From January 31, 2025, are preschools in Vietnam allowed to increase the number of their groups/classes?

From January 31, 2025, are preschools in Vietnam allowed to increase the number of their groups/classes?

On December 16, 2024, the Minister of Education and Training issued Circular 23/2024/TT-BGDDT (effective from January 31, 2025) on amendments to the Regulations on standards for facilities of preschools, primary schools, lower secondary schools, upper secondary schools, and schools with multiple educational levels issued together with Circular 13/2020/TT-BGDDT.

Under Clause 2, Article 5 of the Regulations on standards for facilities of preschools, primary schools, lower secondary schools, upper secondary schools, and schools with multiple educational levels, issued together with Circular 13/2020/TT-BGDDT (amended by Clause 4, Article 1 of Circular 23/2024/TT-BGDDT) regarding the scale of group and class size of preschools as follows:

Location, scale, area

...

2. Scale

a) The minimum scale for preschools is 09 groups, classes and a maximum of 30 groups, classes. For schools in difficult areas, communities with a population under 5000, and non-public and private schools, the minimum scale is 05 groups, classes; schools in island areas have a minimum scale of 03 groups, classes;

b) Based on local conditions, schools may arrange campuses in different areas to facilitate children's access to school. No more than 05 campuses should be set; for schools in difficult areas, depending on actual conditions, no more than 08 campuses, and in special cases in rugged, divided areas, no more than 12 campuses.

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Thus, from January 31, 2025, preschools in Vietnam may increase the number of their groups/classes up to 30.

From January 31, 2025, are preschools in Vietnam allowed to increase the number of their groups/classes? (Image from the Internet)

What are the basic facilities required for preschools in Vietnam?

Under Article 6 of the Regulations on standards for facilities of preschools, primary schools, lower secondary schools, upper secondary schools, and schools with multiple educational levels, issued together with Circular 13/2020/TT-BGDDT (amended by Clause 6, Article 1 of Circular 23/2024/TT-BGDDT) regarding the basic facilities required for preschools in Vietnam:

(1) Administration rooms

- Principal’s office: equipped according to current regulations with office machinery and equipment;

- Vice Principal’s office: equipped according to current regulations with office machinery and equipment;

- School office: ensures there is 01 room; fully equipped with office machinery and equipment according to current regulations;

- Staff room: ensures 01 room; contains lockers for personal belongings;

- Security room: ensures 01 room; located near the school entrance for optimal observation;

- Teacher, staff restroom: arranged by function blocks, separate male and female restrooms. If separate, should be conveniently located for use and environmental protection;

- Teacher, staff parking: covered and fit to accommodate all teachers, staff.

(2) Children nursing, caring and education rooms

- Childcare, nurturing, educational rooms

Ensures each group, class has one room, including functional areas:

Communal area for activities like learning, playing, and eating;

Sleeping area (for kindergarten groups, classes can be shared with the communal area);

Bathrooms built into the childcare, nurturing, and educational rooms, partitions not less than 1.50 m between urinals and toilets, 2 to 3 hanging urinals for boys (or a trough at least 2,0 m in length) and 2 to 3 squat toilets for girls, hand-washing stations allocated per 08 children/basin, suited for age group;

Independent restrooms for kindergarten children, for boys and girls; separate restrooms if built, should connect to childcare, nurturing, and educational rooms via corridors, be convenient for use and easy to monitor; can incorporate hot water systems based on practical conditions;

Play, pickup porch: convenient for pick-up and activities under rain or sun; porch surrounded by a railing not less than 01 m in height;

Lighting system per national standards on lighting – Permissible illumination levels in workplaces; fan system (may equip air conditioning based on conditions);

- Physical education, art room: linked to childcare, nurturing, and educational rooms via corridors, ensure 01 art room and 01 physical education room (or area). Schools with scales of 05 groups, classes or more, arrange 01 multi-use room for art and physical education;

- Playgrounds: equipped with outdoor play equipment as per Ministry of Education and Training standards;

- Library: ensures level 1 facility standards per Ministry of Education and Training library standards.

(3) Catering rooms (applicable to schools that organize cooking)

- Kitchen: independent from other function blocks; includes pre-preparation, preparation, cooking, and distribution areas; configured for one-way operational workflow;

- Kitchen storage: separate storage for grains and foodstuffs; with dedicated access for import/export, divided areas for each type of food; equipped for food preservation.

(4) Auxiliary block

- Conference room: ensures 01 room; used for teachers' meetings and specialization outside teaching hours, fully equipped as per current regulations;

- Medical room: ensures 01 room; optimally positioned for first aid and emergency care; contains essential medicines, first aid kit, sickbed;

- Storage room: ensures 01 room; for school supplies and equipment;

- Garden: includes a communal playground and trees, grass; used for outdoor play and performance platforms. Must be flat, non-slippery, rugged, surrounded by shade-providing trees;

- Gate, fence: school and campus must be enclosed using protective fencing (brick wall or green hedge), ensuring sturdiness, safety; school and campus gates must be strong and steady for gate signage.

(5) Technical infrastructure

- Clean water supply system: sufficient for use, compliant with current quality water regulations; drainage systems, combined sewerage with covered channels, and wastewater treatment systems that ensure effluent quality before environmental discharge;

- Power supply system: sufficient capacity and safety to support school operations;

(4) Fire safety system: compliant with current regulations;

d) IT and communications infrastructure: telephone, and internet connection to support school activities;

(5) Waste collection area: located independently, away from function blocks, at the wind’s end; with a separate entrance, convenient for waste collection, and transport; independent drainage to protect the environment.

(6) Construction criteria for facilities in (1), (2), (3), and (4) require solid or semi-solid structures. Permanent structures must account for no less than 40%.

(7) Teaching equipment must meet Ministry of Education and Training standards.

What arre the requirements to be satisfied by preschools for conducting their educational activities in Vietnam?

Under Article 5 of Decree 125/2024/ND-CP, the requirements to be satisfied by preschools for conducting their educational activities arre:

1. Own land, facilities, equipment, tools and toys, thereby meeting standards in terms of location, scale, area and basic facilities applied to preschools according to regulations issued by the Ministry of Education and Training.

Regarding inner cities of special class urban areas, it shall be possible that the area of land used for construction of a preschool is replaced by the floor area of land and the floor area of land shall not be smaller than the minimum average land area per child according to regulations.

2. Have education curriculum, syllabuses and learning materials that meet requirements for the early childhood education curriculum according to regulations promulgated by the Ministry of Education and Training.

3. Employ adequate administrative officers, teachers, staff and employees that meet standards in order to organize child care, parenting and education activities, thereby meeting requirements for the early childhood education curriculum according to regulations promulgated by the Ministry of Education and Training.

4. Have a sufficient amount of financial resources in order to maintain and develop educational activities:

- Regarding a private preschool, the investment capital shall be at least 30 million VND/child (excluding expenses incurred from land tenancy). The total minimum capital shall be calculated when the estimated education scale is greatest. The capital plan shall conform to the estimated scale of each stage.

Regarding a private preschool of which the facilities are not newly built but are leased or the existing facilities are used to conduct child care, parenting and education activities, the capital shall be at least 70% of the capital specified in point a of this clause;

- Regarding a public or non-public preschool, its financial resources shall be maintained by a competent management authority or local community so as to meet requirements for the early childhood education curriculum according to regulations.

5. Have the statutes of organization and operation of the preschool.