LookAtVietnam – HCM City authorities have organized recruitment campaigns twice to seek teachers for area schools. Yet some schools are rejecting teachers while others plead for more.

H., a history teacher, was assigned by the HCM City Education and Training Department to work for Nguyen Huu Huan High School.

“On August 19, I came to Nguyen Huu Huan School with the letter of introduction from the city’s education department. However, the school’s headmaster told me that the school has enough teachers already,” H says.

Thu Huong, a teacher of physics, had the same experience at Nam Ky Khoi Nghia High School.

Literature instructor Hoang Huong was rejected by Phu Nhuan High School because the school has no need for more teachers.

There are a wide range and number of rejected teachers, especially those who teach high school literature, history, physics, mathematics and foreign languages.

Teachers seeking information about recruitment

Meanwhile, a lot of teachers not recruited by the department have been left jobless, including 190 literature teachers, 82 history teachers and 23 teachers of citizenship education.

As for secondary schools, there are also many redundant teachers, who attended recruitment competitions but failed, including 18 “industrial technique” teachers, 15 physics instructors and 13 chemistry teachers.

When asked about the school’s refusal, Personnel Department Head of HCM City Education and Training Van Cong Sang said that the department sends teachers to schools after considering their needs. “We will work with districts’ education sub-department and high schools on the refusal of new teachers,” Sang promised.

Pleas for primary school teachers

While many secondary and high school teachers are refused, primary schools are thirsty for teachers. Districts’ authorities have reported that they need 1,000 teachers, while they have only recruited 2/3.

Head of Binh Chanh district’s education sub-department Nguyen Minh Chau said that the district has provided 61 teachers to local schools, but it still needs 30 more.

Le Thi Minh Loan, acting Head of District 9’s education sub-department, said that they have requested 220 teachers from the city’s department and they need another 15. In District 11, Thu Duc, Binh Tan, Tan Phu, Tan Binh, Binh Thanh and Go Vap all have pleaded for more primary school teachers.

Educators say that in order to settle the teacher shortage, Vietnam needs to consult forecasts about the number of students so as to implement realistic plans.

Currently, universities in HCM City produce 370 primary school teachers every year, while the city has requested 1,000 in 2009.

VietNamNet/NLD