Decree 279/2026/ND-CP defining functions, tasks, powers and organisational structure of Ministry of Education and Training

DECREE

Defining the functions, tasks, powers and organisational structure of the Ministry of Education and Training[1]

Pursuant to Law No. 63/2025/QH15 on Organisation of the Government;

At the proposal of the Minister of Education and Training;

The Government promulgates the Decree defining the functions, tasks, powers and organisational structure of the Ministry of Education and Training.

Article 1. Position and functions

The Ministry of Education and Training is an agency of the Government, performing the state management of early childhood education, general education, vocational education, higher education and continuing education; of Vietnamese language and languages of ethnic groups; and of public non-business services in the fields under the Ministry’s state management. 

Article 2. Tasks and powers 

The Ministry of Education and Training shall perform the tasks and exercise the powers defined in the Law on Organisation of the Government and the Government’s regulations on the functions, tasks, powers and organisational structures of ministries and ministerial-level agencies, and has the following specific tasks and powers:

1. To submit to the Government draft laws and draft resolutions of the National Assembly; draft ordinances and draft resolutions of the National Assembly Standing Committee; draft decrees and draft resolutions of the Government; and draft decisions of the Prime Minister in the fields under the Ministry’s management according to the approved annual law-making programmes and plans, and other projects and schemes as assigned by the Government or the Prime Minister.

2. To submit to the Government or the Prime Minister for promulgation, or promulgate according to its competence, long-term, medium-term and annual development strategies, master plans, schemes and plans, national target programmes, national programmes, national action programmes, and national important works falling under the Ministry’s state management under regulations.

3. To promulgate circulars, decision, directives and other documents falling under the Ministry’s state management;

4. To direct, guide, carry out public communication about, and dissemination of, monitor, examine, and organise the implementation of, approved legal documents, strategies, master plans, programmes, projects and schemes falling under the Ministry’s state management.

5. Regarding education objectives, programmes and contents

a/ To submit to competent authorities for promulgation, or promulgate according to its competence, documents specifying and guiding the implementation and perform the unified management of education objectives, programmes and contents within the national education system in accordance with law;

b/ To provide standards and procedures for compiling, revising and appraising textbooks, course books and education materials; to provide standards and procedures for compiling, revising and appraising local education materials; to guide the selection of toys and learning materials for use in early childhood education institutions;

c/ To submit to the Government regulations on the provision of free textbooks to pupils; to decide on the set of general education textbooks for uniform use nationwide;

d/ To specify the contents and organise the implementation of national defence and security education programmes for learners from the level of upper-secondary education to the level of higher education and in vocational education institutions;

dd/ To specify the contents and programmes of education and training on environmental protection and development of human resources for environmental protection;

e/ To promulgate according to its competence, or submit to competent authorities for promulgation, guidance on the development of an open education system, the building of a learning society, and the promotion of lifelong learning.

6. To act as the focal point assisting the Government in performing the state management of the Vietnamese language and the languages of ethnic groups; to promulgate according to its competence, or submit to competent authorities for promulgation, guidance on the development and conservation of the Vietnamese language and the languages of ethnic groups, and organise the implementation thereof in accordance with law.

7. Regarding examination, testing, assessment, enrollment, training and recognition of learning outcomes and diplomas and certificates

a/ To submit to competent authorities for promulgation, or promulgate according to its competence, documents specifying and guiding the examination, testing, assessment, enrollment, training and recognition of learning outcomes, ensuring uniformity throughout the national education system;

b/ To guide the management of diplomas and certificates, and recognise diplomas issued by foreign education institutions for use in Viet Nam and certificates used in the national education system, unless otherwise provided by specialised laws.

8. Regarding educators and education administrators and other personnel of the education sector

a/ To submit to competent authorities for promulgation, or promulgate according to its competence, documents specifying and guiding the recruitment, employment, job positions, titles, professional standards, professional activities, working regimes, ethics, codes of conduct, and rights and obligations of educators, managers of education institutions, education support personnel and other personnel in education institutions in the national education system in accordance with law;

b/ To advise the Government on regulations regarding salaries and remuneration for educators, education managers, managers of education institutions, education support personnel and other personnel in education institutions in the national education system in accordance with law.

