Super urban area Ho Chi Minh City becomes the leading educational center of the country

GD&TĐ - After officially merging with the two provinces of Binh Duong and Ba Ria - Vung Tau, Ho Chi Minh City has the largest student population in the country with about 2.6 million students.

The locality has a "super" school.

According to data released by the Departments of Education and Training at the beginning of the 2024-2025 school year, before the merger, Ho Chi Minh City had over 1.7 million students. Meanwhile, Binh Duong province had approximately 520,700 students; and Ba Ria - Vung Tau province had about 300,000 students. Thus, after the merger, Ho Chi Minh City now has approximately 2.6 million students, the highest number in the country.

According to statistics from the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Education and Training, before the merger, the city had 2,341 schools, including 1,308 kindergartens, 529 primary schools, 299 secondary schools, and 205 high schools.

Previously, Binh Duong province had 713 schools at all levels, including 375 public schools and 338 private schools. Ba Ria - Vung Tau province had 463 schools, including 195 kindergartens, 139 primary schools, 91 secondary schools, and 38 high schools.

Thus, after the merger, Ho Chi Minh City now has approximately 3,500 schools ranging from preschool to high school.

Similarly, according to statistics from the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Education and Training, the former Ho Chi Minh City had 80,612 teachers. This included 26,889 preschool teachers; 23,155 primary school teachers, 18,125 lower secondary school teachers, and 12,442 upper secondary school teachers.

Binh Duong province has approximately 16,000 teachers, including 14,883 administrative staff and 1,048 administrative personnel. Ba Ria - Vung Tau province previously had over 16,000 teachers at all levels. Therefore, after the merger, Ho Chi Minh City now has over 110,000 teachers.

To manage an education system of such a large scale, the Board of Directors of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Education and Training currently consists of 1 director and 9 deputy directors.

Mr. Nguyen Van Hieu holds the position of Director of the Department. The deputy directors include: Mr. Duong Tri Dung, Mr. Nguyen Bao Quoc, Ms. Le Thuy My Chau, Ms. Huynh Le Nhu Trang, Ms. Nguyen Thi Nhat Hang, Mr. Nguyen Van Phong, Ms. Truong Hai Thanh, Ms. Tran Thi Ngoc Chau, and Mr. Nguyen Ke Toai.

The Ho Chi Minh City Department of Education and Training is headquartered at 66-68 Le Thanh Ton Street, Saigon Ward, Ho Chi Minh City.

The organizational structure includes functional departments: Office, Inspection and Legal Affairs Department (merged with the Inspectorate and added legal functions), Personnel and Organization Department, Planning and Finance Department, Student Affairs Department (renamed from the Political and Ideological Department), Quality Management Department (from the Examination and Quality Assurance Department), along with other specialized departments such as Preschool Education, General Education, Continuing Education - Vocational and University Education, and Management of Non-Public Educational Institutions.

A lesson for students at a primary school in Ho Chi Minh City.

Efforts to create a friendly and safe learning environment.

At the first briefing with officials, civil servants, and employees of the merged agency in early July, Mr. Nguyen Van Hieu, Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Education and Training, affirmed that building classrooms and investing in facilities is a continuous and ongoing responsibility of the Ho Chi Minh City education sector. No educational sector is separate from the goals of innovation and digital transformation.

In addition, this locality will not only focus on professional development with teaching methods aimed at developing students' abilities and qualities, but the Ho Chi Minh City education sector will also promote activities to help students hone their skills, physical fitness, and develop their talents, creating a friendly and safe school environment.

Mr. Hieu specifically emphasized: "Ho Chi Minh City encourages every student to know how to play at least one sport or one musical instrument. The popularization of swimming will continue throughout the city. The Student Affairs Department will continue implementing the 'Happy School' model. For junior high schools, if conditions permit, cooking classes should be organized for students to develop self-care skills."

The leaders of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Education and Training also requested that each specialist in the department develop a personal plan according to their area of ​​responsibility for approval by the heads of their respective departments. By the end of July, the Board of Directors of the Department will approve the activity plan of each department.

"To improve the quality of education, it's not just about investing in facilities, but also about providing professional development for teachers. This is especially important for teachers teaching new subjects under the 2018 General Education Program, such as Natural Sciences, History, and Geography. Teaching must be based on the learning objectives of the program to avoid putting pressure on students," Mr. Hieu stated.

The Ho Chi Minh City Department of Education and Training currently manages 198 public service units, including 165 general schools, 2 specialized high schools, 2 sports and physical education gifted schools, 1 special education school, 2 schools for children with disabilities, 3 affiliated kindergartens, 6 vocational schools, 10 continuing education centers, along with many centers supporting special education, foreign languages, computer science, and information centers.

Source: https://giaoducthoidai.vn/sieu-do-thi-tphcm-tro-thanh-trung-tam-giao-duc-hang-dau-ca-nuoc-post738675.html