teachers registering to participate in some districts was low, with some districts having only one participant due to the difficulty in finding qualified individuals. The participation rate, less than 10% (76 out of 889 Head Teachers of the Youth Union nationwide), is far too low compared to the actual needs.

Furthermore, among the initial list of 76 registered teachers, only 9 were aged 29-33, while the rest included 53 teachers aged 34-43 and 14 teachers aged 44-49, with the oldest being born in 1974. Through the organization process, the organizing committee also noted that "most of the teachers in charge of the Youth Union are older and therefore hesitant to participate."

Given the current difficulties, Mr. Nguyen Ho Phuoc, Head of the School Affairs Department of the Nghe An Provincial Youth Union, said that to rejuvenate the team of Team Leaders, schools need to find successors and have a plan for training and development. The Nghe An Provincial Youth Union will coordinate with the Central Youth Union and relevant units to create conditions for joint training, implement various activities, and organize training camps so that Team Leaders have the opportunity to gain experience and improve their professional skills.

Regarding the team of Head of the Ho Chi Minh Young Pioneers Organization in schools, the Ministry of Education and Training has issued Circular 27/2017/TT-BGDĐT stipulating the standards for teachers serving as Head of the Ho Chi Minh Young Pioneers Organization. However, in reality, many teachers in schools are not enthusiastic about this job because, in addition to the prescribed standards, it is a job that requires a lot of time, effort, and dedication. Meanwhile, the incentive mechanisms and policies are not adequate, and the work pressure is high. Therefore, the "rejuvenation" of this role will face many difficulties.

Regarding the team of Head of the Ho Chi Minh Young Pioneers Organization in schools, the Ministry of Education and Training has issued Circular 27/2017/TT-BGDĐT stipulating the standards for teachers serving as Head of the Ho Chi Minh Young Pioneers Organization. However, in reality, many teachers in schools are not enthusiastic about this job because, in addition to the prescribed standards, it is a job that requires a lot of time, effort, and dedication. Meanwhile, the incentive mechanisms and policies are not adequate, and the work pressure is high. Therefore, the "rejuvenation" of this role will face many difficulties.

My Ha