Dong Nai prepares for large-scale public school restructuring

Dong Nai City is among 15 localities selected by the Ministry of Education and Training (MoET) to pilot the restructuring of the public preschool, general education and continuing education network. The initiative aims to shift from traditional education administration to modern education governance, while reorganizing the public school system and improving the quality of education.

Teachers and students at Phan Chu Trinh Primary School in Tan Trieu ward participate in a STEM learning activity. Photo: Cong Nghia

Dang Anh Tuan, Director of the Dong Nai Department of Education and Training (DoET), said the city has one of Vietnam's largest public education systems, comprising 1,130 public schools. Under the pilot initiative, Dong Nai aims to reduce the number of public educational institutions by up to 30 percent in line with the Government's roadmap, while ensuring that newly reorganized schools operate smoothly from the outset.

Favorable conditions for restructuring

On June 23, Tran Bien ward proactively merged Thanh Binh Kindergarten and Thanh Binh Preschool into a single institution named Thanh Binh Preschool. Following the merger, both campuses have continued operating normally, while the management structure has been streamlined. Personnel arrangements were carried out transparently, democratically and fairly. Most importantly, education and childcare services have remained stable without causing inconvenience to parents.

In addition to the preschool merger, Tran Bien ward has developed plans to reorganize several primary and lower secondary schools, including merging two combined primary-lower secondary schools into a single institution. The restructuring is expected to proceed smoothly because many of the schools are located adjacent to one another, in some cases separated only by a shared boundary wall. For example, Hiep Hoa Primary School and Hiep Hoa Secondary School are located side by side and will be merged into a combined primary and lower-secondary school, with no change to students' travel. The two schools will share a unified management structure, administrative staff, accountants and librarians.

According to Le Truong Son, Vice Chairman of the Dong Nai People's Committee, Party committees and People's Committees at the commune and ward levels must closely oversee the formulation of plans and the implementation of the restructuring of educational institutions in their localities. He called for daily progress reports and urged local authorities to proactively understand the concerns and aspirations of administrators and staff who may become redundant as a result of the restructuring.

He stressed that the restructuring of educational institutions must be carried out in conjunction with preparations for the 2026-2027 academic year to ensure that the process stays on schedule and operates effectively.

Although the restructuring is a major undertaking to be completed within a short timeframe, many communes and wards have already prepared implementation plans in line with Government policies and guidance from the MoET, as well as directives from the Dong Nai People's Committee. More than half of the communes and wards have submitted their proposals to the DoET, while the remaining localities are finalizing their plans. The proposals demonstrate a strong commitment to reducing the number of public educational institutions by 30 percent while simultaneously preparing for the new academic year. Once the restructuring is complete, schools are expected to begin operating under the new model immediately while further improving the quality of education.

Nguyen Khac Son, Chairman of the Xuan Loc Ward People's Committee, said the ward submitted its restructuring proposal shortly after receiving guidance from the DoET. Local educational institutions were widely consulted during the planning process and expressed broad support for the proposal. Once approved, the ward will implement the plan immediately, ensuring that personnel selection and arrangements for redundant staff following the mergers are carried out in accordance with regulations and the approved timetable.

Accelerating implementation

The restructuring plan has attracted considerable attention from school leaders.

Nguyen Thi Mai Ha, Principal of Quyet Thang Lower Secondary School in Tran Bien Ward, said schools with large enrollments or multiple campuses should have management structures tailored to their actual size and operational requirements. She added that institutional restructuring should go hand in hand with investment in facilities, equipment and information technology infrastructure. School mergers should go beyond administrative consolidation. They should create better conditions to improve the quality of education and strengthen parents' confidence in schools. She also proposed that the DoET organize specialized training programs on managing combined schools after the restructuring is completed, particularly in areas such as public financial management, legal risk management, digital transformation and human resource management.

Hiep Hoa Primary School and Hiep Hoa Secondary School in Tran Bien ward are located next to each other, providing favorable conditions for the restructuring process.

To ensure that the restructuring of public educational institutions in the locality meets the required standards, the DoET and the Department of Home Affairs are providing the City People's Committee with thorough, systematic advice and a specific implementation roadmap. The restructuring must be consistent with the two-tier local government model, socio-economic development planning, population size, and the locality's development space.

The restructuring policy clearly stipulates that the process must not be carried out mechanically for the sole purpose of reducing the number of institutions. During implementation, authorities must evaluate and draw lessons from the first phase, establish an appropriate management model, assess the impact on relevant stakeholders, and develop solutions for the next phase to ensure a thorough and effective process. Above all, no student should be unable to attend school because of financial hardship.

Ha said the restructuring process will strictly adhere to professional principles and educational science while taking into account the psychological and physiological characteristics of different age groups, education levels, and types of educational institutions. Preschools will not be merged with general education schools. General education schools will not be merged with continuing education centers or vocational-continuing education centers, while specialized educational institutions will not be merged with mainstream schools. Priority will instead be given to reorganizing institutions at the same education level or those located near one another.

Under the implementation schedule, the restructuring of public educational institutions will be carried out urgently. From July 1 through July 14, the DoET, in coordination with commune- and ward-level authorities, will review and assess the existing network of educational institutions before submitting restructuring proposals for the public preschool, general education, and continuing education network to competent authorities for approval. From July 15 to July 30, the DoET and local authorities will gather feedback, finalize the plans, and issue restructuring schemes within their respective authority.

The DoET has set a deadline of before August 20 for completing the restructuring of the public preschool, general education, and continuing education network.

By C. Nghia – Translated by M.Nguyet, Minho