Waste from billion-dollar school construction that was completed and then abandoned

A school project worth more than 23 billion VND was completed more than a year ago but still cannot be put into use.

Apart from the 3-storey building, the facility still does not have an office building, functional rooms, playground, or practice ground - essential items for teaching according to the new general education program.

While students have to study in classrooms that have been degraded after the storm, the new facility is closed and overgrown with grass. The story in Vinh Phu ward ( Nghe An ) not only makes people feel sorry, but also raises questions about the effectiveness of public investment, the consistency in planning and the responsibility of relevant parties.

The new school is still abandoned.

Nghi An Secondary School Project, Phase 2 (Phase 1), invested by the People's Committee of Nghi An Commune (old), started construction in 2023 and completed in October 2024. The project includes a 3-storey building with 18 classrooms to meet the needs of 630 students (equivalent to 35 students/class). The project has a total floor area of ​​over 1,950m², including a gate, fence, garage and guardhouse, with a total investment of over 23 billion VND from the Vinh city budget.

The road to the school is too narrow and unsafe for traffic.

However, more than a year after its completion, the school has yet to be put into use. Inside, there are many stains, some cracks have appeared on the west side of the school; weeds have grown wildly around the campus, making the local people feel sad.

Mr. Nguyen Van Tinh, a resident of Kim Phuc hamlet, Vinh Phu ward, said: “The new school is spacious and has been completed for nearly a year, but I don’t understand why it has not been put into use yet. Every day when I pass by, I see the closed door, the grass growing inside, and no one taking care of it. I hope the local government will soon have a solution so that the children have a better place to study, avoiding waste.”

Meanwhile, at Campus 1, due to the impact of consecutive storms, especially storm No. 10 at the end of September 2025, the school suffered heavy damage. The corrugated iron roof of the 2-story building was blown away, causing many classrooms to leak and be damaged. Due to insufficient funds for repairs, the school had to relocate students to study temporarily in the multi-purpose room. In addition, the fence system was also damaged, causing insecurity for students and teachers.

Ms. Le Viet Hong, Principal of Nghi An Secondary School, said that the school currently has more than 800 students, divided into 20 classes. Due to some classrooms leaking after the storm, the school was forced to use the multi-purpose room, affecting the quality of teaching and learning. The biggest concern is that the electrical system is damp due to water seepage, forcing the power to be cut off in the affected classrooms. If not repaired promptly, the risk of affecting the entire system is very high.

More than a year after completion, the school remains abandoned.

According to Ms. Hong, although the second facility is newly built, it does not meet the minimum requirements for teaching. There is currently no principal's office, council room, professional group activity room, subject classrooms, multi-function room; there is a lack of equipment for teaching such as televisions, computers... In particular, the road leading to the second facility is small and seriously degraded, making it difficult for teachers and students to move around. The biggest wish of the teachers and students is that the new school will soon be completed to meet standards so that students can move to a stable learning environment.

The government intervened to resolve the issue.

More than a year has passed, but Nghi An Secondary School, Campus 2, still cannot be put into use.

According to Vinh Phu ward officials, the classroom area was designed by the investor based on Circular No. 13/2020/TT-BGDDT dated May 26, 2020. Specifically, the classroom area is determined with the standard of 1.5 m²/student, the classroom area is not less than 45 m². According to Article 16, the Charter of Junior High Schools and High Schools issued with Circular 32/2020/TT-BGDDT, the number of students in each class does not exceed 45 students. Therefore, the design file of Nghi An Junior High School has a classroom area of ​​56.16 m², ensuring 36 students.

Meanwhile, in reality, in the plain schools in Nghe An, the annual approved plan has an average class size of over 40 students, even 45 students. Particularly in Nghi An commune (old), in recent years, the number of students per class is over 42 students. The mechanical application of standards, not according to local reality, and lack of coordination with educational management units and schools leads to inappropriate designs, causing waste and difficulties in operation.

It is known that after completing the 18-classroom building, on October 2, 2024, the People's Committee of Nghi An Commune (old) sent a document inviting the leaders of Nghi An Secondary School to come to the second facility to organize the acceptance and handover for use. However, the school did not accept it for the following reasons: The second facility only has 18 classrooms, the number of desks and chairs is not enough for the current number of students; the facilities do not meet the minimum requirements according to the 2018 general education program. Meanwhile, in the 2024-2025 school year, the first facility of Nghi An Secondary School still has enough classrooms to organize teaching. The school requested the People's Committee of Nghi An Commune to continue investing in adding missing items at the second facility such as offices, functional rooms, laboratory practice rooms, playgrounds, etc., and at the same time, completing the road to the school to ensure traffic safety. In May 2025, after completing the electricity and water supply system, Nghi An Ward People's Committee handed over facility 2 to the Board of Directors of Nghi An Secondary School, but until now it has not been able to be put into use due to the lack of essential items, causing a waste of public resources.

The classroom area can only accommodate 35 students, while the current class size is from 42-45 students.

In order to resolve related issues and put the project into operation soon, on October 28, Vinh Phu Ward People's Committee held a meeting with the participation of Nghi An Secondary School Board of Directors and specialized departments. Accordingly, the Ward People's Committee assigned Nghi An Secondary School Board of Directors to develop a plan to organize teaching of core subjects at facility 1, while gifted subjects such as music , fine arts, physical education, enhanced English, tutoring... will be organized at facility 2. The school will check and review the facilities, teaching equipment, and additional personnel, and include them in the plan to organize teaching at facility 2, estimate the budget and submit it to the Ward People's Committee for consideration, and complete it before November 10, 2025.

The Department of Culture and Society presides over and coordinates with the Department of Economics - Infrastructure and Urban Areas, the Board of Directors of Nghi An Secondary School to organize a field inspection, assess the teaching organization plan, ensure appropriate facilities and equipment, and advise the Ward People's Committee to consider and complete before November 15, 2025.

The Department of Economics - Infrastructure and Urban Areas will advise the Ward People's Committee on a plan to arrange funding to invest in additional facilities and equipment for Nghi An Secondary School and to temporarily renovate and upgrade the road to the second facility, to organize teaching and learning soon, to be completed before November 20, 2025.

Mr. Nguyen The Than, Chairman of Vinh Phu Ward People's Committee, said that the goal is to put the second facility into use by early December 2025, initially organizing teaching for 7 gifted classes. As for the items in phase 2 of the project, the locality will include them in the public investment plan for the period 2026 - 2030, however, the approval authority belongs to the Provincial People's Committee.

Source: https://baotintuc.vn/giao-duc/lang-phi-tu-cong-trinh-truong-hoc-tien-ti-xay-xong-roi-bo-khong-20251105091137624.htm