'How can I feel at ease in my comfortable office…'

Today, October 25th, at the conference summarizing the social mobilization efforts for the reinforcement of school buildings, classrooms, and teacher housing during the 2013-2023 period, and outlining future tasks and solutions, organized by the Ministry of Education and Training, Minister Nguyen Kim Son shared his heartfelt concerns regarding this issue.

Minister Nguyen Kim Son speaks at the conference on the socialization of schools and classrooms.

According to a report by the Ministry of Education and Training, over the past 10 years, approximately 300 organizations, businesses, and thousands of individuals have contributed to the reinforcement of school buildings, classrooms, and teacher housing (according to statistics in the report, over the past 10 years, 37,200 classrooms and teacher housing units have been built from socialized sources with an estimated cost of around 30,000 billion VND).

However, the current average rate of school building reinforcement nationwide is 86%, with preschool and primary school reaching 83%. This rate is very high compared to 10 years ago, but the remaining unreinforced classrooms are mainly concentrated in mountainous areas, ethnic minority regions, and disadvantaged areas (such as the Northwest, Central Highlands, Central region, and even the Southwest). In many provinces, the rate of unreinforced preschool and primary school classrooms is still over 40% (Dak Nong, Kon Tum , Dien Bien, Cao Bang, Lai Chau, etc.).

Notably, these temporary schools are most prevalent at the preschool and primary school levels. The youngest children of school age need special care and should be able to study in sturdy schools with minimum facilities. The goal of establishing proper schools and classrooms needs to be pursued more vigorously.

Mr. Nguyen Kim Son affirmed: The Party and State of Vietnam consider education and training as a top national priority and have always shown concern and determination to develop education and training through many major policies and guidelines. Last August, the Politburo issued Conclusion 91, which clearly states that "the goal is to achieve 100% of classrooms being structurally sound by 2030," meaning that by 2030, there will be no more temporary or structurally sound classrooms nationwide.

To achieve this major goal, comprehensive solutions are needed, in which the State still plays a leading role and the mobilization of social resources is extremely important.

There are still tens of thousands of classrooms that are practically nonexistent.

The head of the education sector expressed that the entire sector is deeply concerned about this issue. This is both a demonstration of shared social responsibility and a move towards social equality and educational equality, etc.

“We often talk about the tradition of valuing education, the love of learning, and the tradition of culture. These traditional values ​​are real and very much worth being proud of. They are reflected in many factors such as: the number of people attending school, the spirit of learning, the respect for teachers… But a country that values ​​education and loves learning also needs to demonstrate this in well-equipped schools, with the minimum necessities for teachers to work and students to study. This is not a privilege or priority at any level, but a minimum and natural requirement to maintain the basic functions of teaching and learning.”

How can we live comfortably in our secure and warm homes while thousands of children in the northern mountainous provinces trek dozens of kilometers through forests and mountains just to reach schools and study in makeshift classrooms where cold winds blow through?

"How can we feel secure working in comfortable, even luxurious, offices when tens of thousands of classrooms and public housing units across the country are still in a makeshift state, practically nonexistent, or simply needed despite their absence?" Minister Nguyen Kim Son shared.

Looking ahead, Mr. Kim Son said he will continue to advise the Government on developing a public investment program aimed at achieving 100% school infrastructure improvement by 2030, leveraging funding from national target programs, projects, and other tasks. The Ministry will also review policies to promote the socialization of education to attract more social resources for this purpose.

The Ministry of Education and Training has requested that localities review and re-plan the school network, ensuring focused and effective investment while avoiding resource waste. At the same time, it continues to encourage public-private partnership models in education to optimize resources from the private sector.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/bo-truong-gd-dt-lam-sao-co-the-an-long-trong-van-phong-tien-nghi-cua-minh-18524102516095301.htm