Ha Noi outlines staffing plan for school network reorganization

The school network restructuring is designed to shift from traditional education administration to education development governance, with learners at the center. Rather than a mechanical merger of schools, the reform seeks to optimize the school network based on population size and residential distribution while streamlining administrative management.

Under the latest guidance of the Ha Noi People's Committee on personnel arrangements for public educational institutions managed by the municipal Department of Education and Training and commune-level People's Committees, schools will reorganize administrative staff while ensuring uninterrupted educational services.

To maintain education quality, the city has established minimum enrollment scale requirements following the restructuring. Specifically, a kindergarten must have at least 30 classes, a primary school 40 classes, a lower secondary school 45 classes, while a combined primary–lower secondary school must have at least 50 classes.

The city has also set strict principles to safeguard students' interests. Kindergartens will not be merged with general education schools; specialized schools will not be merged with mainstream schools; and high-quality schools that have already been officially recognized will retain their current status.

Under the latest document issued by the Ha Noi People's Committee, the authority to establish criteria and appoint principals of public kindergartens, primary schools, and lower secondary schools will be delegated to commune- and ward-level People's Committees, based on a common set of stringent standards.

Staffing arrangement plan for public schools 

The local authorities also issued a staffing arrangement plan for public schools as part of its ongoing reorganization of the city's education network, aiming to improve administrative efficiency while maintaining the quality of teaching and learning.

The plan follows the Ha Noi People's Committee's issuance of Plan No. 272/KH-UBND on reorganizing public kindergartens, primary schools, lower secondary schools, upper secondary schools, and specialized schools across the capital.

Library staff, laboratory and educational equipment personnel, as well as school health workers will continue to work at the main campuses and satellite school sites after the reorganization to maintain the quality of teaching and educational activities.

For accounting and clerical positions, each newly reorganized school will be allocated a maximum of two accountants and one clerical staff member. Personnel exceeding this allocation will be temporarily retained to complete handover and financial settlement procedures through December 30, 2026.

With the new arrangement, the previous model in which each school campus maintained its own full administrative team—including accountants, clerks and cashiers—will no longer be applied.

The staffing plan is part of the implementation of Official Dispatch No. 777/TTg-TCCV of the Prime Minister and Official Dispatch No. 4054/BGDDT-GDPT of the Ministry of Education and Training on reorganizing the network of educational institutions in line with the new administrative structure following the merger of communes and wards.

According to the Ministry of Education and Training's Department of Teachers and Educational Administrators, approximately 246,800 school support staff are currently working in public kindergartens and general education schools nationwide, including around 95,600 permanent employees and 151,200 contract workers.

The workforce includes approximately 21,000 school health workers, nearly 36,000 accountants, more than 16,000 clerical staff, nearly 17,000 librarians, about 21,500 laboratory and educational equipment staff, together with around 135,300 office support personnel, including cashiers, office administrators, information technology technicians and staff supporting education for students with disabilities.

The Ministry of Education and Training requested provincial and municipal People's Committees to develop organizational plans and arrange personnel in accordance with assigned staffing quotas, job positions and local conditions during the school network restructuring process.

Hanoi is among the first localities to issue a detailed staffing plan alongside its roadmap for reorganizing public schools, with the objective of enhancing management efficiency while safeguarding education quality and ensuring the smooth operation of schools throughout the transition./.