Ministry of Education and Training: School restructuring needs to be done cautiously, not through mechanical mergers.

The Ministry of Education and Training requires that the restructuring of the school network must follow a suitable roadmap, with educational quality as the goal, avoiding mechanical cuts that disrupt teaching and learning.

On December 19th, the Permanent Deputy Minister of Education and Training, Pham Ngoc Thuong, chaired an online meeting with localities regarding the arrangement and organization of public preschool, primary, secondary, and continuing education institutions in the context of implementing the two-tiered local government model.

Reporting at the conference, Mr. Thai Van Tai – Director of the Department of General Education – stated that in the 2025-2026 school year, 100% of commune-level administrative units will have primary schools; and 93.2% of communes will have secondary schools. Approximately 6.8% of communes, mainly in remote, border, and island areas, will still have to organize inter-commune schools or multi-level schools due to their unique geographical conditions.

Permanent Deputy Minister Pham Ngoc Thuong delivered a speech at the conference.

Currently, the country has over 11,500 primary schools with nearly 8.9 million students and over 8,400 secondary schools with approximately 6.7 million students. The school network basically meets the requirements of universal education, but there are still significant disparities between regions. In urban areas and industrial zones, student numbers are high; while in the mountainous regions of the North and Central Highlands, many schools are small, with only about 18 students per class, and some even have to combine classes.

According to reports from 23 out of 34 provinces and cities, as of December 18, 2025, most localities will maintain the current number of preschools, primary schools, junior high schools, and high schools in 2025 and develop a plan for reorganization after the end of the 2025-2026 school year. However, some localities have merged schools on a large scale in a short period, with some reducing the number of schools by more than 40%, potentially leading to overloaded facilities and affecting students' right to education, especially in disadvantaged areas.

At the conference, many localities agreed that the reorganization of schools should be done cautiously and with a clear roadmap. Representatives from the Hue City Department of Education and Training stated that reorganization at the commune level would only be considered when absolutely necessary, ensuring safe transportation for students. The provinces of Phu Tho and Tuyen Quang emphasized that mergers must be linked to public awareness campaigns to create social consensus and should not be prioritized for completion within a short timeframe.

Concluding the conference, Deputy Minister Pham Ngoc Thuong affirmed that restructuring the school network is not a "race to cut costs." The highest goal is to improve the quality of education, ensuring sufficient schools, classrooms, and teachers in a reasonable manner, appropriate to the conditions of each locality.

Online meeting with localities on the arrangement and organization of public preschool, primary, secondary, and continuing education institutions.

The Deputy Minister noted that schools in remote areas, which are small and no longer suitable, need to be reorganized; conversely, schools with large numbers of students and exceeding the standard class size should be considered for splitting and investing in the construction of new schools. The reorganization must ensure students' right to education, teachers' teaching conditions, and should not disrupt educational activities.

The Ministry of Education and Training requires provincial Departments of Education and Training to play a core role, closely coordinate with relevant sectors, and advise the Provincial People's Committee on developing a suitable roadmap; while also continuing to refine standards for schools, classrooms, and teaching staff, and compiling investment needs for infrastructure to ensure sustainable educational development.

According to VTV

Source: https://baothanhhoa.vn/bo-gd-amp-dt-sap-xep-truong-hoc-can-than-trong-khong-sap-nhap-co-hoc-272472.htm