From "people-reared" to model boarding school

Students of Sung Thai Primary Boarding School for Ethnic Minorities perform the flag-saluting ceremony at the beginning of the week.

The foundation for the dream of letters

In the middle of the rocky mountains, where villages are separated by steep slopes, the dream of going to school used to be a luxury for many children in Thang Mo commune. In the difficult conditions of infrastructure and roads, the government and teachers always worry about preventing children from dropping out of school and improving the knowledge of the people in the highlands.

Mr. Mua Thien Sinh, former Principal of Sung Thai Primary School, recalled that in 1986, the whole school had only 3 makeshift thatched-roof houses; there were no classrooms and no teachers, so they had to teach in 2 shifts each day. Meanwhile, the commune had 100% ethnic minorities, living scattered on the mountain slopes, the terrain was fragmented, causing many students to drop out of school and follow their parents to the fields. Facing the risk of "empty classes", the Party Committee, the government and the Education sector sought solutions to attract students back to class. After many struggles, the idea of building a boarding school for the people was formed by mobilizing people to contribute wood and labor to build boarding houses, families shared firewood, corn, vegetables and assigned people to cook for the children every day. In April 1986, Sung Thai Boarding School for the People was officially established.

Starting with temporary thatched houses and frugal meals contributed by each parent, the “problem” of preventing school dropouts in the highlands of Sung Thai has gradually been overcome. The boarding model with host families was born not only to help students have a safe place to eat and stay but also to contribute to improving the quality of education in the region.

Affirming typical models

From its predecessor, Sung Thai Boarding School, now Sung Thai Primary School for Ethnic Minorities, it has made constant efforts and become a typical educational unit in the highlands. Teacher Hoang Van Phiet, Principal of the school, said: “The school currently has one main school and 12 satellite schools with 49 classrooms and 1,197 students. In recent years, the school has focused on synchronous investment in facilities, equipment, and modern learning materials to create the best conditions for students. Thereby, the rate of mobilizing and maintaining student numbers, and children aged 6-10 going to school reached 100%. In addition, the school strictly implements policies to support students according to Decrees No. 66, 57, 238 and Circular 42”.

Sung Thai Primary Boarding School for Ethnic Minorities also focuses on building a green - clean - beautiful landscape, while replicating effective educational models. Not only stopping at creating a physical environment, the school also aims to build a safe and happy school through models to enhance life skills for students; maintain clubs such as: Love singing, love sports , I love painting, Math, I love Vietnamese...

Article and photos: Pham Hoan

Source: https://baotuyenquang.com.vn/xa-hoi/202512/tu-dan-nuoi-den-truong-ban-tru-kieu-mau-b783a7a/