Brian Jeffrey
Tackling Teacher Shortages in Lang Chanh District
In the Lang Chanh district of Thanh Hoa province, several schools have halted lessons in certain subjects at the start of the 2024-2025 academic year due to a shortage of teachers.
According to Nguyen Ngoc Son, the district’s education official, local authorities have been given permission to recruit teachers. Despite their efforts publicized through local media, the response has been minimal, leaving a gap of 92 teaching positions across the district.
Similar teacher shortages are also affecting other remote districts in Thanh Hoa, including Quan Son, Quan Hoa, and Muong Lat.
Experts highlight that the lack of teachers is prevalent in rural and isolated areas, as newly graduated educators tend to prefer employment in urban settings, where they receive better compensation.
One reader of VietNamNet proposed a military-style labor division strategy, suggesting that graduates from pedagogical institutions be assigned to areas with teacher deficits for a specified duration. Refusal, he argues, should exclude them from future employment opportunities in education.
“Implementing such a rotation could effectively alleviate the teacher deficit in mountainous regions,” the reader noted.
Another suggestion involved creating an independent body to organize teacher recruitment competitions targeted at areas with significant needs.
Strict oversight on public staff recruitment was recommended, similar to the regulations governing high school exit exams, to ensure the hiring process identifies qualified educators.
“Many regions urgently need teachers, yet candidates face complex application processes,” he remarked.
While schools express concerns over teacher availability, graduates from teacher training programs report a lack of information regarding vacancies.
“Media reports indicate many areas are seeking teachers, yet there’s no clear communication about recruitment opportunities. When we reach out, we’re often told positions have already been filled,” shared a third-year pedagogical student from Hanoi.
She suggested that districts should clearly communicate their specific needs for teachers, which would assist those seeking employment in education.
If transparency is improved, it could minimize corruption, where individuals must pay bribes to secure teaching posts.
Moreover, she believes that not all graduates are unwilling to work in rural areas; many aspire to contribute to their local communities. For numerous candidates, returning to their hometowns is preferable to living in cities, where the cost of living is significantly higher.
Another barrier to recruiting teachers is the inadequate salary. Many educators operate under contract arrangements with their schools, which do not include them on state payrolls. The journey to becoming a public servant is complicated further by ongoing efforts to streamline government operations.
Unlike other sectors, where a 2-3 month probation period can lead to permanent employment, prospective teachers often face indefinite waiting periods before they can achieve civil servant status and receive government salaries.
Even the prospect of civil service does not guarantee attractive pay, discouraging many from pursuing teaching roles.
“It’s not just passion that drives someone to become a teacher,” Tran Nguyen expressed in a comment on VietNamNet.
To draw teachers away from lowland areas to mountain districts, authorities must create appealing incentives. Additionally, funding opportunities for pedagogy students, coupled with commitments to return to regional schools post-graduation, could be effective.
