Ho Chi Minh City has 1,248 preschools, including 29 facilities with foreign elements.

How many preschool teachers are there currently in Ho Chi Minh City?

The entire city currently has 2,611 management staff. As of the end of the 2023-2024 school year, Ho Chi Minh City will have 27,359 preschool teachers (5,732 nursery teachers; 21,627 kindergarten teachers) and 11,458 staff members.

As of May 2024, 81.36% of preschool administrators and teachers had graduated from pedagogical colleges or higher, including 95% of public preschool administrators and teachers with pedagogical college degrees or higher; and 68% of private preschool administrators and teachers with pedagogical college degrees or higher.

What are the preschool facilities like in Ho Chi Minh City?

The infrastructure of preschools in Ho Chi Minh City is gradually being improved with modern features. Currently, there are 16,608 classrooms, of which 16,321 are structurally sound (98.27%), and 287 are semi-structurally sound (1.73%).

Districts and Thu Duc City are continuing to implement construction, renovation, upgrading, and repair projects for preschool education facilities in the area according to the planned schedule. By the end of the 2023-2024 school year, the entire city had 265 out of 1,248 preschools meeting national standards; a rate of 21.2% (an increase of 3.1%).

The number of schools recognized as meeting national standards in the 2023-2024 school year is 35. Since the beginning of the school year, 26 schools have implemented the high-quality program (an increase of 2 schools compared to the 2023-2024 school year).

Ms. Luong Thi Hong Diep, Head of the Preschool Education Department, Ho Chi Minh City Department of Education and Training, stated that the percentage of non-public schools meeting national standards in the city remains low. Public preschools face difficulties in paying salaries to contract staff (cooks, servers, security guards, janitors) under Decree No. 68/2000/ND-CP and Decree No. 161/2018/ND-CP (now Decree No. 111/2022/ND-CP), and have not been able to attract workers. Some districts have developed recruitment plans but have not received any teacher applications. The low enrollment rate of 3-4 year old preschool children in some districts affects the preparation for implementing universal preschool education for preschool children…

Two keywords: Safety and movement

Speaking at the conference, Ms. Le Thuy My Chau, Deputy Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Education and Training, recalled that at the national preschool education year-end review conference, the Minister of Education and Training had mentioned the challenges facing preschool education nationwide, highlighting seven "firsts" in preschool education. These seven "firsts" are: the most severe lack of facilities; the most severe teacher shortage; the highest teacher resignation rate; the lowest teacher income; the most pressure on teachers; the lowest teacher-to-class ratio; and the least investment in preschool education policies.

Ms. Le Thuy My Chau stated that Ho Chi Minh City is unique as a young city with a large population and an increasing number of children each year, yet the city's preschool education still ensures sufficient places for children, especially those in industrial and export processing zones. The facilities of preschools are increasingly spacious and modern, the quality of nurturing and education is good, and many exemplary models have been replicated. Preschools are flexible and proactive, ensuring the completion of the academic year's curriculum and the implementation of criteria for building happy, child-centered schools. Notably, the digital transformation efforts have been effective in recent times…

To prepare for the 2024-2025 school year, Ms. Chau suggested that districts, counties, Thu Duc City, and preschools continue to pay attention to early childhood education, especially focusing on the keywords "safety" and "physical activity." The goal is to work together to ensure that children – the citizens of the city – are always safe, receive opportunities for physical activity, and develop comprehensively, both physically and mentally. At the same time, the next school year should continue to promote digital transformation, improve databases, strengthen communication efforts, and continue to build effective, child-centered, happy preschools. Furthermore, localities should continue to effectively implement competitions for public and private school teachers, and develop more advanced, internationally integrated preschools…