Following the Prime Minister’s Directive No. 777/TTg dated July 10, 2026, on the restructuring of public educational institutions, Son La will have 406 educational institutions in the 2026-2027 academic year, including 125 preschools, 61 primary schools, 57 secondary schools, 107 primary and lower secondary schools, and 56 high schools. This represents a reduction of 186 schools from the previous academic year.

Management personnel and support staff have also been reorganised toward a more streamlined structure suited to the scale and operations of each institution. The education sector has more than 24,000 managers, teachers and staff, with 441 management positions eliminated.

Nguyen Van Chien, Director of the provincial Department of Education and Training, said the restructuring and merger of educational institutions follows the principle of streamlining administrative units, “reducing education management positions while increasing positions for direct teaching,” and making effective use of existing facilities and human resources.

The department has closely coordinated with the Department of Home Affairs and local authorities to review each school and develop appropriate restructuring plans. It has also proactively addressed emerging difficulties to ensure stable operations, maintain discipline and safeguard the quality of education from the start of the new academic year.

In the 2026-2027 academic year, all educational institutions in the province will continue to implement a five-day school week with two sessions per day. The Department of Education and Training has worked with local authorities to assess the condition of school facilities, renovate classrooms and functional rooms, and provide additional teaching equipment.

So far, the department has prepared a procurement plan worth nearly 100 billion VND (3.83 million USD) to purchase and supplement equipment for the new academic year. It has also advised and proposed that the provincial People’s Committee implement 70 projects under the national target programmes for 2026-2030, with total funding of about 1.42 trillion VND.

The investment will focus on building and upgrading infrastructure and classrooms, providing additional teaching equipment and developing information technology infrastructure to meet the requirements of digital transformation in education.

The Son La High School for the Gifted holds a meeting to implement plans for the 2026-2027 academic year.

Ensuring an adequate teaching workforce for the new academic year is another key priority for the education sector. Since July, the Department of Education and Training has organised political training and summer professional development courses for 100% of education managers and teachers across the province. The training has focused on new requirements in teaching, scientific research and digital transformation.

To address teacher shortages, the department has coordinated with local authorities to review staffing levels at each school, education level and subject, and has reassigned or seconded 60 teachers to support schools facing shortages. Cross-school and cross-level teaching arrangements have also been introduced in disadvantaged areas to prevent disruptions to teaching and learning.

The 2026-2027 academic year marks an important step forward for education in Son La’s border areas. Thirteen primary and secondary boarding schools in border communes, funded under Politburo Conclusion No. 81-TB/TW dated July 18, 2025, are accelerating work on their final construction items for handover before the start of the new school year.

At the Yen Son Primary and Secondary Boarding School, construction has reached more than 99% completion. For more than a week, teachers have been working to clean the school grounds and classrooms and wipe down desks, chairs and other equipment in preparation for the opening ceremony. The contractor is also rushing to complete the remaining works and hand over the entire facility to the school before the new academic year begins.

Principal Tran Van Lam said the school will have 30 classes with 1,050 students and 66 managers, teachers and staff in the new academic year. It has completed its academic-year plan and issued regulations on school operations, boarding arrangements and student management. The school has also developed a unified timetable balancing lessons, rest, self-study and boarding activities.

On the morning of September 5, the opening ceremony for the 2026-2027 academic year and inauguration ceremonies for boarding schools in land border communes will be held simultaneously nationwide.

With thorough preparations ranging from facilities and teaching staff to teaching and learning conditions, the Son La education sector is ready for the “All People Send Children to School” Day, marking the beginning of a new academic year with expectations of significant improvements and higher standards in comprehensive education./.