The US Department of Education began to be dissolved, divided into four other departments.

The US government has begun the process of dissolving the Department of Education, marking an effort to shrink the federal government's role in education and give more control to the states.

US Secretary of Education Linda McMahon at the event where US President Donald Trump signed an executive order to close the Department of Education on March 20 - Photo: REUTERS

The US begins the process of dissolving the Department of Education.

According to CNBC, on November 18, the White House announced that the administration of US President Donald Trump had signed an agreement to transfer many programs of the US Department of Education (DoE) to other federal agencies.

Four US federal agencies – the Departments of Labor, State, Interior and Health and Human Services – will begin taking over programs currently managed by the Department of Education, according to a senior official.

Under the new agreements, the Department of Labor is given more control over federal initiatives in K-12 education that are more closely linked to workforce development programs.

Meanwhile, the Department of the Interior will take over programs serving American-born students, the Department of Health and Human Services will be in charge of child care and medical education abroad, and the Department of State will be in charge of areas related to foreign language education, international education and the Fulbright program, according to the Washington Post.

The DoE said the transfer helps “streamline federal education operations in statutory programs, reduce administrative burdens, and reorient programs to better serve students and grantees.”

Attempts to "circumvent the law"

The move comes after Mr. Trump signed an executive order in March aimed at shutting down the Department of Education, which manages the $1.6 trillion student loan portfolio, provides financial aid to low-income students and enforces civil rights at educational institutions nationwide.

Although the dissolution of the Department of Education can only be decided by the US Congress, the Trump administration is said to be looking to circumvent the law by distributing the department's tasks to other agencies.

“They are trying to gut the US Department of Education, leaving behind a shell of the original organization,” said higher education expert Mark Kantrowitz.

Earlier this year, the Trump administration also laid off nearly half of the Department of Education staff. US Education Secretary Linda McMahon said the transfer was to “reduce bureaucracy” and delegate tasks to more appropriate agencies.

She said the recent government shutdown showed that the Department of Education “is not an agency that people miss.”

The new announcement also did not mention the future of the federal student loan portfolio. According to Politico , the White House is considering selling some of this debt to the private sector.

The current Department of Education was created in 1979 under President Jimmy Carter. Since then, the department has faced threats of dissolution several times, including proposals by former President Ronald Reagan and an attempt to merge it with the Department of Labor during Trump’s first term.

Facing the wave of outrage

According to the Washington Post , organizations that support public education have reacted angrily to the Trump administration’s move to dismantle the school system. Becky Pringle, president of the National Education Association, accused the administration of “repeatedly cutting back on essential protections and services for students.”

Meanwhile, Senator Patty Murray (Democrat, Washington State) once again emphasized that the dissolution of the Department of Education must be decided by Congress, calling the administration's efforts "illegal" and ignoring the principle of separation of powers in the Constitution.

“This is an illegal attempt to continue to dismantle the Department of Education. And it will be students and families who will suffer as vital programs – like helping students learn to read or strengthening connections between schools and parents – are transferred to agencies with little or no relevant expertise,” Ms Murray said.

Defenders of the Department of Education say keeping programs under one unified agency allows for better coordination and ensures the priorities of students and parents are always put first.

They reaffirmed that the Trump administration cannot arbitrarily disperse the department without the permission of Congress.

PUBLIC REVELATION

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/bo-giao-duc-my-bat-dau-bi-giai-the-chia-nho-ve-4-bo-khac-2025111912130623.htm