Le Duc Thuan, former Head of the Education and Training Department of Ba Dinh District, Hanoi, said school mergers represent the starting point of an entirely new governance challenge.

"If teachers still have to spend excessive time on administrative procedures, if principals continue managing primarily via phones and chat groups, if data remains fragmented across disparate places, and if geographical distance continues to breed gaps in educational quality, we have merely altered organizational forms rather than creating a true qualitative shift in governance. 

“Conversely, if mergers coincide with appropriate decentralization, standardized processes, data-driven management, and effective application of digital platforms and AI, this will present a major opportunity to build modern, transparent, and efficient schools," Thuan said.

He argued that school arrangements and mergers will not reduce workload but will demand changes in organizational and operational methods.

"When two or three schools merge into one, the number of primary contact points may decrease, but student counts, teachers, classrooms, branch locations, records, professional activities, and daily emerging situations remain largely unchanged. 

“What changes is system complexity - schools no longer manage a single facility, but operate a network. The more networked a system becomes, the more vital requirements for decentralization, coordination, data sharing, and process standardization become. Therefore, legacy management methods must evolve," Thuan said.

He emphasized that following mergers and arrangements, schools require a new governance model rather than merely a new organizational chart.

A post-merger school can operate effectively only when three elements are designed together. First is decentralization. A principal cannot be present at every branch location, so ensuring seamless system operations requires delegating clear authority to management teams at each facility, paired with clear accountability and transparent oversight mechanisms.

Second is process standardization. The same task must be executed the same way regardless of the branch location. This ensures uniform educational quality and reduces reliance on specific individuals.

Third is data-driven governance. A large organization cannot be managed by memory or intuition. “Every decision regarding instruction, personnel, testing, or educational quality must be supported by updated, accurate, and actionable data," Thuan said.

Flexible digital governance and decentralization

Nguyen Thi Thanh Loan, Principal of Chim Non Kindergarten in Hanoi, suggested that administrative management can occur in digital spaces. Schools should construct a multi-tiered management model across branch campuses, delegating authority tied to clear accountability to heads of departments and vice principals overseeing individual facilities, ensuring prompt and reality-aligned decision-making.

Additionally, schools must digitize instructional work and child rearing, while implementing digital signatures and installing security camera systems directly linked to central meeting rooms to maintain operational oversight.

According to Le Duc Thuan, the most critical consideration is not how many schools are merged, but whether post-merger governance quality improves compared to before.

"Schools may grow larger in scale following mergers, but operations run smoothly and deliver efficiency only when management capacity expands alongside scale. If scale increases while management methods remain unchanged, we simply create a larger organization, not a stronger one," Thuan said.

He identified digital transformation as the primary instrument for superior governance.

"A common misconception I observe in many places is that when discussing digital transformation, people immediately ask which software to purchase, which platform to adopt, or what equipment to invest in. Those are not the most critical questions. 

“The more crucial questions are: Which school processes consume the most time? Which stages generate the greatest pressure for teachers? What information remains fragmented across branch locations? Only when answering those questions can technology unlock true value," he said.

"The most critical element is not which specific tools are used, but that everyone works within a single system, a unified process, and a single source of data," Thuan added.

Regarding school re-organization, the Ministry of Education and Training said it is urgently drafting and issuing guidelines on the organization and governance of large-scale, multi-level, and multi-branch school models to ensure national uniformity in structure and operations. 

Guidelines will focus on organizational principles for main campuses, branch campuses, and school sites; governance mechanisms and management decentralization; professional apparatus organization; assignment and utilization of management personnel, teachers, and staff; management of finance, assets, facilities, and data; digital transformation applications; and transitional mechanisms to ensure educational institutions operate stably starting in the 2026–2027 academic year.

Thanh Hung