Ministry of education to rectify teacher salary rank downgrades

Provinces and cities must cease the practice of downgrading salary ranks, which has affected the earnings of qualified educators, according to the Ministry of Education's proposed plan.

The Ministry of Education and Training (MOET) announced on 6/8 that it will address the improper downgrading of teacher salary ranks through a draft amendment and supplement to Circular 32 of 2026. This move comes as some localities have restricted appointments or downgraded teachers from their previous rank II to the new rank III. The reason often cited for these actions is to adhere to new professional title structures, which set rank II and III ratios at 50% and 40% or 30% respectively, depending on a school's autonomy.

MOET has deemed this practice inappropriate. The ministry clarifies that the regulations on rank II and III ratios were issued in 2024, yet many teachers had already attained rank II status under the 2015 regulations. These teachers met the approved criteria at that time, and their transition to new professional titles should be an equivalent one, not a demotion.

To rectify the situation, the draft amendment to Circular 32 will prevent provinces and cities from limiting appointments or reducing teacher salary ranks. Teachers who were improperly downgraded from rank I, II, or equivalent, despite meeting the conditions for their corresponding rank, will be reinstated to their previous levels. They will also receive back pay for the differences in salary and allowances.

This initiative follows widespread concerns from educators. In mid-July, more than 160 elementary and secondary school teachers from various provinces and cities sent letters to relevant agencies. They reported that despite holding the old rank II for nine years or more – thereby meeting the criteria for transition – they faced the risk of being downgraded to rank III, which would significantly reduce their income.

Currently, approximately 1.05 million teachers nationwide receive salaries from the state budget. Their professional titles are categorized into three ranks, from lowest to highest: III, II, and I, with salary coefficients ranging from 2.1 to 6.78.

With a base salary of 2.53 million VND, teachers' current monthly earnings range from 5.3-17.2 million VND, excluding various allowances. These allowances include a professional preferential allowance of 40%-80% of the base salary and a seniority allowance that starts at 5% after five years of service, increasing by 1% for each subsequent year. Factoring in these allowances, a teacher's total income can reach 7-31.6 million VND. Furthermore, from 2031, the professional preferential allowance is set to increase to 70%-100%.