On October 16th, Ha Long and Bai Chay wards in Quang Ninh province announced and presented decisions regarding the restructuring of public educational institutions in the area. Prior to this, the streamlining of public educational institutions had also been completed in Dam Ha and Quang Tan communes.
Arranged from high school to university
According to the Department of Education and Training of Quang Ninh province, before the merger began, the province had 638 educational institutions from preschool to university (including 56 private schools), with a total of 394,571 children, students, and trainees. The number of public educational institutions in the province will be reduced by approximately 50%.
According to the Ministry of Education and Training's guidelines on the arrangement and reorganization of the network of preschool, primary, and continuing education institutions in accordance with the two-tiered local government structure, for preschool and primary education institutions, school and branch school mergers should only be carried out within the same commune-level administrative unit; priority should be given to retaining branch schools with favorable conditions (facilities, transportation, concentrated population). Branch schools that do not meet the minimum facility standards should be dissolved. Educational institutions subject to consolidation must have adequate facilities at the main school location.
Several universities are expected to merge with Vietnam National University, Hanoi . Photo: BUI TUAN
Many localities have also developed plans for the arrangement and merger of public universities and colleges in their areas. Ha Tinh province proposed continuing to study the merger of Ha Tinh University into a member institution of the Vietnam National University, Hanoi, or following the new directive from the Ministry of Education and Training. In Phu Tho province, after the reorganization, there is one university, one medical college, and three vocational colleges in three regions that are partially self-sufficient in covering their operating expenses, resulting in a reduction of four colleges.
The Ministry of Health has also just submitted a plan to reorganize the system of public service units throughout the sector. Accordingly, the Ministry of Health proposes that some hospitals be transferred to become teaching hospitals for medical universities, such as the Da Nang Orthopedic and Rehabilitation Hospital being transferred to the Da Nang University of Medical Technology; and the Central Hospital 71 and the Central Nursing and Rehabilitation Hospital being transferred to Hanoi Medical University.
The medical training sector will continue to be maintained but adjusted to increase interconnectedness and streamline the network. Hai Phong University of Medicine and Pharmacy will take over Hai Duong University of Medical Technology, while Hai Duong Central College of Pharmacy will merge with Hanoi University of Pharmacy. Key universities such as Hanoi Medical University, Ho Chi Minh City University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Can Tho University of Medicine and Pharmacy, and Nam Dinh University of Nursing will remain under the Ministry of Health.
There are still many difficulties and obstacles.
Regarding the restructuring of public non-profit organizations, the Ministry of Education and Training announced on October 16th that it had sent a document to the Ministry of Interior, informing them that the restructuring of higher education institutions and vocational education institutions under the Ministry of Education and Training could not yet be implemented.
The reason is that the Ministry of Education and Training is currently leading the development of a plan to reorganize the system of higher education institutions and a plan to transfer some higher education institutions to local management, which will be submitted to the Prime Minister for consideration and decision in 2026. This task is based on Resolution 71/2025 of the Politburo on breakthroughs in education and training development.
Furthermore, according to the Government's Action Program implementing Resolution 57/2024 of the Politburo on breakthroughs in national science and technology development, innovation, and digital transformation, the Ministry of Education and Training is tasked with leading and coordinating with relevant agencies and localities to develop a plan to transfer multi-disciplinary and multi-field higher education institutions to the Ministry's management.
All schools under the direct management of the Ministry of Education and Training will be included in these projects. The Ministry of Education and Training also plans to propose merging the two projects into one, and then submitting it to the Prime Minister for consideration.
Regarding the restructuring of vocational education and continuing education institutions, the Ministry of Education and Training stated that it is facing obstacles and difficulties. According to the plan, vocational education centers and continuing education centers will merge into vocational high schools equivalent to the high school level. However, vocational high schools are a new type of institution, currently being proposed in the draft Law on Vocational Education (amended) – which will be submitted to the National Assembly at its 10th session. Therefore, at this stage, there is no legal basis to implement this policy.
Similarly, regarding the guideline that each province and city should have no more than 3 vocational schools, the Ministry of Education and Training stated that the current Education Law and Vocational Education Law do not have such a concept, but only the types of colleges and secondary schools. Therefore, the Ministry of Education and Training proposes only reviewing and streamlining vocational education and continuing education centers according to inter-ward/commune areas. The organization into vocational high schools or merging with secondary schools or colleges will be implemented after the vocational high school model is recognized.
The Ministry of Education and Training also proposed considering the specific characteristics of provinces and cities with large workforces and many affiliated public colleges and vocational schools (Hanoi 54 schools, Ho Chi Minh City 62 schools, Hai Phong 19 schools, Ninh Binh province 28 schools, Phu Tho province 21 schools...).
There is no question of dissolving private schools.
The Ministry of Education and Training affirms that the information claiming private schools will be closed or dissolved, and that students will have to transfer to public schools, is false, fabricated, and distorted.
The Ministry of Education and Training stated that recently, information has appeared on social media suggesting that private schools will be closed or dissolved, and students will have to transfer to public schools. The Ministry of Education and Training affirmed that this information is misleading and negatively affects the psychology of the public, parents, and students, as well as the operation of educational institutions.
Prioritize the renovation and upgrading of facilities.
The Ministry of Education and Training has just issued guidelines on the conversion of land use and facilities at relocated schools, ensuring compliance with legal regulations and efficient use. In addition, it is required that each commune-level administrative unit has at least one preschool, one primary school, and one secondary school.
In exceptional cases, multi-level schools may be established, but separate areas must be allocated for each level to ensure adequate teaching conditions. Priority should be given to multi-level school models (primary and lower secondary) in sparsely populated areas or areas with difficult transportation access. Additionally, consideration should be given to merging kindergens and small, substandard primary schools within the same commune, following a suitable roadmap.
The Ministry of Education and Training requests that provinces and cities prioritize allocating budgets to renovate and upgrade facilities and teaching equipment at main school sites before receiving children, students, and trainees from satellite schools; and develop a clear implementation roadmap for short-term, medium-term, and long-term phases. In addition, they should utilize surplus land and buildings after administrative unit reorganization to serve education; focusing on renovating, repairing, upgrading, or constructing additional facilities to fully meet regulations regarding scale, location, area, and alignment with the long-term development orientation of educational institutions.
According to the Ministry of Education and Training, it is necessary to rationally arrange and allocate the team of administrators, teachers, and staff at preschool, primary, secondary, and continuing education institutions according to the job position plan; ensuring a balance between different levels of education and types of educational institutions.
Source: https://nld.com.vn/bat-dau-sap-nhap-cac-truong-cong-lap-19625101621272754.htm
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