According to the Overall Plan, after the merger, Ho Chi Minh City has the largest network of public educational institutions in the country with 2,188 institutions.
In this total, there are 694 kindergartens, 778 primary schools, 449 secondary schools and 159 high schools. There are 14 primary and secondary schools, 14 secondary and high schools, 2 primary - secondary - high schools, 41 continuing education centers, vocational education - continuing education and 37 specialized schools.
The city determines that the arrangement is not aimed at mechanically reducing focal points but shifting the focus to restructuring the network of educational institutions according to population size, population distribution, creating favorable conditions for learners and improving the quality of education.
The plan stipulates that specialized schools and specialized schools will not be arranged. Kindergartens and general schools that are implementing high-quality, advanced, regional and internationally integrated education content will also not merge, except for 2 adjacent facilities.
Kindergartens preparing to participate in the pilot program of the new Preschool Education Program for the 2026-2027 school year are also not subject to merger.
In addition, the city prioritizes arranging large-scale schools of the same level with branches. Depending on the local situation, the distance between school sites should not exceed 2km. For multi-level high schools, the city considers arranging schools close to each other in an educational land area or adjacent to each other.
Each commune-level unit must have a kindergarten and general education school
For preschool and general education institutions directly under the People's Committees of wards, communes and special zones, the plan requires each commune-level administrative unit to ensure at least one preschool education institution and one general education institution providing sufficient primary and secondary education levels.
The implementation is according to a roadmap, suitable to the actual situation of the locality. In sparsely populated areas or places with difficult travel conditions, the city prioritizes the model of multi-level high schools.
Two school models after arrangement
Ho Chi Minh City agrees to apply 2 governance models to schools after merger.
The first model is a large-scale single-level school or continuing education center with branches and school sites. The school has a main school, a principal, a common administrative - personnel department and professional groups organized in accordance with each branch and school site.
The second model is a large-scale multi-level general education school, implemented at one or more locations. This model includes a main school, school sites with many levels of education; the administrative - personnel department is used in common and professional groups are organized in accordance with the level of education, branch, and school site.
