In a significant restructuring of its public education system, Ho Chi Minh City has announced plans to reduce the number of school leaders, including principals and vice principals, by nearly 2,750 positions. This reduction, which accounts for 46.7% of the current management positions, was revealed by Nguyen Tan Phat, Director of the Department of Education and Training, during a recent socio-economic meeting on September 4.

The city will decrease the number of public schools from 2,188 to 1,486, marking a 32% reduction. Specifically, the number of preschools and elementary schools will be cut by 268 and 282, respectively, while the number of lower secondary schools will see a reduction of 137.

As part of this restructuring, the number of combined elementary and lower secondary schools will increase from 14 to 44, facilitating better sharing of resources and management. The reduction in school leadership positions is more extensive than initially anticipated; earlier in August, the department estimated that around 465 principals and 930 vice principals would be affected.

The city is currently facing a shortage of approximately 1,000 specialized positions, and surplus personnel will be reassigned accordingly. Additionally, the hiring of new teachers and staff has been put on hold. Phat emphasized that this academic year, the city aims to stabilize educational institutions following the mergers, enhance the quality of teaching staff and management personnel, and implement initiatives in AI, semiconductor technology, STEM/STEAM education, and make English the second language.

As of August 30, the entire country has largely completed the restructuring and merging of public schools, aiming to create larger educational institutions and shift from 'educational management' to 'educational development management' to improve quality. According to the Ministry of Education and Training, over 32,620 principals and vice principals will transition to teaching roles, retire, or change jobs as a result of this restructuring.