Abolish 1st and 6th grade enrollment nationwide from 2026
Minister of Education and Training Nguyen Kim Son recently said that after the rearrangement of administrative units, kindergartens, primary schools and secondary schools will be transferred from the district level to the commune level, while the provincial level will still manage the high school level. On average, each commune and ward will have about 7,000 students.
The head of the education sector informed that it is expected that from next school year, the education sector will enroll students according to the principle of being close to home, instead of following the current administrative boundaries. This is based on the Geographic Information System (abbreviated as GIS map).
Ms. Hoang Minh Anh, a parent in Hanoi, supports and believes that this is a proposal that is suitable for reality.
"Many parents are miserable because the old regulation was to enroll students by route. My house is about 500m from the public school, but my child cannot attend school because of different boundaries, going to school on the right route is nearly 5km away. Not to mention, taking their children to school, parents to work on the other side of the road, if they want to ask to let their children study near their work, they cannot because they do not have a household registration or temporary residence..." - Ms. Minh Anh said.
Many localities have successfully implemented
Ho Chi Minh City is the first locality in the country to use a GIS map to enroll students in grades 1 and 6, starting from 2023.
Based on the data of the education sector and GIS map reference, the district's admissions board will allocate on the principle that students' current residence is a priority No. 1, to help them study as close to home as possible instead of being divided by residential area as before.
From piloting the above admission principle in 3 districts, District 8, Tan Binh District and Thu Duc City, to the 2024-2025 school year, Ho Chi Minh City has expanded the application of GIS in admission throughout the area with the goal of creating conditions for students to study at the school closest to their home. This approach has received great consensus from parents and students.
Ms. Nguyen Minh Bach Lan - Deputy Chief of Office of the Department of Education and Training of Ho Chi Minh City - said that the implementation of the enrollment plan, prioritizing students to study near home has been implemented by the city in the past 2 years and is entering the third year, initially achieving many remarkable achievements and advantages. Create convenience for people when registering a place for their children to study, convenient for parents in picking up, dropping off and taking care of their children.
"The application of a synchronous online admission system throughout the city, using identification codes and data from the education sector to ensure accurate and transparent information, has minimized errors" - Ms. Lan said.
In the 2025-2026 school year, Ho Chi Minh City will continue to implement early admission online, building flexible admission areas based on 3 factors: allocation of schools in the locality, number of children of admission age and information on students' current residence from the industry database. Helping students study near home, suitable for the actual situation in the locality. At the same time, flexibly resolve cases of students in border areas or students transferring to other provinces.
The city divides into 2 groups of enrollment subjects: Of which, group 1 is students with current residences in the area and group 2 is students who wish to study in areas outside of their residence. Conduct public admission clearly, with close coordination between wards and districts to minimize negative aspects in the implementation process, ensure fairness, balance the number of students in classes...
In Hanoi, according to Mr. Tran The Cuong - Director of Hanoi Department of Education and Training - the Department is researching and deploying the GIS digital map system to calculate the distance from home to school, creating more favorable conditions for students and parents to travel. At that time, students will be sub -line enrollment according to the navigation system of the digital map. It is expected to apply this form for the school year 2026-2027.
"Through the location system, students can actually live near any school and study at that school. Thus, students will be able to study near their home instead of dividing the enrollment route according to the ward as at present. This will help reduce the burden on families, students and teachers" - Mr. Tran The Cuong said.
