Public education institutions stabilize operations and improve quality after restructuring

Public education institutions following the recent restructuring are focusing on stabilizing operations and improving the quality of teaching and learning at the beginning of the 2026-2027 school year, in line with directions from the Dong Nai City People’s Committee and the Department of Education and Training (DoET).

Following the completion of the restructuring of public education institutions, Dong Nai has reduced the number of public preschools, general education schools and vocational education and continuing education centers by 453, or more than 42%, compared with July 1, 2025. However, the DoET considers the restructuring only an initial step. The priority now is to make breakthroughs in school governance and, in turn, improve the quality of teaching and learning.

Making breakthroughs in school governance

After Le Van Tam Primary School was merged into Dinh Bo Linh Primary School in Long Khanh Ward, the school now has more than 1,000 students, with a main campus and a satellite campus 4km apart. Le Phuong Thuy, principal of Dinh Bo Linh Primary School, said that immediately after the merger, the school’s management board identified key tasks that needed to be implemented promptly. The priority was to bring together the teaching staff from the two former schools and build consensus on changes in school governance, while continuing to innovate teaching methods to achieve better results than before the restructuring.

Teachers at Nguyen An Ninh Primary School in Tam Hiep Ward prepare the computer room for the new school year.

Thuy said that, as part of efforts to improve school governance, all records, registers, administrative documents, lesson plans, student records and assessment records have been digitized, eliminating the need for paper documents. Even parental contributions are now collected through an app, significantly reducing the time and cost of school administration. As for teaching and learning innovation, both former schools had already developed strong initiatives in this area, which will be maintained and further improved following the merger. The school management board also gives teachers maximum flexibility to transfer between the two campuses when necessary to facilitate teaching.

Meanwhile, in Phuoc Tan Ward, three lower secondary schools have been merged into Phuoc Tan Secondary School, which now has 122 classes and more than 5,700 students. Despite its much larger scale, the school management board said the merger has already produced positive initial results. Former school managers who are now serving as vice principals and teachers have embraced the new arrangement and become effective assistants to the principal in areas including administration, professional affairs, discipline, digital transformation and emulation. Coordination between the main campus and the two satellite campuses has also remained smooth and effective.

Pham Thi Nam, principal of Phuoc Tan Secondary School, said the management board had assigned duties and responsibilities based on the principle of clearly defined roles and responsibilities, taking into account each individual's experience and strengths. For example, the vice principal at Campus 2, who has expertise in digital transformation, provides support to both the main campus and Campus 3. Conversely, the main campus, which has strengths in digital data, shares its expertise and ensures its consistent application across the two satellite campuses. When Campus 2 faces shortages of facilities or teachers, resources and staff are immediately transferred from the main campus to provide support. This close coordination has strengthened connectivity, resource sharing and solidarity among the teaching staff.

Coordinated solutions to improve education quality

Dong Nai is among 16 localities nationwide to have completed the streamlining of public education institutions ahead of schedule, marking a major achievement in the DoET’s efforts. Alongside the restructuring, the department has instructed schools to make a fundamental shift in their approach, moving from traditional management to modern school governance. Beyond general directives, the department has also provided specific guidance on improving school governance and professional performance, particularly through the comprehensive application of information technology and digital transformation. Notably, following the restructuring of 18 vocational education and continuing education centers into three regional centers, the Director of the DoET has assigned three deputy directors to directly oversee and provide regular guidance to the centers.

Students at Phuoc Tan Secondary School in Phuoc Tan Ward begin the new school year.

Phan Duc Ky, Deputy Director in charge of the Regional Vocational Education and Continuing Education Center No. 1, headquartered in Tran Bien Ward, said that following the restructuring, the center now manages five campuses in the former administrative areas of Bien Hoa City, Vinh Cuu, Cam My, Dinh Quan and Tan Phu, with a combined enrollment of more than 12,000 students. He said the workload was substantial, but thanks to the strong and decisive direction of the DoET leadership, the campuses under Regional Center No. 1 are gradually stabilizing their operations. At the beginning of the new school year, the center introduced measures to improve the quality of education, aiming to raise the high school graduation rate by the end of the year, in line with its commitment to the DoET.

For public education institutions in northern Dong Nai, particularly those in the eight border communes of Bu Gia Map, Dak O, Hung Phuoc, Thien Hung, Tan Tien, Loc Tan, Loc Thanh and Loc Thanh, the DoET continues to advise the City People’s Committee on increasing investment in facilities and adding teaching staff following the restructuring. The department is also strengthening training in school governance and modern teaching and learning methods, while expanding the implementation of semi-boarding models at the preschool, primary and lower secondary levels to prevent student dropout. These are considered fundamental measures to narrow the gap in education quality between these areas and more developed parts of the city.

Le Truong Son, Member of the City Party Committee (CPC)’s Standing Board and Vice Chairman of the City People’s Committee: Strengthen inspections and guidance to improve the effectiveness of restructured public education institutions

The requirements for school governance following the restructuring are new, and the quality of education must improve from one school year to the next, with particular attention paid to ensuring accurate and substantive assessment. Therefore, after the restructuring of public education institutions, the DoET and the Party committees and local authorities directly responsible for their management must strengthen inspections and guidance. Unnecessary records, paperwork, reports and competitions should be eliminated so that teachers can focus more closely on their professional duties. Digital transformation should also be accelerated across school governance, teaching and learning.

Nguyen Viet Hoai, Standing Deputy Secretary of the Xuan Phu commune Party Committee, said the recent restructuring had reduced the number of public education institutions in the commune from nine to five. Following the restructuring, the commune Party Committee has paid particular attention to providing leadership and direction to help schools quickly stabilize their organizational structures and teaching and learning routines. The commune Party Committee has set clear targets for the schools: by the end of the first semester, they must conduct an initial assessment of the effectiveness of the restructuring, and by the end of the school year, the quality of teaching and learning must be higher than in previous school years.

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