Twenty-eight preschool teachers in central Vietnam will likely be fired after they have been discovered using fake degrees.

Tran Phong, vice chairman of the government of Bo Trach District in Quang Binh Province, said Tuesday that his people are completing the necessary formalities to sack these teachers following an inspection on the qualifications of over 400 local teachers.  

The teachers who face the axe were recruited by fifteen Bo Trach kindergartens in 2011 and 2012, Phong said, adding that twenty-three other suspicious cases are under close scrutiny.

These cheaters have admitted to buying their diplomas at VND1 million (US$48) to VND20 million ($957), the official said.

District authorities will carry out another check on the degrees of medical workers at kindergartens, elementary schools, and middle schools, the man revealed.

Fifteen other teachers in neighboring Tuyen Hoa District had previously been suspended for using bogus degrees.

Generally, teaching is a low-paying job in Vietnam.

Vietnamese teachers receive a modest average income of VND3 million ($144) to VND3.5 million ($167) a month, whereas novices are paid a mere VND2 million ($96), according to a report by a national society of former teachers.

A fresh college graduate can earn as much as VND5 million ($239) per month if he chooses to work in the private sector, the report said.