Leverage to help ethnic minority students in border areas go to school

Tran Phu Primary School in Ia Dom border commune, Gia Lai province.

This is not only a breakthrough decision in education , but also contributes to realizing the goal of comprehensive development of border areas, strengthening national defense and security and improving the quality of human resources to meet development requirements in the new period.

Premises for modernizing education in border areas

Implementing the Conclusion Notice No. 81-TB/TW dated July 18, 2025 of the Politburo on the policy of investing in building schools for border communes, Gia Lai province has proactively reviewed the actual situation and proposed to build 7 boarding schools for primary and secondary levels in 7 border communes: Ia Mo, Ia Púch, Ia Pnôn, Ia Nan, Ia Chia, Ia Dom and Ia O. These projects have a total estimated investment of nearly 1,468 billion VND, of which the capital from the central budget accounts for the majority, the local budget undertakes site clearance and other costs...

Border students eagerly await the new school.

In Decision No. 2231/QD-TTg of the Prime Minister dated October 9, Gia Lai province was supplemented with VND 497,149 billion in the central budget public investment plan in 2025 to start construction of the above schools. Construction is expected to start on December 19, inaugurated and put into use before August 30, 2026, ready to welcome students in the new school year 2026-2027.

Sharing with Nhan Dan Newspaper reporters, Director of Gia Lai Province Department of Education and Training Pham Van Nam said: “Building a system of inter-level boarding schools in border areas is a key factor in opening up more complete and equal learning opportunities for ethnic minority students, overcoming the situation of dropping out of school due to economic conditions and geographical distance. This is also a step to create a solid foundation for teachers to feel secure in working long-term in difficult areas.”

The construction scale of 7 schools includes 212 classes with about 7,420 students, designed in a modern direction, meeting national standards, fully meeting the functions of studying, semi-boarding and boarding. The school infrastructure not only serves educational activities but also becomes a center of cultural activities, connecting the border community, improving the spiritual life of the people.

The policy of investing in a system of inter-level boarding schools at the border ensures that students in remote areas have better learning conditions.

According to Vice Chairman of Gia Lai Provincial People's Committee Lam Hai Giang, investing in a system of inter-level boarding schools in 7 border communes is to carry out a political task associated with firmly protecting national defense and security in the strategic Central Highlands region. This is a key project that must be implemented urgently, on schedule and with the highest quality.

To ensure synchronous construction conditions, the Gia Lai Provincial People's Committee has assigned the Department of Agriculture and Environment to coordinate with Army Corps 15 and relevant local units to complete land acquisition and site clearance compensation before November 15, creating favorable conditions for the groundbreaking ceremony as planned.

Synchronous solutions and long-term expectations

In addition to investing in infrastructure construction, Gia Lai province and the local education sector also prioritize the development of a team of quality teachers, organize professional training close to the educational requirements of ethnic minority areas, especially emphasizing the enhancement of Vietnamese language for ethnic children before entering grade 1, in order to improve their ability to absorb and integrate.

The provincial education sector will advise the Provincial People's Committee to submit to the Provincial People's Council policies for children, students, and trainees of ethnic minorities in ethnic minority and mountainous areas, coastal and island areas. Implement reasonable teacher allocation, eliminate local surplus and shortage, and improve incentive policies for teachers to stay in remote and isolated areas.

Computer class of students at Tran Phu Primary School, Ia Dom commune.

In particular, the sector will implement the Project on developing and improving the quality of boarding and semi-boarding schools for ethnic minorities in the 2025-2030 period, according to Decision No. 363/QD-UBND dated June 23 of the Gia Lai Provincial People's Committee. "We expect that after being put into use, the boarding school system will not only train quality human resources in border areas, but also help maintain student numbers, reduce school dropouts, open up learning paths for the younger generation, especially children of poor and near-poor households, contributing to realizing the Government's message of 'leaving no one behind'," emphasized Mr. Pham Van Nam.

In Ia Doom commune, one of the locations for the construction of an inter-level boarding school, village elder Ro Cham Dik of Mook Den 1 village shared: “When the boarding school near our house is completed, the children will have a new, more decent, bigger and more beautiful environment, with a safe place to eat and rest, we are very happy. I hope the State will soon complete it so that the next generation can study and be taken care of more fully.”

The inter-level school system at the border is fully designed with dormitories, dining halls, playgrounds, and cultural houses, creating conditions for comprehensive learning and training in both knowledge and physical fitness.

Sharing the same thoughts with Elder Ro Cham Dik, Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Ia Dom Commune, Nguyen Dinh Tien, said: "People are very happy to hear that there will be a new school. The children will have a semi-boarding and boarding environment that is both safe and helps families feel secure in their work and production. The construction of boarding schools is not only to eliminate the shortage of schools, but also to ensure that students in remote areas have good learning conditions, gradually shortening the development gap between mountainous and lowland areas."

With a total construction area of 520,000 m², of which the floor area is up to more than 182,748 m², the projects not only serve the learning needs but are also fully designed with dormitories, dining halls, playgrounds, and cultural houses, creating conditions for comprehensive learning and training in both knowledge and physical fitness.

The close coordination with the 15th Army Corps and the decisive participation of local authorities at all levels signal a new confidence for students in the border area of Gia Lai province - schools will become educational "fortresses", creating a generation of young people with both professional qualifications and skills, and imbued with national cultural identity, which is the core for long-term development strategy.

Many classrooms at Tran Phu Primary School, Ia Dom commune are equipped with televisions for teaching.

We cannot expect sustainable development without a foundation of education. The new schools in the Central Highlands border are not just simple construction projects, but are symbols of political will, of the spirit of reaching out to disadvantaged areas, of the unceasing commitment to shorten the development gap between regions and between ethnic groups.

With high political determination, support from the Central Government and consensus from local people, Gia Lai has been writing the story of lighting up the future from school - a place to nurture knowledge for generations of students in the mountainous region to rise up and change their lives, contributing to protecting the Fatherland's borders.

PHUC THANG

Source: https://nhandan.vn/don-bay-nang-buoc-hoc-sinh-dan-toc-thieu-so-vung-bien-gioi-den-truong-post916846.html