The Ministry of Finance has clarified that contract teachers under the Government's Decree 111 of 2022 are eligible for Tet bonuses under Decree 73. This clarification comes in response to inquiries regarding the entitlement of contract employees in public service units.
Eligibility for these bonuses is contingent upon two conditions: teachers must either be salaried according to the Government's Decree 204 of 2004, which outlines the salary regime for cadres, civil servants, public employees, and armed forces, or have a specific agreement regarding bonuses stipulated in their labor contract.
Schools are responsible for allocating funds for contract teacher bonuses from their budget estimates and other lawful revenue sources.
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Teachers at Hung Loi Primary School, Lam Thanh commune, Nghe An province, during a lesson. *Photo: Duc Hung* |
This clarification follows a recent inquiry from a teacher in Thai Nguyen. The teacher, employed under a contract specified by Decree 111, reported that their school only distributed bonuses under Decree 73 to tenured teachers, stating that "Decree 111 contract teachers do not have a bonus fund." The teacher questioned the correctness of this practice and whether contract teachers should receive a share from this fund if the school's interpretation was incorrect.
While schools adhere to the Government's decrees and the Ministry of Finance's guidelines, implementing these bonuses for contract teachers presents practical challenges. A principal from a junior high school in Hanoi explained that the bonus package provided by the budget under Decree 73 is specifically for tenured staff and not designated for contract teachers. Consequently, schools must independently calculate and balance their finances to provide bonuses for this group of educators.
For tenured teachers, bonuses under Decree 73 were first introduced last year. The bonus fund for tenured staff is equivalent to 10% of their total salary fund. This year, common bonuses at many schools range from 10-14 million VND, based on individual performance.
Given the budgetary constraints, schools face three common scenarios when deciding on bonuses for contract teachers: first, if funds are limited, schools may opt to cut bonuses for contract teachers; second, they might still provide bonuses by reallocating from the tenured staff's bonus pool; and third, they could draw from expenditure savings or the school's own bonus funds.
The number of contract teachers significantly impacts the ease of managing these bonuses. According to several principals, if a school has only two or three contract teachers, calculating fund allocation or sharing bonuses is not overly difficult. However, for schools with many contract teachers, this poses a substantial financial challenge.
The deadline for distributing bonuses to teachers under Decree 73 is 31/1. Many schools have already completed their calculations, typically setting contract teacher bonuses at approximately 30-50% of what tenured staff receive, which amounts to 2-4 million VND.
Duong Tam
