Early retirement sought for kindergarten teachers

Making contributions for the draft amendments to the Law on Social Insurance, the Ministry of Education and Training said teachers at kindergartens have to work harder to take care of children from three months to six years old, and the nature of the occupation affected their health more compared to teachers at higher levels.

Before 2021 the retirement age was 55 for women and 60 for men. Starting in 2021 the government has gradually increased the retirement age. It will reach 60 years for women and 62 for men over the next decade.

However, the education ministry proposed that kindergarten teachers should be allowed to retire at 55 for women and 57 for men.

A survey in 2020 by the National Education Union of Vietnam showed around 95% of respondents thought female kindergarten teachers should retire at 55.

In the past three years, the union has submitted several proposals to higher authorities, asking to add kindergarten teachers to the list of heavy, hazardous, dangerous jobs, so that they can be granted more benefits, including being allowed to retire five years earlier as long as they have worked for at least 15 years.

The draft amendments to the Law on Social Insurance will consult opinions until the end of this month before submission to the National Assembly in October.