Among the localities that have announced school arrangement plans, some places such as Hanoi, Phu Tho, and Ninh Binh have detailed guidance on criteria for the position of school principal after the merger. Based on the principles of personnel arrangement and management position selection criteria, the number of principals is expected to decrease sharply after the arrangement.
Many communes and wards have announced the number of schools and principals after the merger
Hanoi is arranging the public school network according to the general policy of the whole country. The principle is that each commune and ward has at least one kindergarten, primary school and secondary school; reducing about 50% of management focal points but not reducing the number of classes or learning opportunities for students. For high school level, the current 124 schools are kept unchanged.
After the arrangement, each school will only arrange one principal and vice principals. Thus, it is expected that after the arrangement, the number of principals will decrease.
Currently, some wards and communes of Hanoi have announced arrangement plans, in which Dong Anh commune has organized a ceremony to announce resolutions and decisions on the establishment of public educational institutions and personnel work after arrangement.
According to the decision, Dong Anh Commune People's Committee established 18 public educational institutions and consolidated the leadership and management apparatus. In which, the number of public schools was reduced from 35 to 18, and the corresponding number of principals was reduced after arrangement.
Ninh Binh: Expected to reduce 827 principals after rearranging public schools
The Party Committee and People's Committee of Ninh Binh province have just submitted Official Dispatch No. 493/TTr/DU requesting opinions from the Standing Committee of the Ninh Binh Provincial Party Committee on the overall plan for arranging public preschool, general education, and continuing education facilities in Ninh Binh province.
With a team of school management officials, it is expected that after the arrangement, a new school will be established, including 01 main school and school sites, with principals and vice-principals.
The plan to arrange the public education network in Ninh Binh province is expected to reduce about 57% of focal points and 827 principals after arranging public educational institutions (see details of Ninh Binh's arrangement plan here).
Phu Tho: Each new school or center after merger is arranged with 01 principal
Official Dispatch 3155/SGD&ĐT-TCCB in 2026 of the Department of Education and Training of Phu Tho province, temporarily guiding the plan to arrange principals and vice principals when merging schools in 2026 in Phu Tho province as follows:
Principles for arranging 01 principal/01 school. The remaining principals (if any), are arranged in adjacent lower-level positions (if eligible) or arranged in other positions suitable to task requirements, related standards and conditions, professional qualifications, and strengths of each official.
When developing a personnel plan to appoint the position of principal, it is necessary to consider priority factors based on the criteria: Having outstanding moral qualities and capacity, having prestige, responsibility, enthusiasm for work, meeting task requirements in the new situation; Having a higher professional qualification, suitable for the functions, tasks, and scale of development of the school after arrangement;
Have good management capacity, ability to gather and build united and strong unit organizations; have outstanding achievements in management and professional work;
Have an age appropriate for the structure and construction of a team of management officials in the locality;
Have prospects, have been planned for higher positions, have development potential and direction;
Being assessed as completing tasks well or better in the last 03 years.
Ministry of Education and Training: Expected to transfer and rearrange over 20,000 management officials
According to the Ministry of Education and Training, it is expected that after arranging the school network, it will reduce at least 30% of focal points, places with favorable conditions will reduce about 50% of public educational institution focal points compared to July 1, 2025, equivalent to a reduction of over 11,000 schools, completed before August 30, 2026.
After the arrangement, it is expected to transfer and rearrange over 20,000 management officials (principals, vice-principals), of which about 11,000 people are arranged as teachers directly teaching classes, contributing to overcoming the situation of shortage for many years; the rest are arranged for other jobs or retire early, and are allowed to quit their jobs according to regulations and aspirations.
