Private kindergartens face shortage of teachers

HÀ NỘI — Many private kindergartens in Hà Nội are facing a shortage of teachers after a year of being closed due to the COVID- 一 九 pandemic.

The city allowed kindergartens to reopen from Wednesday (April  一 三).

Nguyễn Thị Thanh Mai, owner of Ánh Sao Private Kindergarten School, said teachers had to take up different jobs to earn a living after the school was closed.

Many took to selling food or clothes online or working as cashiers. They would often earn between VNĐ 八- 一0 million (US$ 三 五0- 四 三 八) per month.

The attractive salaries meant many teachers chose not to return once classrooms reopen.

Teachers earn just VNĐ 六- 八 million ($ 二 六 二- 三 五0) per month at her school, Mai said.

Other teachers claimed the work is too hard, and are worried about job stability in case of further COVID outbreaks, she said.

Hằng Nga, the owner of two private kindergartens in Thanh Xuân and Cầu Giấy districts, said just  一0 teachers have agreed to return to work.

Dozens of others have sought other employment with better salaries, she said.

“When I suggested they return to work, they asked for more money as the cost of living has increased,” she said.

“It has caused a problem for the owners of private kindergartens because we have to bear many costs to reopen,” she said.

Nguyễn Thị Ngọc Bích, founder of Việt Anh Private Kindergarten in Hoàng Mai District, said after Hà Nội’s Department of Education and Training allowed local kindergartens to reopen, the school started to recruit teachers.

However, it is difficult to attract them because the income of a kindergarten teacher is lower than many other jobs’, she said.

A kindergarten teacher at Thăng Long Kidsmart Private School in Cầu Giấy District, who wanted to remain anonymous, said she has already agreed to take care of a group of five children at home. All students are of pre-school age.

She also said she did not want to return to the school over concerns about the pandemic.

“The most important thing is the income from taking care of children at home is much higher than the income I could earn at the school,” she said.

Thanh Trang, the principal of TBK Private Kindergarten in Cầu Giấy District, said some teachers were taking care of children at home, earning around VNĐ 一0- 一 二 million ($ 四 三 八- 五 二 四) per month.

Trang lowered the recruitment criteria for kindergarten teachers and increased salaries by  一0- 一 五 per cent, she said.

Statistics compiled by the education department show that the city currently has  一, 一 四 五 kindergartens with more than  五 二 五,000 children. Up to  一 五 八,000 are in private kindergartens, accounting for  三0 per cent.