The school council is a component of the organizational structure of higher education institutions. This is an organization that governs and exercises the representative rights of the owner and related interested parties. The school council of private universities and private universities operating not for profit is a management organization, representing investors and related interested parties.
The Ministry of Education and Training said that in 2024-2025, according to the summary report of ministries, branches and localities, 173 public universities (excluding military and police facilities) have established school councils; 1 facility has not yet established a school council, Vietnam Petroleum University.
Currently, all 41 higher education institutions under the Ministry of Education and Training have completed their school councils.
For the 2024-2029 term, 6 units have established new school councils. These units have complied with the provisions of Resolution No. 19, according to which the Party Committee Secretary concurrently holds the position of Chairman of the University Council (Ho Chi Minh City Open University has not elected the Chairman of the University Council). For the 2025-2030 term, according to the original plan, 21 units will establish a new term in 2025.
However, the Ministry of Education and Training believes that reality shows that the school council model in many public educational institutions has not yet promoted its real role. The activities of the School Council at many public educational institutions are still formal, overlapping with the leadership role of the Party Committee and the Board of Directors, causing waste of resources and time.
The Ministry of Education and Training also pointed out some remaining limitations such as: Some public educational institutions have not properly implemented the regulations on the responsibilities and powers of the School Council; the coordination between the Party Committee - School Council - Board of Directors in some units is still lacking in consistency, showing signs of internal disunity, etc.
In the future, according to Resolution 71 of the Politburo on breakthrough development of education and training, there will be no organization of school councils in public universities, and the secretary of the Party Committee and the head of the educational institution will be implemented.
The Ministry of Education and Training also requested that affiliated higher education and vocational education institutions, from September 12, 2025, temporarily suspend planning work with the Chairman of the University Council and Vice Chairman of the University Council (if any).
In addition, temporarily suspend planning work and consider new appointments for the positions of director, deputy director, principal, and deputy principal until new instructions are available (not applicable to reappointment work when the term expires).
The school council, the school council chairman, the Vice chairman of the school council (if any) will continue to operate until new instructions are available. In case the school council president has reached the retirement age, the vice president (if any) will run the school council, or the school council will elect an operator if there is no vice president.
At the 2025 Higher Education Conference, Minister of Education and Training Nguyen Kim Son said that with the policy of arranging and merging schools and universities, universities are facing many changes, the spirit of reducing many focal points is to reduce many focal points.
The head of the Education sector affirmed that this policy is to make schools stronger, not the core to reduce focal points.
Determining this is the time for restructuring and making a breakthrough, the Minister called on teachers to be ready for all means, happy in all situations, taking the lead with impartiality, not asking "where will I sit".
"The thinking must be how to make higher education not miss the time, not miss opportunities, to complete the mission" - the Minister said.
