High salary, new law: Extra teaching has no end?

TPO - The Law on Teachers will take effect from January 1, 2026, creating a separate legal corridor for more than one million teachers for the first time. Although the regulation on the highest salary is expected to help teachers feel secure in their dedication, the leader of the Ministry of Education and Training admitted that salary is only part of the problem of extra teaching and learning.

Deputy Minister Pham Ngoc Thuong said that the Law on Teachers consists of 9 chapters and 42 articles, taking effect from January 1, 2026.

The provisions of the Law on Teachers focus on five major policies on teachers approved by the Government , including: Identification of teachers; standards and titles of teachers; recruitment, use and working regime of teachers; training, fostering, rewarding and honoring teachers; state management of teachers.

Removing policy "bottlenecks"

For the team of more than one million teachers nationwide, the Law on Teachers is an important legal corridor, creating more complete and better policies so that teachers can work with peace of mind and dedicate themselves to their profession.

Deputy Minister of Education and Training Pham Ngoc Thuong.

For the Education sector, the Law on Teachers affirms the position and proactive role of the sector in recruiting, using, managing and developing the teaching staff.

In particular, the Law unifies the authority for the Education sector to take the initiative in recruiting teachers, decentralizes recruitment authority to the heads of public universities and vocational training institutions to autonomously recruit teachers.

The Law assigns authority to the Minister of Education and Training to regulate the authority to recruit teachers in preschool, general education, and continuing education institutions.

Delegating authority to the education sector in recruiting and using teachers is an important adjustment step to remove "bottlenecks" in policies for teachers, especially solving the problem of surplus and shortage of teachers.

From there, the Ministry of Education and Training proactively coordinates and plans short-term, medium-term, and long-term staff development plans in the future.

Teaching is not just for the salary.

The Ministry of Education and Training will advise the Government to rearrange the salary scale of some teaching positions. Deputy Minister Pham Ngoc Thuong expressed his deep understanding of the concerns and disadvantages of contract teachers, who are still dedicating themselves to the cause of education.

However, according to current regulations, contract teachers are subject to the Labor Law, so salary arrangement must be carried out according to the agreement mechanism between employees and employers.

According to the Deputy Minister, the regulation of the highest salary for teachers is also an important basis for the parties to negotiate with each other, thereby ensuring the rights of contract teachers, creating conditions for them to be treated appropriately for their efforts, intelligence and dedication.

Regarding the issue of whether or not setting teachers' salaries at the highest level will help reduce the situation of extra teaching and learning, Mr. Thuong affirmed: "Circular 29 of the Ministry of Education and Training does not prohibit extra teaching and learning, but only prohibits widespread and illegal extra teaching and learning."

Whether or not a teacher teaches extra classes depends on many factors, not just salary. Some teachers are very dedicated and willing to teach for free, while others accept a symbolic fee to reassure parents. The important thing is that extra classes must be strictly managed, in accordance with regulations, transparent and for the benefit of students.

Leaders of the Ministry of Education and Training said that the circular sets out very clear regulations to protect students' rights, preserve teachers' qualities, and strictly prohibit teachers from tutoring the same students they have taught in class, to avoid conflicts of interest and ensure the quality of education during regular school hours.

With such regulations, good, dedicated teachers who are trusted by parents can teach extra classes properly, without being misunderstood or accused of forcing students.

“Therefore, salary is only one of the factors. High salary is part of the effort to honor and protect the honor of teachers, along with the increasing responsibility and dedication of this team,” Deputy Minister Pham Ngoc Thuong emphasized.

Ha Linh

Source: https://tienphong.vn/luong-cao-luat-moi-day-them-chua-co-hoi-ket-post1759387.tpo