The Ministry of Education and Training seeks public comments on a proposed regulation on the working regime for teachers at continuing education institutions

Accordingly, the draft Circular consists of 3 chapters and 12 articles, detailing the implementation of the Teachers Law No. 73/2025/National Assembly, which was passed by the 15th National Assembly on June 16, 2025, at its 9th session. The draft Circular provides regulations on the working regime for teachers teaching at continuing education institutions (CEIs) and vocational education and continuing education institutions (VECEIs), including working hours, annual leave, required teaching periods, reductions in required teaching periods, and the conversion of other activities into teaching periods.

The principle for determining the working regime of teachers at continuing education institutions (CEIs) ensures consistency with the regulations for general education and pre-university teachers set out in Circular No. 05/2025/Circular of the Ministry of Education and Training. However, there is a key difference from general education teachers: while general education teachers are not allowed to concurrently hold more than two additional duties, teachers at CEIs are not limited to only two concurrent duties. This is due to the unique nature of their professional activities, which differ significantly from those of general education teachers (such as managing multiple classes of varying scales and learning formats; continuously carrying out student recruitment; performing tasks of various departments; and flexibly conducting teaching and educational activities based on learners’ needs, etc.).

In addition, in order to ensure the quality of teaching and education of teachers at continuing education institutions (CEIs), the draft Circular stipulates that the total number of teaching periods reduced and converted for concurrent tasks of teachers in one week shall not exceed 50% of the average number of teaching periods in one week.

The principle for determining the working regime ensures a fair allocation of duties among teachers within the same center. At the same time, it ensures that teachers perform their primary activities of teaching and education, overcoming the situation in which many persons hold the title of teacher but do not perform, or perform very few, teaching and educational tasks.

The working time of CEI teachers must conform to the regulations on the duration of education in the CEI program and the duration of education in vocational education programs; and must ensure the stability of current regulations on the duration of teaching, studying, and practical training at enterprises for teachers teaching at the elementary vocational level. Due to the characteristic that the summer vacation is not fixed at eight (08) weeks as in the preschool and general education levels, and CEI teachers must perform many other tasks besides teaching and education, the working time of teachers is not rigidly prescribed by a specific number of weeks so as to allow flexibility in the assignment and arrangement of work.

The draft Circular provides that the summer vacation period for teachers shall be implemented in accordance with the internal rules and regulations of the CEI, with a maximum of eight (08) weeks and a minimum of four (04) weeks. During the summer vacation, teachers shall participate in training and professional development as required by their job positions, participate in the organization of the upper secondary graduation examination, student admissions, teaching of training or professional development classes, and educational activities of the center when summoned.

The draft Circular does not stipulate summer vacation time for directors and deputy directors as is the case for principals and vice principals of general education schools, due to the nature of the work of the centers, which have many educational and training activities during the students’ summer vacation. However, the centers are permitted to arrange summer vacation for teachers holding managerial positions if such arrangements are specified in the internal rules and regulations of the center and provided that summer vacation is arranged flexibly so as to ensure that the center’s activities proceed normally and that tasks assigned by competent authorities are completed.

The above provisions ensure the teachers’ right to summer vacation in accordance with the Law on Teachers and address the situation in which some centers do not arrange summer vacation for teachers or arrange excessively short summer vacation periods.

The draft Circular also stipulates that the average number of teaching periods per week for teachers teaching the CEI program shall be seventeen (17) periods to ensure consistency, since in practice these teachers teach both the lower secondary and upper secondary CEI programs. In addition, surveys of CEIs show that most centers primarily teach the CEI upper secondary program. Students enrolled in the CEI lower secondary program are very few, and some centers have none.

At the same time, according to the draft regulations on professional standards for CEI teachers, there will be only one (01) CEI teacher position within each CEI. The teaching load for teachers holding the positions of director or deputy director shall be consistent with the teaching load regulations applicable to principals and vice principals of general education schools and shall maintain the current teaching load regulations for heads and deputy heads of vocational education institutions.

The clear stipulation of the annual teaching load and the average weekly teaching load facilitates the assignment and arrangement of teachers and ensures fairness among teachers within the same center.

Regulations on the reduction of the teaching load and the conversion of professional activities into teaching periods ensure consistency with the regulations applicable to general education and preparatory university teachers, and are appropriate to the functions and tasks of the centers. However, the draft Circular only provides for concurrent tasks performed regularly and common professional activities of the centers. If additional tasks require a reduction in teaching load or conversion into teaching periods, the director shall, based on the complexity and workload, propose the equivalent number of teaching periods. This matter must be discussed and agreed upon at a staff meeting of the center. After obtaining consensus, the director shall decide on the converted number of teaching periods for the task and report it in writing to the provincial Department of Education and Training (DOET).

Previously, CEIs applied the reduction of teaching load and the conversion of professional activities into teaching periods according to the regulations for general education teachers; however, many professional activities were unsuitable or absent, causing difficulties for the centers. The clear regulations on conversion and reduction will facilitate the assignment and arrangement of work at the centers and ensure the rights of teachers when implementing regimes and policies on overtime pay.

In addition, to implement the policy of merging vocational education centers and continuing education institutions (CEIs) into vocational high schools equivalent to the upper secondary level under the provincial Department of Education and Training (DOET) to provide public services across inter-ward and inter-commune areas (according to Official Dispatch No. 59 dated 12 September 2025 of the Central Steering Committee on the summary of Resolution No. 18 of the Central Committee), the Ministry of Education and Training (MOET) is studying and proposing that competent authorities promulgate legal documents as a basis for guiding localities in implementation. Once the legal framework is complete, the MOET will amend the provisions of the Circular on the working regime for teachers of CEIs to conform to the new model.