Why have the teachers who taught the 2nd graduation exam review in 2008 not been paid yet?

(Baonghean) -The 2006-2007 school year was the first year of implementing the Campaign "Say no to negativity in exams and achievement disease in education".

The results of real teaching, real learning, and real testing reflected the real quality of the 2006-2007 school year graduation exam. Nghe An alone had a high school graduation rate that decreased by more than half compared to the previous year: 44.57% compared to 98%; the high school supplementary education system surprisingly reversed with a rate of 7.82% compared to 96% the previous year. Nghe An became the province with the highest number of candidates taking the second exam in the country with 23,897 in high school and 6,897 in high school supplementary education. Not only that, the rate of students recognized as having completed primary school and graduating from junior high school also decreased significantly.

In that situation, the Ministry of Education and Training has decided to organize a second review and test for 5th graders who have not been recognized as having completed primary school, 9th graders who have not been recognized as having graduated from junior high school, and a second review and graduation exam for 12th graders who have not passed high school graduation or high school supplementary graduation in the first exam in 2007; all costs from review, test, recognition and second graduation exam will be provided from the source transferred by the Ministry; teachers who teach review for recognition and second graduation exam will be paid 200% of their current salary because it coincides with the 2 summer months.

According to the Ministry's policy, school leaders and professional groups (with exam subjects) assign teachers with solid expertise and teaching experience to directly teach review to the school's students. During the review teaching process, the school establishes classes, assigns teachers in charge of each class; has a lesson plan, teachers sign to teach, class monitors sign to study, and school leaders confirm. Based on that, the school makes a list of proposed payments (with lesson plans and exam review lesson plans) and sends it to the Department of Education and Training (for primary and secondary schools) and the Department of Education and Training (for high schools and continuing education centers).

Through the Planning and Finance Department, Nghe An Department of Education and Training, we learned that: After the second graduation examination and recognition in 2007, the Ministry of Education and Training transferred 18,434 billion VND to Nghe An Department of Education and Training; the Department spent over 11 billion VND; of which 71,335 million VND was returned to Ky Son Ethnic Minority High School. On January 24, 2008, the school paid all of the above amount to 24 teachers; in which the highest recipient was teacher Ho Sy Anh, 6,304 million VND, 7 teachers received the lowest amount of 2,336 million VND.

In the 2007-2008 school year graduation exam, the second year of the "two no" campaign, the percentage of students passing the graduation exam was raised, but still low; Nghe An alone achieved 61.73% for high school students and 33.04% for high school supplementary students in the first exam. Nghe An is still the province with the highest number of students failing the first graduation exam in the country, with 19,243 students in high school and 4,704 students in high school supplementary students; and the number of candidates registering for the second graduation exam was also the highest: 17,281 students in high school and 3,907 students in high school supplementary students.

The Ministry of Education and Training plans to continue organizing review sessions and exams for the second time as in the 2006-2007 school year. Therefore, immediately after the first graduation results were announced, the Department planned to direct schools to organize review sessions for students who registered for the second exam. All schools have seriously implemented the program since the beginning of July to strive for the best results.

Teacher Ho Sy Anh, a teacher at Ky Son Ethnic Minority School, said: We, the ones who directly teach the second graduation exam, are mostly teachers from the delta districts. In addition to sacrificing our own happiness and summer vacation, we have to spend more than 2 million on food, accommodation, and travel and make an effort to raise the graduation rate from 39% the first time to 41% the second time. Is that recognized?

The reason why many teachers in the mountainous areas are wondering about the second graduation exam review money is because it has been 40 months but they have not received it. To find out the reason, we learned that this year, the Ministry does not have money to transfer back like last year. In Nghe An alone, the amount transferred by the Ministry last year has only spent over 11 billion VND. Faced with this reality, the Department of Education and Training asked for the opinion of the Provincial People's Committee and was approved by the People's Committee to use the remaining amount of over 7 billion VND from last year to spend on two things: organizing review sessions for students in mountainous districts and highland areas throughout the 2007-2008 school year and spending on the second graduation exam review for the 2007-2008 school year. With this direction, the Department transferred 71,629 million VND to Ky Son Ethnic Minority High School to pay for tutoring for weak students in the 2007-2008 school year. In fact, the school has paid the entire amount to 30 teachers according to payment slip No. 12, dated January 16, 2009. According to Mr. Luong Van Nghe, Principal of Ky Son Ethnic Minority High School, the Department of Education and Training has not yet transferred the payment for the 2nd high school graduation exam review in 2008 to the school, so the school has not paid the teachers. So, from then until now, nearly 3 and a half years have passed, the teachers in the highlands of Ky Son have not received the money (although there is a source) to teach the 2nd graduation exam review for the 2007-2008 school year according to the direction of the Provincial People's Committee. A question arises: Will teachers in other highland schools have to suffer the situation of not being paid like the teachers at Ky Son Ethnic Minority High School? Why has the Department of Education and Training not given any explanation to the teachers for such a long time?

To clarify this matter and to ensure the rights of teachers, it is thought that the Provincial People's Committee needs to direct the relevant authorities to investigate whether the Education sector has spent more than 7 billion VND in accordance with the province's direction.

Thao Nhi