The Ministry of Education and Training talks about the plan to arrange universities, to be implemented in 2026.

The policy of arranging, merging and dissolving higher education and vocational education institutions has been clearly affirmed by the Politburo in Resolution No. 71-NQ/TW dated August 22, 2025.

Deputy Minister of Education and Training speaks at the press conference - Photo: HONG QUANG

At the Government press conference on the afternoon of October 5, Tuoi Tre Online asked about the orientation on merging and dissolving universities.

Accordingly, which schools will be in this category? How will the Ministry of Education and Training restructure the university system and professions to solve the problem of training linked to practice and the practical needs of society for employment so that there will no longer be a situation where students graduate without jobs and businesses have difficulty recruiting suitable human resources?

Implementing arrangements requires high consensus.

Responding, Mr. Le Tan Dung - Deputy Minister of Education and Training - said that the policy of arranging, merging and dissolving higher education and vocational education institutions has been clearly affirmed by the Politburo in Resolution No. 71-NQ/TW dated August 22, 2025 on breakthroughs in education and training development.

This is the Party's major viewpoint and policy that must be implemented seriously, urgently, scientifically, methodically, resolutely but also cautiously because the arrangement greatly affects thoughts and emotions.

The Ministry of Education and Training is fully aware of its responsibility in this matter, but according to Mr. Dung, this cannot be done by the ministry alone but requires the joint coordination and consensus of ministries, central and local governments, especially universities and vocational training institutions nationwide.

Currently, according to the assignment, the ministry is being assigned to develop a project to rearrange education and training facilities, vocational education and a project to transfer a number of higher education and vocational education facilities to localities.

In the near future, the ministry will submit to competent authorities for decision and implementation in 2026.

To solve the problem of training associated with practice, meeting the requirements of social reality and the labor market, Mr. Dung said that the ministry also identified this issue in the upcoming project and implemented it on the basis of the viewpoints of the Politburo's resolution, the National Assembly's resolution and the Government's resolution, based on the strategy for developing higher education and vocational education.

At the same time, the network of higher education and vocational education facilities approved by the Prime Minister; the country's socio-economic development goals, economic regions, national security and defense, etc., to raise the issue of training associated with goals, training for employment, and linked to the market.

Make arrangements so that everyone is "convinced" and avoid lobbying.

From international experience and practical conditions, Mr. Dung said that the project clearly defines the mission of these facilities with specific and clear principles and criteria, so that implementation can ensure transparency, avoiding situations of asking for, taking advantage of, lobbying and negativity.

Accordingly, the project is currently under construction, and in the near future, we will seek opinions from ministries, localities, experts, and especially universities and vocational training institutions to create a high consensus. The goal when the project is put forward is that everyone must be convinced, and when the project is approved, it will be made public and the ministry will provide full information to the media.

Recently, some incorrect information has been spread, not provided by the Ministry of Education and Training, so he requested that organizations and individuals not spread or share unverified information.

Previously, in Resolution 281 promulgating the Government's action program to implement Resolution 71 and the Central Steering Committee's orientation on summarizing Resolution 18, it clearly stated the orientation to arrange and restructure the system of higher education institutions, merge and dissolve substandard higher education institutions.

Along with that, research should be conducted to merge research institutes with universities; regulate the organizational structure of universities to eliminate intermediate levels, ensuring streamlined, unified, and effective administration.

Research on transferring some universities to local management to improve management efficiency and better meet local human resource training requirements...

At the 2025 conference on higher education, Minister of Education and Training Nguyen Kim Son also said that higher education will soon enter a period of arrangement, merger and streamlining. Accordingly, the facilities may be assigned to merge, not selected by the units.

In addition to the public security and military schools decided by the two ministries and the private school group, the country currently has about 140 public universities that will be subject to merger and streamlining.

HONG QUANG - NGOC AN

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/bo-giao-duc-va-dao-tao-noi-ve-phuong-an-sap-xep-cac-truong-dai-hoc-se-thuc-hien-nam-2026-20251005160827135.htm