Reduce the number of schools in the area
On July 21, information from the Thanh Hoa Provincial Department of Education and Training said that the unit had just sent a document to the People's Committees of communes and wards, requesting to participate in contributing opinions to the draft "Project on arranging public preschools and general schools in the province, period 2026-2030".
According to the Thanh Hoa Provincial Department of Education and Training, in order to have a basis for completing the project and submitting it to competent authorities for approval, communes and wards need to study the draft content, make a list of expected educational institutions subject to arrangement and send comments.
The arrangement must simultaneously ensure many criteria, including the criterion of reducing at least 30% of the existing public preschool and general education institutions under the management authority of the commune-level People's Committee.
Kindergartens, primary schools, secondary schools or public primary and secondary schools under the management authority of the commune-level People's Committee must ensure the scale of classes from the minimum level or higher according to the regulations of the Ministry of Education and Training.
Specifically, kindergartens must have a scale of 9 groups or classes or more; especially schools in difficult areas have a scale of 5 groups or classes or more.
Primary schools must have a scale of 10 or more classes; schools in difficult areas have a scale of 5 or more classes. Secondary schools or primary and secondary schools must have a scale of 8 or more classes.
Many schools are small in scale
According to the draft project, as of December 2025, Thanh Hoa province has 1,908 schools from preschool to high school. Of which, there are 631 preschools, 584 primary schools, 604 secondary schools and 89 high schools.
Facilities and schools are invested in the direction of solidification, standardization and gradual modernization. The rate of national standard schools in the province reaches 88.9%.
However, the network of kindergartens, primary schools, secondary schools and high schools with many levels of education still has some shortcomings and limitations.
Some kindergartens and elementary schools in mountainous areas still have many remote school sites, and facilities do not meet teaching and learning requirements.
The number of primary and secondary schools with small scale is still large. The whole province currently has 101 out of a total of 631 public kindergartens with a scale of less than 9 groups and classes; 12 out of a total of 584 public primary schools with a scale of less than 10 classes.
In addition, there are 34 out of a total of 604 public secondary schools with a scale of less than 8 classes and 2 out of a total of 89 public high schools with a scale of less than 15 classes.
According to the drafting agency of the project, the situation of many small-scale schools causing difficulties in arranging and assigning teachers, organizing professional activities and affecting the quality of education.
Therefore, the rearrangement of the public preschool and general education system is identified as necessary to improve the quality of education, effectively exploit facilities, arrange suitable teachers and management staff, meet the requirements of the new General Education Program, and at the same time save investment and financial resources.
Propose 2 school models
According to the draft project, after arrangement, educational institutions can be organized according to 2 models.
The first model is a multi-level single-level school. This is a model of merging 2 or more schools of the same level into one school, including a main school and branches or school sites.
The second model is multi-level schools, including primary and secondary schools. For primary and secondary schools in the same commune or ward with small scale and close locations, the draft project encourages the arrangement into multi-level schools, including a main school and school points or branches.
The model selection will be based on the actual conditions of each locality, including student size, local characteristics, distance between schools, traffic conditions and educational development requirements.
