Vietnam teachers face heavy administrative burdens despite Ministry directives

Despite directives from the Ministry of Education and Training to reduce non-professional pressures on teachers, educators in Vietnam report continued exhaustion due to heavy administrative burdens.

Teachers face a “double burden” caused by inconsistent digital transformation. While many are required to upload lesson plans to management software, local authorities often still demand printed paper copies or traditional handwritten logs for inspections. Beyond teaching, educators are being tasked with non-educational duties, such as entering land data, writing news articles for school websites to boost traffic, and mobilizing parents for unrelated online competitions.

At institutions like Tien Phong Primary School in Hanoi, teachers must maintain extensive documentation, including meeting logs, professional development reports, student tracking books, and specialized plans for gifted or struggling students. The issue is compounded by a “performance disease” and outdated management mindsets at the local level, where administrative requirements are often rebranded under new names rather than being eliminated.