From great policies to works of faith at the Quang Lam border

From the practice of education in border areas

Quang Lam Commune ( Dien Bien ) is a particularly difficult border area, with 17.3km of border adjacent to Phong Sa Ly province, Lao PDR. The whole commune has an area of 223.25km² with more than 10,000 people, of which Mong people account for 89.7%, the rest are Khang, Kinh, Thai and Dao ethnic groups.

There are currently 4 general schools in the area (2 primary schools, 2 secondary schools) with 100 classrooms and 2,946 students, of which ethnic minority students account for 98.9%. However, the school facilities are degraded and inconsistent; the dormitories and temporary teacher accommodation do not meet the needs of teaching and learning in the harsh climate conditions at the border.

The teacher-to-class ratio in primary schools is only 1.2 and in secondary schools is 2.06, much lower than the prescribed standard. Along with the rugged terrain and scattered schools, mobilizing students to attend classes and maintaining attendance is extremely difficult. Therefore, investing in the construction of an inter-level ethnic boarding school in the center of Quang Lam commune has become an urgent requirement, not only to ensure learning conditions but also to keep students in remote areas at school.

In many places in Dien Bien, school facilities were invested in long ago, but are now degraded.

Prepare carefully...

Pursuant to Notice No. 81-TB/TW dated July 18, 2025 of the Politburo on the policy of investing in building schools for border communes and Decision No. 1872/QD-UBND of the People's Committee of Dien Bien province assigning the task of preparing a report proposing the investment policy, the Project Management Board and Land Fund Development of Region 5 has conducted a survey, assessment and selection of construction sites.

After considering two locations, the interdisciplinary delegation agreed to choose the land at the existing Quang Lam Secondary School for Ethnic Minorities, where there are favorable conditions for traffic, electricity and water infrastructure, no need for resettlement, and the area can be expanded to 5 hectares.

The project was approved with a total investment of 220 billion VND, entirely from the central budget, to be implemented in the period 2025-2026. Of which, 50 billion VND will be allocated in 2025, and 170 billion VND in 2026. This is a group B public investment project, in the urgent category, with the People's Committee of Dien Bien province as the investment decision-maker and the Project Management Board and Land Fund Development of Region 5 as the investor.

Notably, according to Plan No. 5952 issued by the People's Committee of Dien Bien province on October 28, 2025, the Quang Lam Primary and Secondary Boarding School project will be one of 9/15 inter-level primary and secondary boarding school projects in border communes to be simultaneously started on November 2, 2025. This is an important milestone in the roadmap to concretize the Politburo's policy on investing in 248 inter-level schools in 248 border communes nationwide.

The school is planned on a 5-hectare campus, including 31 cultural classrooms (15 primary, 16 secondary), 14 subject rooms, library, consulting room, team room, tradition room; 120 dormitories for students and 21 teacher service rooms; multi-purpose house, swimming pool, kitchen area, sports field, synchronous infrastructure system, green trees and modern school landscape. The items are designed to ensure serving 1,000 students and 68 staff and teachers.

It is expected that by the end of 2026, the project will be completed and put into use, becoming a new bright spot in the network of schools in border areas.

Investing in inter-level schools with modern designs will help students in border areas have better learning conditions.

Towards a sustainable future for ethnic minority students

According to the orientation, when Quang Lam Primary and Secondary Boarding School for Ethnic Minorities comes into operation, the existing educational facilities in the area will be rearranged to effectively use facilities and avoid waste. Na Co Sa and Quang Lam Primary and Secondary Schools will be converted or reduced in size, contributing to streamlining the apparatus, optimizing resources, and at the same time creating conditions for students in remote areas to study in a better environment.

The project not only has educational significance but also has a strong impact on local socio-economic development. The establishment of an inter-level boarding school helps maintain and stabilize student numbers, increase attendance rates, and reduce dropouts; at the same time, it contributes to preserving the cultural identity of ethnic groups, creating quality human resources for border areas, ensuring social security and strengthening national defense and security.

Ms. Sung Thi Do, a parent of a student in Na Co Sa village, shared: “Since hearing the news that the commune will have a new boarding school, people have been very excited. Our children will not have to go far, will have a place to eat, live and study more properly.”

Mr. Giang A Senh, a parent whose child is studying in the area, confided: "We hope to soon have a new, spacious school with clean accommodation so we can feel secure sending our children to study."

Along with similar projects in other border communes of Dien Bien, the Quang Lam Ethnic Minority Boarding School project is a step to concretize the National Target Program on socio-economic development in ethnic minority and mountainous areas for the period 2021-2025, aiming to improve people's knowledge, improve education quality, and narrow regional gaps.

The investment of 220 billion VND to build Quang Lam Ethnic Minority Boarding Primary and Secondary School not only meets the urgent need for educational facilities in the border area but also demonstrates the special attention of the Party and State for the children of ethnic minorities in the northernmost part of the country. When the project is completed and put into use, Quang Lam will have a new symbol of knowledge, affirming the belief in the journey of sustainable development from education.

Source: https://giaoducthoidai.vn/tu-chu-truong-lon-den-cong-trinh-cua-niem-tin-noi-bien-gioi-quang-lam-post754672.html