Investing in border areas is investing in the long-term stability of the country.

Photo caption — Deputy Prime Minister Ho Quoc Dung attended the groundbreaking ceremony of the project "Construction of a primary and secondary boarding school in 7 border communes of Gia Lai province". Photo: Hoai Nam/VNA

The program was organized by the Gia Lai Provincial People's Committee in Ia Nan commune, with the participation of representatives of central ministries and branches, leaders of Gia Lai province and border localities, and a large number of teachers and students in border areas.

With a total investment of more than 1,500 billion VND from the central budget, the project is considered a breakthrough in the strategy of developing education in border areas, contributing to the effective implementation of ethnic policies, improving people's knowledge, and ensuring security and defense in the Central Highlands region.

Deputy Prime Minister Ho Quoc Dung acknowledged and commended Gia Lai province's efforts in quickly concretizing the Party and State's policy on developing education in difficult areas, and highly appreciated the initiative of departments, branches, localities and relevant units in preparing land funds, clearing the site, and ensuring necessary conditions for the project to start construction on schedule.

The Deputy Prime Minister emphasized that investing in education is investing in the future; investing in border areas is investing in the long-term stability of the country. Education must be student-centered, teachers are the driving force to improve the quality of education in disadvantaged areas. The system of inter-level boarding schools in border communes is a major policy of the Party, State, National Assembly and Government, with strategic significance in improving the quality of education and training in ethnic minority, remote and border areas. The project is a spiritual support, a cultural symbol and creates equal learning opportunities for children in border areas, contributing to population stability, socio-economic development, and maintaining national border security.

Deputy Prime Minister Ho Quoc Dung requested the Ministry of Education and Training to soon complete the policy to support ethnic minority students so that they can study with peace of mind. Gia Lai province continues to direct relevant agencies and units to pay attention to allocating resources, strictly implementing regulations on public investment, closely monitoring the construction process, ensuring quality and effective use of capital. The province needs to focus on training and fostering teachers, improving management capacity to effectively operate the boarding school system after completion and putting into use.

The project is invested by the Gia Lai Provincial Construction Investment Project Management Board, implemented on an area of over 52 hectares in 7 border communes including: Ia Nan, Ia Dom, Ia Pnôn, Ia Púch, Ia Mơ, Ia Chia and Ia O. The entire project consists of 212 classrooms, with synchronous investment in architecture, technical infrastructure and teaching equipment, meeting the needs of more than 7,400 students. According to the plan, the works will be completed in August 2026 and put into use in the 2026-2027 school year.

Chairman of Gia Lai Provincial People's Committee Pham Anh Tuan said that this is a key project of special significance for the development of education in the border area with many difficulties. The province is committed to mobilizing maximum resources, closely coordinating with ministries, branches, localities and construction units to complete the project on schedule, ensuring quality, safety and efficiency. The province will continue to mobilize legal resources to complete the infrastructure system, expand the quality education model, aiming at the goal of "not letting any student drop out of school due to difficult circumstances".

The project is designed to meet national standards, modernizing all facilities and teaching equipment. The project will help ethnic minority students, children of poor and near-poor households and students living far from school have stable learning conditions; significantly reducing the rate of dropping out of school due to difficult economic circumstances.

Reality shows that the need for investment in schools in these areas is very urgent. In 7 border communes of Gia Lai, there are currently more than 9,400 students, of which more than 54% are ethnic minority students. Ia Nan commune alone has 9 hamlets and villages with more than 8,600 people, ethnic minorities account for nearly 30%. Most schools in the commune are degraded, many classrooms are temporary, there is no separate dormitory; many students have to walk 5-10 km to get to class.

Mr. Nguyen Trong Quynh, Chairman of Ia Nan Commune People's Committee, shared that the investment in an inter-level boarding school has been the long-standing desire of the authorities and people of the border communes. The project, when completed, will create favorable conditions for nearly 1,000 ethnic minority and poor students to study and live in a better environment.

The inter-level boarding school in Ia Nan commune will be built on an area of 70,000 m2, including 24 classrooms, serving 840 students, meeting the needs and accommodation of students here for many years to come. Mr. Ta Quang Dieu, principal of Cu Chinh Lan Primary School (Ia Nan commune) said: The school has met national standards since 2020, but currently many classrooms are degraded, especially the school's location between two streams, with a high risk of landslides. When there is a new boarding school, students will be able to study in a safe, fully functional environment, helping to train better physical fitness and life skills.

Siu Lan Phuong, a student of class 8D, Phan Boi Chau Secondary School, Ia Nan Commune, excitedly shared: My house in Lang Nu is more than 5km from the school, so it is very difficult to travel. I am very happy to hear that the State will invest in building a new school. When there is a new school and a place to stay, I will not have to travel far every day. I want to study well so that in the future I can become a citizen with little money, contributing to building my hometown, village, and hamlet more and more prosperous and beautiful.

According to the Gia Lai Provincial Construction Investment Project Management Board, 7 projects will be implemented simultaneously, ensuring progress, quality and safety during construction. Relevant units are required to coordinate closely, regularly check and promptly handle difficulties and problems that arise so that the project can be completed on schedule. The project of 7 inter-level boarding schools in border areas, when put into operation, will create a more stable and complete learning environment for students; at the same time, affirming the priority orientation of the Government and Gia Lai province in developing education in difficult areas. This is also an important step to improve people's knowledge, develop sustainably and strengthen border security in the new period.

Source: https://baotintuc.vn/chinh-phu-voi-nguoi-dan/dau-tu-cho-vung-bien-la-dau-tu-cho-su-on-dinh-lau-dai-cua-quoc-gia-20251116131908982.htm