Subsidies for preschool teachers to further motivate them to love their profession.
The proposal to provide newly recruited public preschool teachers with a minimum subsidy equivalent to one year's basic salary, with a commitment to work for at least five years, has received widespread support.
Acknowledging the difficulties
The Ministry of Education and Training has proposed that newly recruited public preschool teachers starting from the 2025-2026 school year will receive a subsidy equivalent to at least one year's basic salary, provided they commit to working for at least five years.
Based on her many years of experience, Ms. Nguyen Thi Mai Van - Deputy Principal of Ha Tri Kindergarten (Ha Dong, Hanoi) - assesses that this proposal is a humane policy, in line with practical needs and creating a positive transformation for the early childhood education sector.
Based on her many years of experience, Ms. Nguyen Thi Mai Van - Deputy Principal of Ha Tri Kindergarten (Ha Dong, Hanoi) - assesses that this proposal is a humane policy, in line with practical needs and creating a positive transformation for the early childhood education sector.
In recent years, recruiting public preschool teachers has been challenging due to the demanding nature of the job and inadequate compensation, while the private sector offers more flexible and attractive policies. Providing financial support from the recruitment stage would create a significant incentive for workers to choose and stay in the public sector, especially young teachers.
Requiring young teachers to commit to a minimum of five years of service not only helps schools stabilize their staffing but also allows teachers time to adapt, develop their expertise, and make long-term contributions to the profession. However, for this policy to be effective, some difficulties must be frankly acknowledged.
First, there's the issue of funding – paying a subsidy equivalent to one year's basic salary to each teacher would be a significant burden for many localities, requiring rational, transparent, and sustainable allocation.
Furthermore, specific monitoring and enforcement mechanisms are needed to ensure teachers fulfill their five-year commitment, preventing abuse of the policy and early retirement. Another issue is that the morale of long-serving teachers may be negatively impacted without corresponding incentive policies, leading to comparisons and unfairness within the organization.
"Therefore, I suggest that a pilot program should be implemented in a few localities before widespread application, and at the same time, appropriate support policies should be studied for teachers currently working, such as through training programs, salary increases, or support for further education," added Ms. Nguyen Thi Mai Van.
Teachers need more attention.
Besides financial support, many also believe that the State needs to continue investing in improving the working environment, facilities, and professional development so that preschool teachers can feel secure and committed to the profession in the long term.
Speaking to the Education and Times newspaper, Ms. Truong Thi Tuyen – Deputy Principal of An Khanh B Kindergarten (An Khanh, Hanoi) – said that this policy is very practical because it supports new teachers in stabilizing their lives so they have the best mindset and working conditions, reducing the rate of leaving the profession before achieving financial stability; at the same time, it also attracts more human resources for preschool education.
The annual basic salary subsidy (2.34 million VND x 12 months = 28,080,000 VND) is a significant financial support, helping to alleviate the initial burden for new teachers who often have low salaries. This increases the attractiveness of early childhood education, encouraging more talented students to apply to teacher training colleges and universities.
“This subsidy is the State’s recognition of the role of preschool teachers, helping them feel valued and motivated to contribute more. However, instead of providing the subsidy from the first year and requiring a commitment to work for at least 5 years, the State could provide support on an annual basis to create motivation, along with rewards and seniority benefits for young teachers just starting out in the profession,” Ms. Truong Thi Tuyen explained.
Strongly supporting this initiative, Ms. Luu Tuyet Ha, Principal of Tay Mo A Kindergarten (Tay Mo, Hanoi), believes that the financial subsidy will help schools attract more applicants and address the teacher shortage. It will also help kindergartens retain teachers for longer periods, reducing the high turnover rate that negatively impacts educational quality.
