2025 was a breakthrough year for institutional reforms in the education sector, with a record 99 legal documents enacted. Among these, the Law on Teachers, the Law on Education, the Law on Higher Education, and the Law on Vocational Education will come into effect from 1/1/2026.

Below are 6 prominent policies:

Teacher salaries to be ranked highest

The Law on Teachers establishes the principle that teacher salaries are to be ranked highest within the administrative and public service salary scale system.

To implement this, the Ministry of Education and Training proposes applying a special coefficient of 1,25 for preschool teachers and 1,15 for general education teachers. If approved, teacher salaries will increase by 0,8 to 3,7 million VND per month, with increases of 1-2 million VND being common.

Increase in preferential professional allowances

Resolution 248 of the National Assembly on specific and superior mechanisms and policies in education states that the preferential professional allowance for teachers will be a minimum of 70%, and 100% for those in disadvantaged areas, an increase from the current 30-70%. School staff will receive this allowance for the first time, at a rate of 30%.

According to the latest proposal from the Ministry of Education and Training, the process of increasing preferential allowances will comprise hai phases.

From 2026 to 2030, preschool and general education teachers will receive allowances of 45-85%, depending on their working region; school staff will receive 20%. From 2031 onwards, the education sector will implement the preferential allowance rates approved by the National Assembly.

Responding to VnExpress on 31/12, a representative from the Ministry stated that the new regulations on allowances are currently under appraisal by the Ministry of Justice and are expected to be approved in early january.

These new policies on salaries and allowances are expected to help the education sector retain teachers, attract new recruits to improve quality, and achieve national strategic goals.

Opening ceremony at Tak Po school, Tra Tap commune, Da Nang city, 9/2025. *Photo: The school provided*.

Education sector empowered to recruit teachers

The Law on Teachers also grants the education sector proactive authority in recruiting and utilizing teachers, rather than this falling under the jurisdiction of internal affairs agencies as before.

Specifically, the Director of the Department of Education and Training in localities has the authority to recruit and accept teachers and management staff in public preschools and general education schools within their jurisdiction.

Meanwhile, the deployment, transfer, secondment, appointment, dismissal, and job position changes for teachers from preschool to junior high school fall under the authority of the Chairman of the People's Committee at the commune level. Personnel at the senior high school level and schools involving more than hai communes will be decided by the Department.

The Ministry of Education and Training believes this will help overcome localized teacher shortages and surpluses, and ensure timely and consistent implementation of many policies for the teaching staff.

Return to using one textbook set

After 5 years of applying "one curriculum, multiple textbook sets", the education sector will return to using one textbook set from the 2026-2027 academic year. This change is implemented in accordance with Resolution 71 of the Politburo.

Among the ba sets currently in circulation, the "connecting knowledge with life" set has been chosen as the common textbook set for the entire country, according to a decision made by Minister Nguyen Kim Son a few days ago.

Authorities evaluate that the textbook set from Vietnam Education Publishing House fully meets requirements and "stands out the most" as it is widely and stably used in 34 provinces and cities, covering the largest number of students.

According to experts, this does not mean a return to a mindset where teaching and learning are dependent on textbooks. The focus of education reform remains on the curriculum and the teaching staff: clarifying learning outcomes, updating content to suit reality, and fostering pedagogical competence.

The process from one to many textbook sets. *Graphic: VnExpress*.

Abolition of junior high school graduation certificates

From 1/1/2026, grade 9 students, upon completing the program, will no longer be issued a junior high school graduation certificate. Instead, school principals will confirm their completion of the program in their academic records.

This change aims to align with hai-tier local government and international trends (such as America, Canada, England, Australia, Finland...), according to the Ministry of Education and Training.

First vocational high schools introduced

The amended Law on Vocational Education, effective from 1/1/2026, has added the vocational high school model. This is a common model globally, assessed by National Assembly delegates as a breakthrough in the national education system.

According to the drafting agency, vocational high schools are defined at the same educational level as senior high schools, integrating core general education knowledge with vocational expertise.

Although the Ministry of Education and Training has not clarified the "equivalence" between vocational high school and senior high school certificates, experts believe that hai certificates will have the same legal value. In such a scenario, this model will reduce pressure on the public grade 10 entrance exam, which is very competitive in many urban areas like Ha Noi and TP HCM.

Thanh Hang