Renaming a school is more than just changing the sign

GD&TĐ - After the merger of provinces and cities, some schools changed their names to suit the new context. However, some schools still kept their original names.

Renaming a school is not just about changing the signboard, but also about considering the brand of an educational institution and the recognition of administrative boundaries.

Traditional power supply circuit

After July 1, Quang Tri Town High School ( Quang Binh ) decided to change its name to Quang Tri High School. After reviewing, some schools under the Department of Education and Training of Quang Binh have adjusted their school names to suit the actual situation or to avoid duplication.

For example, the former Quang Binh Ethnic Boarding High School was renamed Quang Tri Ethnic Boarding High School; the Quang Tri Ethnic Boarding High School was renamed Nam Quang Tri Ethnic Boarding High School. In addition, after the merger, Quang Tri province had 2 Le Loi High Schools, so the Department of Education and Training decided to change the names to Le Loi High School No. 1 and Le Loi High School No. 3.

Ms. Le Thi Huong - Director of the Department of Education and Training of Quang Tri said that many schools have names associated with the previous administrative units at the provincial, district or commune levels. After implementing the two-level government model and merging provinces, cities, communes and wards, the old names of some schools are no longer suitable, and the school addresses have also changed.

The renaming of the school was considered by the Department of Education and Training of Quang Tri and the schools based on the principle of continuing the existing tradition and brand, avoiding too big changes that would cause disturbances in the thoughts and feelings of the old generations of teachers and students of the school.

Meanwhile, for high schools with overlapping names after the merger under the management of the Da Nang Department of Education and Training, Ms. Le Thi Bich Thuan - Director, said that the department proposed to keep the old names. The addresses of the schools all have the ward or commune where the school is located, so this is also a distinction in the name.

In Ca Mau, Huong Duong Kindergarten (Hong Dan, Ca Mau) is located in Loc Ninh commune (formerly Hong Dan, Bac Lieu). After the merger, there are a number of schools in Ca Mau province with the same name as Huong Duong Kindergarten. However, according to Vice Principal Danh Ngoc Chau, changing the school name is not necessary.

“Currently, there are many schools in Ca Mau with the same name Huong Duong Kindergarten, but there is only one Hong Dan commune, so parents and students can still distinguish between Huong Duong Kindergarten in Hong Dan commune and Huong Duong Kindergartens in other communes and wards in the area. Moreover, the school's enrollment scope is mainly children in the area, so there is no need to change the school's name,” Ms. Chau explained.

According to the representative of the Department of Education and Training of Ca Mau province, the province has a Hero of the People's Armed Forces, Teacher, Journalist, Martyr Phan Ngoc Hien - who made great contributions to the land of Ca Mau and Bac Lieu. Therefore, his name was chosen to name many schools in the two provinces.

Now that Ca Mau and Bac Lieu have merged into Ca Mau province, some schools are expected to change their names. In Notice 217 dated June 30, 2025 on work and expected collection for the 2025-2026 school year, Phan Ngoc Hien High School (formerly located in Ward 5, Bac Lieu City, Bac Lieu, now Vinh Trach Ward, Ca Mau) announced that it will change its name to Le Hong Phong High School.

After the merger, Ca Mau province has more than 770 schools. The Department is reviewing all schools with the same name to consider changing the name to match the new administrative boundaries. At the same time, it is reviewing the facilities and conditions for teaching 2 sessions per day of the schools to have investment solutions, ensuring the quality of teaching and learning before entering the new school year.

A school in Ca Mau province has an old place name. Photo: Q. Men

Respect the wishes of the facility

Mr. Nguyen Thanh Tu - Vice Chairman of Tra Tan Commune People's Committee (Da Nang) said that out of 6 schools located in the commune, 2 kindergartens have names associated with the commune name before the merger, including Tra Giac Kindergarten and Tra Tan Kindergarten.

In particular, Tra Giac Kindergarten wishes to change its name to match the new administrative unit because Tra Giac commune has merged into Tra Tan commune and is no longer called Tra Giac. The commune has instructed the school to propose 3 new names, arranged in order of priority for approval at the nearest People's Council meeting.

Similarly, Ca Mau province has a number of schools with the word “commune” attached to the place name, however, when the administrative boundaries were merged, these communes no longer exist. For example, Primary School 2 of Vien An commune, now Vien An commune merged into Dat Mui commune, taking the name of Dat Mui commune (Ca Mau).

Ms. Pham Thi Quyen - Principal of Vien An Commune Primary School 2 shared: "In my opinion, when the old commune no longer exists, the school name will have to be changed accordingly. However, this change also requires time to complete legal procedures, seals and choose a suitable name."

After the merger, Khanh Hoa province only has 2 specialized schools with the same name, Le Quy Don High School for the Gifted. Up to this point, there has been no announcement about changing the names of the 2 schools. On the school's student forums, many opinions expressed the wish that the school's name would not change because just the school name with the ward name would be distinguishable.

The new Phu Tho province also issued a decision regulating the functions, tasks, powers and organizational structure of the Department of Education and Training. Accordingly, out of 158 public service units, the new Phu Tho province has 3 specialized schools, the names of which are still kept as Vinh Phuc Specialized High School (formerly Vinh Phuc), Hung Vuong Specialized High School (formerly Phu Tho) and Hoang Van Thu Specialized High School (formerly Hoa Binh).

The old Vinh Phuc Continuing Education Center was renamed Vinh Phuc Continuing Education Center; the Vinh Phuc Provincial Boarding Secondary and High School for Ethnic Minorities was renamed Vinh Phuc Provincial Boarding Secondary and High School for Ethnic Minorities; the old Hoa Binh Provincial Boarding High School for Ethnic Minorities was renamed Hoa Binh Provincial Boarding High School for Ethnic Minorities.

Refresh the identity

In Phu Tho province, the process of changing school names, administrative addresses, and records was carried out smoothly by schools, without affecting students or professional activities. Mr. Dao Chi Manh - Principal of Hoi Hop B Primary School (Vinh Yen, Phu Tho) said: The changes for schools are not too big.

After the administrative unit merger, the school still kept its name, but the parent unit changed, so the school needed to carry out some procedures such as changing the seal and completing student records before July 1. In addition, competition records, teacher decisions, and pedagogical inspection records... were all reviewed by the school.

In some schools, changing the name is also seen as an opportunity to refresh the identity and increase team spirit. Some schools take this opportunity to renew their slogans and signs, creating a positive atmosphere for the new school year. Although there are regrets about the old name, the place where they have been attached for many years, the teachers all share the same spirit: The name may change, but the classroom, the teacher-student relationship, and professional responsibility remain unchanged.

Expressing his opinion on the above issue, Mr. Bui Van Tieng - Chairman of the Da Nang City Historical Science Association said that, for schools, changing names when not necessary will affect traditional education.

“Why can’t students of this school be named after famous people like students of other schools when they are both under the same provincial administrative unit? It’s probably hard to find a truly convincing answer,” Mr. Tieng raised the issue and emphasized: “From now on, when naming new streets and schools, each province/city needs to carefully review the entire area to avoid duplication; as for schools with the same name in the past, I think there is no need to change it, because each time it affects the people, when it is necessary to adjust documents and administrative procedures”…

Source: https://giaoducthoidai.vn/doi-ten-truong-hoc-khong-chi-la-thay-bien-hieu-post740170.html