From July 1, 2025, Vietnam officially has 34 provinces and cities; the local government at 2 levels (provincial and communal levels) operates nationwide. Recently, the story of the new Bac Ninh province (merging Bac Ninh and Bac Giang ) changing the name of Bac Giang Specialized High School of the old Bac Giang province to Bac Ninh Specialized High School 2 has made many generations of teachers and students concerned. According to the opinions of teachers, parents and students, what should be the names of educational institutions (abbreviated as schools) in the localities to be reasonable and appropriate after the merger?
Le Quy Don High School for the Gifted (formerly Ba Ria-Vung Tau province) remains intact and is one of the four specialized schools in Ho Chi Minh City.
PHOTO: THUY HANG
SCHOOL NAME IS TRADITION, BRAND BUILT BY GENERATIONS
Dr. Doan Hoang Hai, lecturer at Ho Chi Minh City University of Industry and Trade and former Deputy Director of Ho Chi Minh City Post Office , said that after the merger, it is not necessary to mechanically change the names of schools and educational institutions. In particular, according to Dr. Hai, it is advisable to avoid changing the names of schools with the numbers 2, 3, 4, etc., which will affect the mindset of teachers, students and the people.
"When accompanied by the numbers 2, 3... people may think that it is a level of comparison between this school and another school. The name of a school is also a brand that has been built up until now, a history, a tradition that many people have created. The name of the school does not affect the geography of the new province or city because this school is located in this ward/commune, the other school - which may have the same name - is located in another ward/commune. When writing the name of a school, we can add the local ward, commune, province or city where the school is located, to distinguish. For example, the three provinces of Tra Vinh , Ben Tre, and Vinh Long merged to form the new Vinh Long province today and the name of Tra Vinh University is still kept the same. When writing or speaking, we introduce "Tra Vinh University, Vinh Long province" as a complete form", said Dr. Hai.
Notably, Dr. Hai quoted General Secretary To Lam emphasizing that the two-level government apparatus must be truly streamlined, strong, effective, close to the people, serve the people better, and that everything needs the people's consent... Therefore, whether or not it is necessary to change the name of an educational institution, and how to change it, must not be arbitrary or mechanical. It is necessary to listen to the opinions of the people, parents, students, teachers, and educators to see what they think, which is also the legitimate right of the people.
DO NOT MECHANICALLY
Responding to Thanh Nien reporters, Dr. Pham Thi Mai Lien, lecturer at the Institute of Journalism and Communication, Academy of Journalism and Propaganda, affirmed: "The renaming of schools after merging provinces and cities (if any) should not be done mechanically, purely administratively, but should be placed in the context of culture - history - community consciousness. Schools are not only places to pass on knowledge but also preserve the memories and pride of many generations of students, teachers, and parents. Changing the name of a school means it will affect those spiritual values."
"For these reasons, I think that if educational institutions are required to have a new name, there needs to be extensive consultation, listening to voices from the grassroots, respecting local history, and at the same time aiming for a common future rich in identity. By doing so, people will feel respected and accompanied instead of feeling lost. A reasonable and appropriate name can become a bridge between the past and the future, creating solidarity and arousing the aspirations of an entire community after the merger," Dr. Lien shared.
The renaming of specialized schools in Bac Ninh province is causing many concerns.
PHOTO: SOCIAL NETWORK
SHOULD KEEP STABLE, ESPECIALLY SCHOOLS WITH A LONG TRADITION
Master Nguyen Thanh Hai, Principal of Truong Dinh High School, Long Thuan Ward, Dong Thap Province (formerly Go Cong City, Tien Giang Province), said that first of all, localities should keep the names of schools stable, especially those with a long tradition. "Only schools with local names that are not suitable should be changed. Before making changes, we should consult teachers, students and people to listen to their wishes," said Mr. Hai.