9. Regarding the management of, and support for, learners

a/ To submit to competent authorities for promulgation, or promulgate according to its competence, documents specifying and guiding the management of learners in the national education system in accordance with law; policies applicable to learners; and commendation and disciplinary measures for learners;

b/ To guide and organise the implementation of school health services, ensuring healthcare for learners in schools and other education institutions; the education and comprehensive development of learners in the education system; and the prevention and control of accidents and injuries involving learners in schools and other education institutions;

c/ To specify, guide and organise sports activities and competitions, and develop physical training and sports movements in schools.

10. Regarding facilities for non-business activities, educational physical foundations, and special-use machinery and equipment in the field of education and training: To submit to competent authorities for promulgation, or promulgate according to its competence, documents specifying and guiding, and organise the implementation of, lists of, and technical regulations and standards applicable to, educational physical foundations, libraries, classrooms, subject-specific classrooms, laboratories, practical training facilities, works serving education activities, and education equipment; standards and norms for the use of the floor area of non-business facilities and special-use machinery and equipment in the field of education and training under the Ministry’s state management; and to guide and inspect the management, operation, use, arrangement and handling of facilities for non-business activities, physical foundations and special-use machinery and equipment in education institutions in accordance with law.

11. Regarding the management of finances, public assets, public investment, construction investment and bidding activities

a/ To submit to competent authorities for promulgation, or promulgate according to its competence, documents specifying and guiding prices of educational services in accordance with the Law on Price and other relevant laws; techno-economic norms and financial mechanisms in the field of education as decentralised in accordance with law;

b/ To manage assigned finances, public assets, and activities concerning public investment, construction investment and bidding activities in accordance with law; to exercise the rights and perform the responsibilities of the state owner of enterprises in accordance with law; to exercise the rights and perform the responsibilities of the representative of the state owner of state capital invested in enterprises in accordance with law.

12. Regarding education quality assurance and accreditation

a/ To promulgate according to its competence, or submit to competent authorities for promulgation, regulations and guidance on, and organise the implementation of, education quality assurance and accreditation;

b/ To develop, manage and supervise the education quality assurance system in the national education system; to manage education quality assessment and accreditation activities; to exploit and use the results of education quality assessment and accreditation to serve the state management, supervision and policy making in the field of education in accordance with law;

c/ To guide and organise the publicisation of activities and accountability of education institutions in accordance with law.

13. Regarding science, technology, innovation and digital transformation in the education sector

a/ To submit to competent authorities for promulgation, or promulgate according to its competence, documents specifying and guiding mechanisms and policies to promote science, technology and innovation activities in education institutions;

b/ To guide and organise the performance of science, technology and innovation tasks in the education sector; to guide and organise the implementation of comprehensive digital transformation, and promote the development and application of digital technologies and artificial intelligence in the education sector;

c/ To develop and manage information systems, digital platforms, national databases and specialised databases in accordance with law.

14. To perform the tasks of state management of statistics in the education sector. To promulgate, manage, and guide the uniform use of, forms, documents and books in the fields under the Ministry’s state management in accordance with law; to carry out the reporting, statistical and archival work relating to documents and data in the fields under the Ministry’s state management in accordance with law.

15. Regarding the management of education and training institutions

a/ To submit to competent authorities for promulgation, or promulgate according to its competence, documents specifying and guiding, and organise the implementation according to its competence of, charters and regulations on the organisation and operation of education institutions; and the establishment, recognition, reorganisation, dissolution, transformation, renaming and licensing of educational activities of education institutions in accordance with law;

b/ To decide on the establishment, reorganisation, dissolution and renaming of national defence and security education centres in higher education institutions and vocational education institutions (except military schools);

c/ To carry out the classification and ranking of education institutions and public non-business units falling under the Ministry’s management in accordance with law;

d/ To perform the role of the direct managing agency for national universities and other public non-business units under regulations; to approve the specific missions and development strategies of public higher education institutions directly under the Ministry in accordance with law.

