Nguyen Van Phong, deputy director of Ho Chi Minh City’s Department of Education and Training, made the proposal at a July 17 workshop on the implementation of the Teachers' Law, organized by the Ministry of Education and Training.

Phong pointed out inconsistencies in regulations concerning the responsibilities of education departments and communal People's Committees in teacher recruitment and appointment. Government Decree 142, issued in June, grants education departments the authority to recruit and appoint teachers and staff in public education institutions. However, the Law on Local Government Organization (Law 72/2025) assigns this responsibility to communal People's Committee chairpersons.

Phong argued that assigning this task to the communal level would create numerous problems. Of Ho Chi Minh City's 168 communal administrative units, 4 have only one primary school and 19 have only one junior high school. “With only one school per commune or ward, there's no place to transfer teachers, while regulations mandate the rotation of management staff after one term and a maximum of two terms in one unit," Phong said.

Additionally, many communes and wards lack education officials, making teacher recruitment and appointment challenging. Therefore, Phong proposed that while communal People's Committee chairpersons should be responsible for teacher appointments in schools under their jurisdiction, the Department of Education and Training should have input. The department could also participate in the transfer of management staff between districts and wards.

Regarding recruitment, Phong suggested the Department of Education and Training should take the lead. "The department will either organize the recruitment process or delegate it to qualified school principals," he said. To facilitate this, the department would provide training, approve recruitment plans, validate results, and monitor the process.

Teachers during a class at Nguyen Hue Junior High School, Da Nang, 11/2024. Photo: Nguyen Dong

Teachers during a class at Nguyen Hue Junior High School, Da Nang, 11/2024. Photo: Nguyen Dong

Dinh Ngoc Son, deputy director of the Quang Ninh Department of Education and Training, echoed similar concerns. Quang Ninh has faced difficulties in transferring teachers since the shift to a two-tiered local government system. Previously, teachers in challenging schools could be transferred within their district. Now, with different communes involved, transfers have become complicated.

"I propose that the ministry grant transfer authority to the Department of Education and Training to facilitate province-wide transfers and avoid these issues," Son said. He added that more than half of Quang Ninh's 54 new communal units lack education personnel in their Culture and Social Affairs offices. He requested the Ministry of Education and Training consult with the Ministry of Home Affairs to define job positions and professional standards for communal education staff.

The National Assembly passed the Education Law on 16/6. Key provisions include increased autonomy for educational institutions and greater authority for education departments in recruitment. The Ministry of Education and Training is drafting a circular regulating teacher recruitment in preschools and K-12 schools, with a draft expected in November. Vu Minh Duc, director of the Department of Teachers and Educational Management, stated that these proposals would be considered.

Duong Tam