Minister of Education and Training Nguyễn Kim Sơn. VNA/VNS Photo

The education sector is focusing on three breakthrough pillars to improve teacher quality and ensure the development of a high-calibre workforce that meets national development needs in the new era. On Vietnamese Teachers’ Day (November 20), Minister of Education and Training Nguyễn Kim Sơn spoke with the press about key policies to develop the teaching workforce in the coming period.

Teachers are identified as the decisive factor in education quality. Resolution 71-NQ/TW has introduced numerous breakthrough policies to improve quality and ensure sufficient numbers in the teaching workforce. How is the ministry implementing the development of the teaching workforce under this resolution?

In implementing Resolution 71, alongside reforms in training, professional development, digital transformation and teaching methods, the ministry is drafting a decree on salary regimes and allowances for teachers. Under the draft, teachers are expected to receive an additional special salary coefficient on top of their existing salary and allowance packages.

The ministry is also developing a decree on professional preferential allowances for public-sector education personnel. It proposes a two-phase roadmap for raising preferential allowances, expected to take effect on January 1, 2026, aligning with the implementation of the Law on Teachers.

Specifically, in the first phase between 2026–2030, the ministry proposes a 20 per cent allowance for school staff, a 15 per cent increase for teachers at preschool and general education levels, and an additional 5 per cent preferential allowance for lecturers at higher education institutions and vocational schools.

The second phase, from 2031 onward, will apply the preferential allowance levels for preschool and general education teachers as stipulated in Resolution 71-NQ/TW.

Phan Ngọc Khánh, teacher at the Na Ngân satellite campus of Nga My Semi-Boarding Primary School for Ethnic Minority Students in Nghệ An Province. VNA/VNS Photo Xuân Tiến

Beyond salaries and allowances, the Law on Teachers provides for various incentives, including job-related and regional allowances; support for training and professional development; periodic health care and occupational health care; and provision of official-duty housing, collective accommodation, or rental support for teachers working in extremely disadvantaged areas.

Additional incentives will target individuals with high qualifications, outstanding talent, exceptional skills or strong professional capability, those working in extremely disadvantaged areas and teachers in strategically important fields. These policies will be detailed in implementing documents for the Law on Teachers, due to take effect from January 1, 2026.

Together with professional standards, teacher titles, recruitment, utilisation, recognition and reward mechanisms, these policies form a comprehensive package to enable teachers to work with confidence, stay focused on their profession and continuously strengthen their capabilities.

Pedagogy students currently receive tuition waivers and living-expense support to attract talented candidates. What additional measures are planned to further attract high-achieving students?

Attracting high-performing students to the teaching profession remains a top priority and a strategic mission of the education sector. We are reviewing and adjusting policies toward increasing tuition support, raising living stipends and ensuring job placement after graduation so that pedagogy students can feel secure in their studies and committed to the profession.

The sector will also expand merit scholarships for talented students, encouraging top performers in national and international competitions to pursue pedagogy, raising admission and graduation standards, and aligning training with local workforce needs and the requirements of the new general education curriculum.

In parallel, the education sector aims to build an attractive professional environment and elevate the social status of teachers. Priority mechanisms in recruitment, classification, salary, promotion and professional development are being refined to ensure teaching becomes a prestigious choice for capable, dedicated individuals.

What measures will be taken to strengthen the quality of university lecturers?

Following Resolution 71-NQ/TW, the ministry is focusing on three breakthrough pillars: developing high-quality teachers, lecturers and education managers, improving institutional frameworks and policies to support autonomy with accountability and investing in infrastructure, digital transformation and modern training methods. Developing the lecturer workforce is considered central to this effort.

The ministry has issued an action plan under the ministry’s Decision 2811 dated October 10, 2025, which emphasises expanding lecturer training programmes, especially Project 89 for doctoral-level training at home and abroad. From 2026–2030, the goal is to support around 1,000 lecturers annually to study or undergo professional development abroad, with priority given to science, technology, engineering and education.

The ministry is also coordinating with relevant agencies to establish special financial mechanisms within the 2026–2035 National Target Programme on modernising education and improving education quality. This aims to secure stable resources for training and to create competitive incentives to attract and retain top lecturers and experts from both Việt Nam and overseas.

Resolution 71 sets a target of recruiting at least 2,000 highly qualified foreign lecturers for Vietnamese universities by 2030. What strategies will be used to achieve this?

Attracting at least 2,000 foreign lecturers and experts is a key component of Resolution 71-NQ/TW and the Government’s action programme. The ministry plans to pursue three main approaches.

First, develop special mechanisms for recruitment, compensation and working conditions, allowing universities to sign flexible contracts, offer merit-based salaries and ensure internationally competitive remuneration.

Second, streamline administrative procedures, visas, residency requirements and degree recognition, while proposing financial incentives and facility investments that encourage international experts to teach and conduct long-term research in Việt Nam.

Third, establish strategic cooperation programmes between Vietnamese universities and leading global research centres and universities to attract high-quality lecturers and scientists to teach, co-supervise PhD students and transfer knowledge.

The goal is not only to bring international experts to Việt Nam but also to build an open and stimulating academic environment that encourages them to stay and contribute to elevating Vietnamese universities to regional and international standards.

Resolution 71 introduces a mechanism enabling ‘dual affiliation’ lecturers from public service institutions to teach at universities. What significance does this have for improving training quality?

This mechanism allows experts, scientists, doctors, engineers and public-sector professionals working in research institutes, hospitals or public service units to teach, supervise research and transfer technology at universities while retaining their rights, obligations and primary employment benefits.

The Government will soon issue a decree detailing standards, entitlements, remuneration and recognition of their work, ensuring consistency, transparency and practical applicability. This is an important step toward building a flexible, elite and internationally integrated lecturer workforce as envisioned under Resolution 71-NQ/TW.

The overarching goal is to develop a high-quality human-resource pool that meets national development requirements in the new era. How will the education sector work toward achieving this?

The education sector fully recognises that investing in higher education today is an investment in Việt Nam’s intellectual strength, future competitiveness and global standing. This is not merely a professional duty but a political responsibility and a national development aspiration. Accordingly, the sector is working to elevate the quality and stature of Vietnamese higher education.

Training programmes are being aligned with international standards and closely linked to the needs of the digital economy, green economy and strategic technology sectors. The higher education system is moving toward building a dynamic innovation ecosystem. Universities are encouraged to establish strong research centres, start-up incubators and robust international partnerships so that universities become national knowledge hubs. This will help nurture talent, disseminate new knowledge and drive sustainable development.

Higher education must not only impart knowledge but also cultivate creativity, resilience and social responsibility. Each university campus should serve as a space for intellectual exploration, personal development and the nurturing of aspiration. This shapes a new generation of Vietnamese intellectuals who think independently, integrate confidently and remain committed to building a prosperous, happy nation.