Ho Chi Minh City Teachers Leaving the Profession Shows ‘Upward Trend’

This information was highlighted in a report by the Party Committee of the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee during a working session on November 9 with a thematic supervisory delegation overseeing the implementation of Secretariat Resolution 71.

Specifically, in the 2023–2024 and 2024–2025 school years, the former administrative boundaries of Ho Chi Minh City recorded 89 and 96 teacher resignations, respectively. In the following school year—subsequent to the administrative merger with Ba Ria – Vung Tau and Binh Duong provinces—that figure climbed to 1,427 educators. Furthermore, since the start of the current school year alone, an additional 576 educators have left the public education system.

Although statistical parameters changed between the pre-merger and post-merger periods, municipal authorities assessed that teacher resignations and sector departures continue to follow an upward trajectory. The primary driver remains remuneration, as salaries for a segment of instructional staff fail to cover soaring rental, housing, and living expenses across the expanding metropolitan center.

Currently, Ho Chi Minh City faces a shortfall of 8,185 teachers, primarily concentrated in English language, computer science, music, and fine arts. Localized surpluses and deficits appear predominantly in jurisdictions experiencing rapid organic population growth, industrial park belts, and the former territory of Binh Duong province.

Additionally, the report pointed out that administrative unit reorganizations and school consolidation efforts have altered workplace locations and teaching environments, creating logistical and psychological disruptions for school staff. Concurrently, a segment of school principals and vice principals reassigned to classroom teaching roles require transitional time to adapt.

Moving forward, the municipal People’s Committee plans to recruit new teachers while drafting targeted support policies for submission to the People’s Council. These measures aim to attract and retain teaching staff in subject-matter deficit areas, multi-school roving assignments, suburban or remote zones, coastal locales, and special administrative zones.