The plan was announced at a meeting with provincial education departments on implementing the two-tier local government model and reorganising the school network.
According to the ministry, all 34 provinces and cities have approved school restructuring plans over the past year, resulting in the consolidation of 586 public preschools and schools and the reduction of 709 leadership and management positions.
The restructuring has focused on small, scattered and underperforming schools, satellite campuses that fail to meet minimum standards, and vocational and continuing education centres with overlapping functions.
However, the ministry said some local restructuring plans remain unsuited to new administrative boundaries and population distribution following recent local government reforms.
Following the pilot programme, the ministry plans to expand the restructuring nationwide from the first quarter of 2027.
Quang Ninh, the first locality to implement school restructuring, has reduced its number of schools from 570 to 280. Local officials said the process had been challenging but had improved the quality of school management and staff.
Hanoi has proposed merging schools at the same education level or establishing combined schools, with no more than three schools merged into a single institution to ensure effective management.
Deputy Minister of Education and Training Pham Ngoc Thuong said the restructuring should be implemented gradually through pilot programmes, while ensuring students' access to education is maintained.
