Survey of 22 Provinces Finds More Than 14,000 Teacher-Training Students Ready to Teach in Border Areas

More than 14,000 teacher-training students say they are ready to commit to teaching in Vietnam’s border areas if the right support is available. The figure comes from a policy survey conducted across 22 provinces and cities with border communes.

The survey covered 1,942 education managers, 37,654 teachers, 36,082 ethnic-minority students, 1,863 students at university preparatory schools and 17,575 teacher-training students. It found that 64.7% of the surveyed teachers were local residents, giving them advantages in language, culture, adaptability and ties to the community.

That local base has not removed the shortages. Border schools continue to lack teachers, especially in some subjects, and face imbalances by education level, subject, job position and location. Some schools have had to assign teachers to teach outside their specialization, add teaching hours or combine duties. Recruitment remains difficult, while attracting and retaining teachers over the long term is still a challenge.

Among students at university preparatory schools, 996 of 1,863, or 53.5%, expected to choose teacher training. Of the 17,575 teacher-training students surveyed, 11,036 wanted or were considering working in border areas. A larger group, 14,114, said they were very willing or willing to commit if they received training support and suitable conditions.

Nguyen Anh Dung, deputy director of the Ministry of Education and Training’s Higher Education Department, said the system needs a connected path from identifying and supporting students to admissions, training, recruitment, employment, professional development and retention. For students considering border assignments, employment, income, allowances, housing, living conditions, the work environment and career prospects will determine whether they stay.