Ms. Hoang Thuy Van (parent, residing in Chanh Hung Ward, Ho Chi Minh City) said that she is from Thai Binh province (old), now Hung Yen province. Although she is far from home, she always looks back to her hometown, following news about life and society in her hometown. "Recently, I read on the website of Thai Binh High School for the Gifted that the People's Committee of Hung Yen province has issued a decision, in which it shows that the province will keep the names of many schools, including the names of 2 specialized schools that have been associated with many generations of students and teachers. Currently, Hung Yen province only has 2 specialized schools under the Department of Education and Training, which are Thai Binh High School for the Gifted (old Thai Binh province) and Hung Yen High School for the Gifted (old Hung Yen), this is a decision that is popular and supported by everyone," she confided.
Khanh Hoa province has only 2 "Le Quy Don Specialized High Schools"
According to Thanh Nien reporters' investigation, most of the names of educational institutions will remain the same as before the province merger. Unless the name of the educational institution contains the words "province", "district", or "county", these words will be omitted from the new name after the merger.
For example, the new Phu Tho province has 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 the specialized schools remain the same: Vinh Phuc Specialized High School (former Vinh Phuc province), Hung Vuong Specialized High School (former Phu Tho) and Hoang Van Thu Specialized High School (former Hoa Binh province).
Vinh Phuc Provincial Continuing Education Center (old) changed to Vinh Phuc Continuing Education Center; Vinh Phuc Provincial Boarding Secondary and High School for Ethnic Minorities changed to Vinh Phuc Provincial Boarding Secondary and High School for Ethnic Minorities. Or Hoa Binh Provincial Boarding High School for Ethnic Minorities (old), changed its name to Hoa Binh Provincial Boarding High School for Ethnic Minorities...
From July 1, 2025, excluding the Gifted High School (a specialized school under Ho Chi Minh City National University), the new Ho Chi Minh City (merging Ho Chi Minh City, Binh Duong Province, and Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province) will have 4 specialized schools under the Department of Education and Training. The names of these specialized schools will remain the same, including: Le Hong Phong Specialized High School (old Ho Chi Minh City), Tran Dai Nghia Specialized High School (old Ho Chi Minh City), Hung Vuong Specialized High School (old Binh Duong), Le Quy Don Specialized High School (old Ba Ria-Vung Tau).
From July 1, Lam Dong province has 4 specialized schools, the school names are unchanged as before the merger, including: Thang Long Specialized High School (old Lam Dong province), Bao Loc Specialized High School (old Lam Dong), Tran Hung Dao Specialized High School (old Binh Thuan), Nguyen Chi Thanh Specialized High School (old Dak Nong).
Not counting specialized schools under universities, Hanoi currently has 4 specialized schools under the Department of Education and Training, including: Hanoi - Amsterdam High School for the Gifted, Nguyen Hue High School for the Gifted, Chu Van An High School for the Gifted, Son Tay High School for the Gifted. In 2008, when Ha Tay merged into the capital Hanoi, the names of the specialized schools of Ha Tay (old) were also kept the same until now.
Vinh Long province has only 3 specialized schools, keeping the same name as before the merger, including: Nguyen Binh Khiem Specialized High School (old Vinh Long province), Nguyen Thien Thanh Specialized High School (old Tra Vinh province), Ben Tre Specialized High School (old Ben Tre province).
An interesting thing is that after the merger, the new Khanh Hoa province (merging Khanh Hoa and Ninh Thuan) has 2 specialized schools with the same name "Le Quy Don Specialized High School". Up to this point, there has been no announcement about changing the names of these 2 schools. The student community said that they do not want their school names to change, because just by opening parentheses with the school name and the ward name, they can distinguish the 2 schools. On the website of Le Quy Don Specialized High School (old Khanh Hoa province), the school address has been updated as Nguyen Tat Thanh Avenue, Nam Nha Trang Ward, Khanh Hoa.
Source: https://thanhnien.vn/sau-sap-nhap-ten-truong-hoc-the-nao-cho-hop-ly-185250711191516131.htm
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