Morning of November 9: Construction of inter-level boarding schools in mainland border communes began simultaneously

Photo caption — Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh presents warm clothes to students in Bat Mot commune ( Thanh Hoa ). Photo: Duong Giang/VNA

The event has profound social and humanistic significance.

The groundbreaking ceremony for inter-level boarding schools in the land border communes was broadcast live on VTV1 from 9-10:30 a.m., with the central point at Yen Khuong commune, Thanh Hoa province, where Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh attended and gave a speech.

The remaining 13 bridge points are in the provinces: Lang Son, Cao Bang, Lao Cai, Tuyen Quang, Dien Bien, Lai Chau, Son La, Nghe An, Ha Tinh, Quang Tri, Dak Lak, Lam Dong and An Giang .

Attending these points were Deputy Prime Ministers, a number of Government members, leaders of central ministries and branches; local leaders; education managers, teachers, students and local people.

This is an event of profound political, social and humanitarian significance, demonstrating the special attention of the Party and State to compatriots, soldiers, especially students in border areas, which are considered the "fence" of the Fatherland. At the same time, it is an activity aimed at ensuring fairness in access to education, narrowing regional disparities, improving social security and strengthening national defense and security in border areas.

According to statistics, the whole country has 956 general schools in 248 land border communes. Of these, only about 22 ethnic boarding general schools (PTDTNT), with 7,644 students (accounting for only 2.3% of the total number of schools and 1.2% of the total number of general students) enjoy the State's boarding policy; about 160 semi-boarding general schools (PTDTBT), with 51,131 students (accounting for about 16.7% of the total number of schools and 8.18% of the total number of general students in the land border communes) enjoy the State's boarding policy.

Of the total 625,255 students in the border communes, the number of students who are not eligible to study at boarding schools for ethnic minorities, but have the need to be boarding or semi-boarding is about 273,244 students (accounting for 43.7% of the total current high school students). Thus, the number of students with the need to be boarding or semi-boarding in the border communes accounts for a very high proportion. In addition, the physical conditions of schools in the border communes are still very difficult and lacking, not meeting the minimum requirements, not ensuring to meet the boarding and semi-boarding needs of students; the teaching staff is still lacking and has not been arranged properly, greatly affecting the quality of education, leading to not ensuring fairness in education.

To improve the quality of education, narrow the regional gap, and create a source of quality cadres in border areas to meet the requirements of national development in the new period, the Ministry of Education and Training (MOET) has reported and proposed to the Party and State leaders, headed by General Secretary To Lam, the policy of building boarding schools for students in remote, border, and island areas, especially in mainland border communes.

According to the Politburo's Conclusion Notice No. 81-TB/TW dated July 18, 2025 on the policy of investing in building schools for border communes and Resolution No. 298/NQ-CP dated September 26, 2025 of the Government promulgating the Government's Action Plan to implement Conclusion Notice 81-TB/TW, the whole country has 248 land border communes planned to invest in 248 inter-level primary and secondary boarding schools. Of which, 100 schools were selected for investment in phase 1, with a total investment capital demand of nearly 20,000 billion VND. The Ministry of Finance is assigned to allocate and manage capital sources; localities directly implement investment in construction according to specific mechanisms, ensuring progress, quality and efficiency in using state capital.

The schools that were simultaneously started on November 9, 2025, are all on the list of 100 schools approved by the Government for investment in 2025, expected to be completed and put into use before the start of the 2026-2027 school year. Along with public investment capital, the Ministry of Education and Training was assigned to coordinate with the Central Committee of the Vietnam Fatherland Front and member organizations to launch the program "The whole country joins hands to build schools for border communes" and the movement "All for beloved border students", aiming to mobilize the strength of solidarity of the entire people, businesses, organizations, and individuals at home and abroad to contribute to building, maintaining and developing a sustainable school system in border areas.

The Ministry of Construction has designed the model of inter-level boarding schools to ensure technical standards, scale, classroom area; synchronous, modern, sustainable, safe infrastructure system; meeting the highest standards of general school infrastructure today. Each school is arranged with a study area, dormitory, dining room, cultural and sports area, library, subject classrooms, and boarding teachers' area, ensuring comprehensive learning, living and training conditions.

Ensuring new school models and policies for teachers

The Ministry of Education and Training has identified this as a new school model, not a “compressed school” or a “dispersed school”, but a modern, synchronous model, combining flexible boarding and semi-boarding policies, suitable for the terrain conditions and circumstances of students in border areas. The first 100 schools to be started in 2025 are identified as “model schools”, ensuring both advanced facilities and being a model in educational organization, management and operation.

The schools are built to develop students comprehensively in terms of morality, intelligence, physical fitness, and aesthetics, with spaces for learning, sports, music, fine arts, career guidance, and cultural development, while ensuring adequate boarding and semi-boarding conditions. This is the first step towards completing 248 schools in the 2025-2028 period, contributing to gradually eliminating regional gaps and creating a sustainable knowledge belt in the border areas.

Along with the construction of inter-level boarding schools in land border communes, the Ministry of Education and Training is coordinating with ministries, branches and localities to research and develop specific policies to arrange, train, attract and retain a team of competent and dedicated teachers to meet the educational requirements of border areas.

The policies are expected to be issued before the 2026-2027 school year, in sync with the progress of completing the projects. For students in border areas, they will study and live in a modern, safe, fully-equipped environment, with the State ensuring conditions for accommodation, training and capacity development. The goal is to ensure fairness in access to education, improve people's knowledge, train local human resources, and contribute to sustainable development in border areas.

Source: https://baotintuc.vn/giao-duc/sang-911-dong-loat-khoi-cong-truong-pho-thong-noi-tru-lien-cap-tai-cac-xa-bien-gioi-dat-lien-20251108121700186.htm