Building a sustainable future for the young generation in a border commune...

Despite many socio- economic difficulties, thanks to the coordinated participation of the government, schools, parents and the community, the education sector of Ia Dom commune, Gia Lai province, is improving day by day with valuable results.

Together for the cause of educating people

Ia Dom is a border commune of Gia Lai province, where people's lives still face many difficulties, especially ethnic minorities who account for a high proportion. However, in recent years, local education has had many positive changes. Up to now, the whole commune has 3 main schools, including: Hoa Po Lang Kindergarten, Tran Phu Primary School and Nguyen Trai Secondary School, with a total of 1,982 students, of which 658 are ethnic minority students.

The 2024-2025 school year ended with many outstanding results: The student retention rate reached 99.7%; 100% of students completed the primary school program; 100% of grade 9 students were recognized as graduating from junior high school. These are impressive numbers for a difficult border commune like Ia Dom.

The joy of going to school of ethnic minority students in Ia Dom commune.

Being present at Hoa Po Lang Kindergarten - where the first seeds of knowledge are sown, we feel the spirit of dedication and love for the profession of the teaching staff here. The school has 12 classes with 338 children, of which 148 are ethnic minorities, female students account for more than 50%. Although the physical facilities are still lacking, the rate of children attending classes reaches 96%, maintaining a student population of 100% and especially 85.5% of children are assessed as "healthy and well-behaved" in all aspects.

To achieve these "telling" numbers, the school had to mobilize as many children of school age as possible to go to class, especially children from ethnic minorities. The smooth coordination between the school and associations and organizations such as the Women's Union, Youth Union, Fatherland Front of the commune and the village government is very important, helping the children attend class regularly.

At the primary level, Tran Phu School has 28 classes with 962 students, of which 336 are ethnic minorities. Last school year, the school maintained a 99.4% attendance rate, with 100% of 5th graders completing primary school. This is a great achievement in the context of many families in the border areas still having difficult economic conditions, and education is sometimes not a top priority.

Not only maintaining good attendance, the quality of study at the school has also improved significantly. Tran Phu School students have achieved many outstanding results in competitions such as: First and Third prizes in the district-level Youth Informatics subject, Provincial Encouragement Prize; Vietnamese Proficiency Contest achieved 2 Second prizes, 3 Third prizes, 5 District-level Encouragement Prizes and 3 Provincial Encouragement Prizes. In particular, teachers have also achieved many achievements in excellent teacher competitions, with 3 teachers achieving the title of excellent teachers at the district level.

Teachers and students of Tran Phu Primary School overcome difficulties and achieve many high academic achievements.

Ro Lan Luc, a 4th grade student at Tran Phu Primary School, shared: "At home, my parents are always working in the fields, but they always remind me to study hard so that I can help them and the village in the future... In class, I am taught wholeheartedly by my teachers. I will try to study better so as not to let down my teachers and parents."

At Nguyen Trai Secondary School, with 662 students, of which 174 are ethnic minorities, the mark is not only the rate of 100% of 9th grade students graduating from secondary school but also the achievements in provincial and district excellent student exams. In particular, in Literature, a student won the second prize at the provincial level, and in Geography, he won 1 Encouragement prize. The school also stands out with 6 teachers achieving the title of excellent homeroom teacher at the district level.

Join hands to "help children go to school" - connecting dreams

In addition to the proactive efforts from the education sector and the locality, Ia Dom commune also received meaningful support from the community, especially the armed forces. A typical model that needs to be replicated is the program "Army officers and soldiers help children go to school" directly implemented by Division 320.

In the 2024-2025 school year, Division 320 sponsored 23 disadvantaged students, most of whom were ethnic minority students from three schools in Ia Dom, with a total support budget of nearly 550 million VND. Specifically: Tran Phu Primary School: supported 8 students (191.2 million VND); Nguyen Trai Secondary School: 10 students (239 million VND); Students studying at Nguyen Truong To School: 5 students (119.5 million VND).

This is not only a valuable material support but also a valuable source of spiritual encouragement to help students strive to excel in their studies and life. Siu H'Ron, father of Siu Nguyen Anh Ky, a 5th grade student at Tran Phu Primary School, who was sponsored by the program, emotionally shared: "My family is poor, so I am worried that we will not be able to afford to send my child to school for a long time. With the help of the soldiers, I feel warm and have more faith in my child's future."

Students in Ia Dom border commune are equipped with computer rooms for learning.

Not only the military, but also businesses located in the area actively accompany the education sector of Ia Dom commune. During the opening ceremony of the 2025-2026 school year, units and businesses presented a total of 262 gifts to students at 3 schools. Nguyen Trai Secondary School and Tran Phu Primary School were also given 200 school bags and 1,000 notebooks, worth 30 million VND.

Those small material but great spiritual gifts are like additional motivation for students to persevere in pursuing education, making each new school year more warm and loving.

Currently, Ia Dom commune continues to promote propaganda and mobilize people to send their children to school, especially ethnic minority students and students from poor and near-poor households. The strong commitment from the Party Committee, local authorities, the education sector and the community's support are creating a valuable "connecting thread" to promote the learning movement in the border area to spread more and more.

In the context of people's lives still facing many difficulties, the outstanding educational results of Ia Dom commune are a vivid proof of the effectiveness of comprehensive educational policies, especially the harmonious coordination between the State - school - society. The tireless efforts of teachers, students and the deep concern of social forces have contributed significantly to lighting up the "fire of knowledge" on the Fatherland's border.

Ia Dom is proving that, despite being a remote border area, this place is still full of aspirations to study, to rise up, and to move towards a brighter future for the young generation. And the strategy of "growing people" in the border area will continue to be a solid foundation for the sustainable development of the community.

SONG NGAN

Source: https://baolamdong.vn/xay-dung-tuong-lai-ben-vung-cho-the-he-tre-o-xa-bien-gioi-ia-dom-400414.html