Restructuring the system, reducing resource dispersion
The project to arrange the university education, vocational education and continuing education system in Ho Chi Minh City has basically been agreed upon by units. 22 universities and colleges directly under the City People's Committee and 13 intermediate schools under the Department of Education and Training (GDĐT) agreed to be implemented in the period 2025-2030.
Regarding vocational education, the city plans to rearrange 13 colleges and 17 intermediate schools through mergers, consolidations or reorganizations. The goal is to overcome the situation of developing in quantity but dispersing resources, lacking linkages, and not creating overall strength.
Notably, many intermediate schools will be merged into colleges to form larger-scale training institutions, more synchronous in terms of facilities and staff. Some units are reorganized in a multidisciplinary direction, meeting the conditions for in-depth investment.
At the same time, facilities with good conditions in terms of land, equipment and human resources will be kept stable, oriented to develop into high-quality schools, playing a leading role in the system.
Not only stopping at the college and intermediate level, the city will convert 41 continuing education centers, vocational education - continuing education into 37 vocational secondary schools (equivalent to high school level - directly under the Department of Education and Training). This is considered a step to expand the choice direction for students after secondary school, contributing to reducing pressure to enter 10th grade public schools, helping learners access careers earlier.
Gathering resources, strengthening training
Reality shows that the vocational education system in Ho Chi Minh City, although large in scale, has not well met the needs of the labor market, and there is still a situation of difficult recruitment in some industries and occupations.
A representative of a mechanical enterprise said that the demand for technical labor is always high, but the quality is not uniform. "It is not difficult to recruit people, but to find people who can work immediately, there are not many. Many students lack practical skills and industrial style" - this person shared.
Mr. Dinh Van De - Acting Principal of Ly Tu Trong College HCMC - assessed that the merger policy is in the right direction. According to Mr. De, the merger is not only a change in organization but also helps to concentrate training professions, teaching staff and facilities into one focal point.
Integrated resources will increase the "content" of the school, from training scale, occupations to staff and practical conditions. This is the foundation to improve the quality and position of training institutions" - Mr. De said.
Regarding personnel, Mr. De said that the merger is not aimed at cutting but at rearranging according to job positions, capacity and adaptability. "The goal is to use resources effectively, towards overall efficiency" - he emphasized.
According to Mr. De, streamlining the apparatus is a necessary condition, but not enough. To improve the quality of training, schools must simultaneously innovate programs and training methods in the direction of linking with businesses and labor market needs. "Students graduating must be able to work, limiting retraining" - he added.
In the context that Ho Chi Minh City needs a high-quality technical labor force to serve economic development, the orientation of "streamlining to improve quality" is considered inevitable. The arrangement and merger is not simply to reduce the number of units, but is a comprehensive restructuring step. When resources are concentrated, the training model is adjusted to be more practical, and vocational education is expected to become an attractive choice.
The arrangement project aims to build the city into a major center of education and training, focusing on high-quality human resources, adapting to digital transformation and integration. At the same time, the city aims to drastically reduce the number of non-business units, overcome functional overlaps, and ensure unified state management of vocational education.
School arrangement plan in Ho Chi Minh City
University level: Keep 2 schools unchanged; Merge Ba Ria - Vung Tau Pedagogical College into Saigon University.
Colleges and intermediate schools: Maintain the stability of 6 qualified colleges; Arrange 13 colleges and 17 intermediate schools through merger and acquisition; Do not arrange 2 schools managed by enterprises.
Continuing education: Converting 41 centers into 37 vocational high schools (equivalent to high school). Reducing 4 focal points, and at the same time reorganizing some units in the direction of vocational training and job creation.
