Building a new school, gradually overcoming the shortage of schools
Mr. Tran Thanh Dam - Director of the Department of Planning and Finance, Ministry of Education and Training informed that the whole country has 618,284 classrooms at public preschool and primary school levels; of which, the number of solid classrooms is 554,142 classrooms, achieving a solidification rate of 89.6%.
Regarding primary school classrooms, it is basically enough to ensure teaching 2 sessions/day. The rate of classrooms is consolidated after 10 years, increasing from 78.2% in 2015 to 87.1% in 2025. Works such as libraries, departmental classrooms, offices, public housing for teachers, dining rooms, boarding houses, toilets, clean water, teaching equipment, etc. have also received investment attention.
In addition, there is still a phenomenon of local shortage of classrooms in areas with high population density, mountainous areas, remote areas, and areas with special difficulties.
According to the local report, at the preschool level, there is a shortage of about 27,953 classrooms and at the primary level, there is a shortage of about 7,491 classrooms to reach the ratio of 1 class/room, meeting the requirement of 2 sessions/day, not including the number of classes and classrooms to ensure the number of students/class according to regulations.
In areas with particularly difficult economic conditions, there are still 6,477 rented and borrowed classrooms, mainly concentrated in preschool and primary school.
Therefore, building a school and ensuring a place for students to study is an urgent requirement for the entire education sector.
In Hanoi - a hot spot for early admission for many years, Mr. Tran The Cuong - Director of Hanoi Department of Education and Training informed that in the 2024 - 2025 school year, Hanoi City has built 43 new schools, initially meeting the shortage of schools in the area.
In particular, after the arrangement of administrative boundaries, the whole country has 22 provinces and cities with land borders, with a total of 248 land border communes. Currently, there are about more than 273,000 students (43.7% of the total number of students) in need but have not studied at boarding and semi-boarding schools, and are currently studying at high schools.
Therefore, for border communes, the Politburo agreed on the investment policy to build boarding schools for primary and secondary schools in 248 land border communes across the country. In the immediate future, the pilot investment is to complete the construction or renovation of 100 schools in 2025 (no later than the opening date of the following school year).
These schools will be a model for further implementation, completing the investment target of building 248 schools in the next 2-3 years. The schools invested in construction must ensure technical standards, scale, school area, classrooms; have enough facilities to serve the study, cultural training, spirituality, physical fitness, living conditions and are absolutely safe.
Regarding the task of building schools for 248 border communes, Central Party Committee member, Minister of Education and Training - Nguyen Kim Son emphasized: "This is a political task, which needs to be implemented quickly". The Minister suggested that localities must be unanimous and coordinate. Directors of the Department of Education and Training of 22 border provinces must do a good job of consulting to have the best boarding school, build it in a reasonable manner, close to students, good schools but need to ensure practical conditions.
Education management after administrative boundary merger
Not only solving and gradually overcoming the shortage of schools and classes, organizing and managing education after the merger of administrative boundaries is also a problem for localities.
Sharing experience from the practical implementation process, Mr. Nguyen Van Hieu - Director of the Department of Education and Training of Ho Chi Minh City - said that the city currently has a scale of more than 2.6 million students and has divided it into 16 professional clusters by ward and commune to ensure effective direction and professional exchange.
After the merger, the construction of schools continues to be focused on, with the goal of 300 classrooms/10,000 people of all ages, contributing to reducing the number of classes. Ho Chi Minh City is also a pioneer in applying GIS maps in enrollment, arranging primary school students according to the distance from home to school, to reduce traffic pressure.
As a locality with many difficulties in economy and society, in the new context, Ms. Le Thi Thanh Xuan - Director of the Department of Education and Training of Dak Lak province suggested that the Ministry of Education and Training continue to direct the review and evaluation of resource assurance, organize training, especially for commune-level civil servants in performing the function of State management of education and training when operating local governments at two levels.
Referring to changes in personnel for leaders of the Departments of Education and Training when arranging, organizing the apparatus and operating local governments at both levels, according to the Minister, at this time, it is necessary to do a good job of "managing change". If this is not done well, it will greatly affect the work being implemented by the education sector.
"We make education a model for the whole society. Therefore, in this context, it is necessary to unite, share, be sincere and sincere with each other" - the Minister emphasized.
On the eve of the new school year 2025 - 2026, the Minister said that in the new context, it needs to be organized effectively and meaningfully.
Opening the new school year is also an opening for education to enter a new era. This is also the time to celebrate the 80th anniversary of the education sector. That affirms that we do not stand outside, do not go to the edge but inside, which is the goal of national development - Minister Nguyen Kim Son emphasized.
Affirming the keyword for the new school year as "implementing" many major decisions on education and training, the Minister noted that during the implementation process, localities try to limit confusion, if there are problems, they must work together to resolve them.
