First, Director Nguyen Van Hieu of the HCMC Education and Training Department mentioned the pressing challenge in the 2025-2026 academic year – addressing the problem of “mega-schools” with 70 to over 100 classes.
Averaged across all three regions of the newly expanded HCMC, the ratio is only 277 classrooms per 10,000 residents. This figure varies significantly. Region 1 (the former HCMC) is at 297, Region 3 (former Ba Ria – Vung Tau Province) at 316, but Region 2 (former Binh Duong Province) at a mere 200.
Therefore, the city needs an additional 13,818 classrooms, with a focus on building new facilities for kindergarten (over 310 rooms), primary (3,350 rooms), junior high (4,951 rooms), and high school (5,207 rooms).
He will continue to petition the city to direct the relevant departments and agencies to prioritize capital allocation, expedite the removal of bottlenecks, and accelerate the progress of all education-related projects. The People’s Committees at the local level must review their school networks and propose new construction that meets their development needs, prioritizing land allocation for this “people-nurturing” cause.
Admitting the tardiness in certain construction projects for educational facilities lately, the Director stated that the education sector will advise the HCMC People’s Committee to promptly establish an inter-agency task force dedicated to implementing school construction projects.
The city also needs to promulgate special policies and mechanisms to attract investment from domestic and foreign organizations, particularly to effectively implement Resolution 181 on Public-Private Partnerships (PPP) in the education sector.
It is essential to coordinate with all relevant agencies and local authorities to accelerate the “4,500 Classrooms Project”. Local People’s Committees need to be decisive and proactive in reviewing their classroom numbers to ensure the city meets the 2030 target of 300 classrooms per 10,000 school-aged residents.
The HCMC Department of Finance is also proposed to take the lead in accelerating the approval process for school projects in the medium-term public investment plans and in swiftly handling the allocation of public land for school construction.
Further elaborating on the “4,500 Classrooms Project”, Director Nguyen Van Hieu shared that this is a correct development direction based on Decision No.697 to ensure that 100 percent of students can attend full-day classes and that all schools meet national facility standards. However, reports from the 2021-2025 public investment period show that all localities have encountered obstacles and fallen behind schedule.
Furthermore, while land for education is prioritized in planning, investment progress has been slow. Many land plots within new residential developments have not been developed into schools, placing immense pressure on the existing public system. The socialization of investment in this sector also faces many bottlenecks that have not yet been cleared.
Therefore, the HCMC Education and Training Department will propose replacing projects that have been intractably stalled, which could be 127 projects, or a broader list of 163 projects comprising 3,345 classrooms.
The Department will also consider renaming the overall project to better reflect the new situation, for instance: “Investment in Developing the School System to Achieve the Target of 300 Classrooms per 10,000 School-Aged Population”. The implementation period will be 2025-2030.
It is hopeful that with the determined support of the city’s entire political system, all agencies will lend their strongest backing to these crucial projects.
State President Luong Cuong sends letter to education sector on occasion of 2025-2026 academic year opening
In a letter congratulating the education sector on its proud achievements in the 2024-2025 school year, State President Luong Cuong emphasized that the 2025-2026 academic year is the first to be held after the completion of the national administrative restructuring and the implementation of the new two-tier local government model. It is also the first year of implementing the Politburo’s Resolution No. 71-NQ/TW on breakthrough development in education and training.
In this context, the President expressed his wish that the education sector focuses on implementing the school year’s theme of “Discipline – Creativity – Breakthrough – Development”. He called on the sector to continue its mission of holistically developing the human person in knowledge, ethics, skills, and aspiration to meet the demands of the nation’s new era of development.
The State President expressed his confidence that students of all levels will continue to nurture their dreams, unceasingly pursue their studies and self-improvement, and possess grand aspirations to contribute to building an ever more prosperous and happy nation.
He conveyed his hope that all teachers and educational staff will always maintain the flame of passion and love for their profession, will continuously innovate and create, and will build a happy learning environment for their students. He also hoped that parents, with their love and responsibility, will continue to partner with schools and with society in caring for the future generation.
The State President also called upon all levels of government to provide greater support for the cause of education with practical policies, ensuring that teachers and students have the best possible environment for teaching and learning.
