According to the Ministry of Education and Training, reports from 34 provinces and cities show the number of public education institutions is expected to fall from 37,386 to 20,284, mainly through mergers, multi-level schools and the reorganisation of continuing and vocational education centres.
Existing teaching sites, including branch campuses, are expected to remain in operation where needed, particularly in remote, mountainous, border and island areas, to ensure students retain access to education.
The ministry said the restructuring aimed not only to streamline administrative units but also to ensure schools continued operating effectively without disrupting students' education.
Local authorities are preparing new organisational structures, staffing arrangements, financial transfers, asset handovers, data migration and education plans so that the reorganised system is fully operational before the 2026-2027 academic year.
One of the main challenges is dealing with surplus staff, particularly administrative personnel such as accountants, cashiers and librarians.
Most localities plan to retain existing staff by reassigning them to main or branch campuses, schools with staffing shortages or, where appropriate, back to teaching. Redundancy policies will apply only as a last resort.
Administrative roles such as accounting and clerical work will be consolidated and shared across institutions, while librarians, laboratory technicians and school health staff will largely be retained.
The government has instructed local authorities to complete the restructuring by August 30, with a minimum 30 per cent reduction in administrative units nationwide and around 50 per cent in more developed areas.