Hanoi Completes School Mergers in 15 Wards, Renames Public Institutions

Hanoi is restructuring its public school network from kindergarten to junior high (THCS) as part of a nationwide educational reform. Fifteen wards have now completed their merger process, announcing new school names. This initiative primarily affects schools managed by local districts. The reform mainly targets kindergartens, primary schools, and junior high schools. High schools (THPT) will remain largely unchanged, with 124 institutions maintaining their current status. In many wards, the model adopted involves merging two to six existing schools into new, multi-campus institutions. For example, the Quang Trung Kindergarten in Cua Nam ward was formed by merging five former schools, and Van Mieu-Quoc Tu Giam Kindergarten combined six schools. A few districts have opted for an integrated model, combining primary and junior high education. Examples include Huynh Thuc Khanh Primary-Junior High School in Lang ward and Nghia Do Primary-Junior High School in Nghia Do ward. New schools are typically named after their main campus location or the ward name, with appended identifiers like 'A' or 'B' if multiple schools of the same level are established within a ward, as seen in Cau Giay and Dai Mo. Schools that have maintained their quality or reached maximum capacity often retain their original names. The appointment of principals for the merged schools follows six criteria: phẩm chất (qualities), năng lực (competence), chuyên môn (expertise), kinh nghiệm quản trị (management experience), độ tuổi (age), and triển vọng phát triển (development prospects), along with a record of good performance in the last three years. New principals are generally selected from the existing pool of administrators. Teachers and staff are expected to remain largely stable. Each school will have two accountants and one administrative officer. Each campus will be staffed with a librarian, an equipment manager, and a medical staff member. Any excess principals, vice-principals, or staff due to mergers will be reassigned to suitable positions, potentially as teachers. According to the Ministry of Education and Training, Hanoi aims to reduce the number of public school units by 1,138, a 52.9% decrease from over 2,150 to 1,015, by August 15. Representatives from Hanoi's Department of Education and Training's Organization and Personnel Division view this restructuring as a solution to enhance management efficiency and teaching capacity, ultimately improving educational quality. This move is also expected to alleviate teacher shortages while allowing students to continue learning at their familiar locations, minimizing disruption.