Merging schools, reducing 265 principals

Principals relegated to the podium as deputy Principals return to the podium

Nguyen Trai Secondary School, Viet Hung Ward, Quang Ninh Province was established on the basis of merging Nguyen Trai Secondary School with Ly Tu Long Secondary School.

Before the merger, the board of directors of each school had 1 principal and 2 vice principals. Currently, Nguyen Trai School has 1 principal, 3 deputy principals, one of whom is the deputy head of the professional group.

After the merger, Nguyen Trai School has more than 2,900 students, with 66 classes, while according to regulations, each school has a maximum of only 45 classes.

According to Ms. Bui Hoang Anh - Principal of Nguyen Trai School - more classes, more students, of course the work of the board of directors will be more difficult, but everything is gradually stabilizing.

The most important thing is that more than 2,900 students and teachers " remain where they are, where they teach and learn as before".

The simultaneous arrangement and merger of public schools in Quang Ninh is considered an unprecedented-scale reform and Quang Ninh is a pioneering province in the country.

According to the Department of Education and Training of Quang Ninh, except for the two communes of Hai Hoa and Cai Chien that were streamlined before, all public schools in the remaining 52 communes, wards, and special zones and public educational institutions managed by the Department are subject to merger.

The figure shows the determination: 520 schools from kindergarten to junior high school under the commune level are reduced to 255 schools, reducing 265 focal points, equivalent to more than 51%. In the block under the Department of Education and Training, 18 educational institutions were rearranged with 3 facilities according to the plan.

This means that 265 commune-level principals no longer have the "seat" of principal as before.

After the merger, most of the redundant principals will be assigned to be vice principals at the new schools. Some people with only a few months of work left have proactively applied for early retirement. Many vice principals have accepted to return to work as direct teachers in class.

According to Mr. Trinh Dinh Hai - Deputy Director of the Department of Education and Training of Quang Ninh, the surplus of vice principals is an inevitable reality when many schools re-merge. However, the education sector determined that there must be a roadmap to resolve the issue, not in a hurry, because after the merger, many schools will have a larger scale, the number of classes will increase, and management pressure will also be heavier.

"At first, it will be maintained to ensure smooth management, then gradually adjusted" - Mr. Hai said.

The board of directors is more difficult, students benefit more

In Thong Nhat commune, Hoa Binh and Vu Oai Kindergarten were merged into Vu Oai Kindergarten. The total number of students after the merger is 215 students, with 21 teachers. The two schools are about 3km apart. After the merger, the board of directors has 1 principal and 2 vice principals, one former principal is transferred to another school; 1 vice principal voluntarily works as a teacher to ensure the boarding.

According to Deputy Director of the Department of Education and Training of Quang Ninh province, Trinh Dinh Hai, after the merger, the most obvious thing is the increased workload of the board of directors. A school manages more schools and more classes, but in return, resources are used effectively: Teachers are mobilized to support each other, overcoming the local shortage of teachers; facilities are invested in centrally and synchronously.

In many secondary schools after the merger, reviewing and rearranging the team helps solve the problem of teacher shortage that has lasted for many years. Students study in a stable environment, have better access to facilities, and have richer extracurricular activities.

"Not only proactively mobilizing support personnel for some subjects that are not locally available, but after the merger, we have a larger force, easily selecting teachers with good professional qualifications to support each other, improving teaching and learning" - Ms. Bui Hoang Anh said.