16. Regarding international cooperation and foreign investment in the education sector

a/ To submit to competent authorities for promulgation, or promulgate according to its competence, documents specifying and guiding, and organise the implementation of, training cooperation and joint training programmes, and foreign investment in the field of education;

b/ To propose the conclusion and implementation of treaties and international agreements on education falling within the Ministry’s state management; to propose the accession to, and participation in, international organisations operating in the field of education; to act as Viet Nam’s national focal point in relations with international organisations operating in the field of education of which Viet Nam is a member, as assigned by the Government or the Prime Minister;

c/ To submit to the Government for promulgation regulations and provide guidance on the receipt for training and management of foreign nationals studying at Vietnamese education institutions in accordance with law; the management of foreign nationals entering Viet Nam to work as managers, teach, and carry out scientific research and academic exchange activities at Vietnamese education institutions; and manage Vietnamese citizens going abroad for studying, teaching, and carrying out scientific research and academic exchange under the Ministry’s state management of education.

17. Regarding emulation and commendation in the education sector

a/ To submit to competent authorities for promulgation, or promulgate according to its competence, documents specifying and guiding, and organise the implementation of, emulation and commendation activities in the education sector;

b/ To guide the emulation and commendation work of education institutions; to organise emulation movements and carry out emulation and commendation activities in the education sector;

c/ To guide and carry out activities to honour educators, and consider the conferment of the titles of People’s Educator and Meritorious Educator in accordance with law.

18. To decide on, and direct the implementation of, the Ministry’s administrative reform programme according to the goals and contents of the state administrative reform programme approved by the Government or the Prime Minister.

19. To manage associations, non-governmental organisations and public non-business services in the fields under the Ministry’s management in accordance with law.

20. To manage the Ministry’s organisational apparatus, working positions, payrolls, civil servants, public employees and employees; to implement salary regimes, preferential regimes and policies, commendation and disciplinary measures, and professional training and upskilling for civil servants, public employees and employees under the Ministry’s management in accordance with law.

21. To carry out the inspection and specialised inspection; to settle complaints, denunciations, petitions and reports; to organise citizen reception; to implement measures to prevent and combat corruption, waste and negative practices; to handle law violations in the fields under the Ministry’s state management in accordance with law.

22. To perform other tasks and exercise other powers assigned by the Government or the Prime Minister or under regulations.

Article 3. Organisational structure

1. The Early Childhood Education Department.

2. The General Education Department.

3. The Higher Education Department.

4. The National Defence and Security Education Department.

5. The Student Affairs Department.

6. The Legal Affairs Department.

7. The Personnel and Organisation Department.

8. The Planning and Finance Department.

9. The Office.

10. The Teachers and Educational Administrators Agency.

11. The Viet Nam Education Quality Management Agency.

12. The Science, Technology and Information Agency.

13. The International Cooperation Agency. 

14. The Vocational Education and Continuing Education Agency.

15. The Education Times Newspaper.

16. The Institute for Education Strategy and Policy.

The units specified in Clauses 1 thru 14 of this Article are administrative organisations under the Ministry which assist the Minister in performing the state management function; the units specified in Clauses 15 and 16 of this Article are public non-business units serving the Ministry’s state management function.

The Minister of Education and Training shall submit to the Prime Minister for promulgation a list of other public non-business units attached to the Ministry.

The Minister of Education and Training shall promulgate decisions defining the functions, tasks, powers and organisational structures of the units under or attached to the Ministry in accordance with law, except units falling within the competence of the Government or the Prime Minister.

Article 4. Transitional provisions

The Education Journal and the Vietnam National Institute of Education Sciences shall continue to perform their tasks and exercise their powers in accordance with law until the Minister of Education and Training’s decision defining the functions, tasks, powers and organisational structure of the Institute for Education Strategy and Policy takes effect. The deadline for completion is August 1, 2026.

Article 5. Effect

1. This Decree takes effect on July 12, 2026.

2. This Decree replaces the Government’s Decree No. 37/2025/ND-CP of February 26, 2025, defining the functions, tasks, powers and organisational structure of the Ministry of Education and Training.

Article 6. Implementation responsibility

The Minister of Education and Training, ministers, heads of ministerial-level agencies, and Chairpersons of provincial-level People’s Committees shall implement this Decree.-

On behalf of the Government
For the Prime Minister
Deputy Prime Minister
LE TIEN CHAU