Building boarding schools in border areas: Determined to overcome difficulties and ensure progress.

GD&TĐ - Following the Prime Minister's directive, localities are urgently implementing the construction of 100 boarding schools in disadvantaged border communes.

From surveying and planning to resolving planning and infrastructure issues, the investment is carried out synchronously to ensure progress and quality.

Review the conditions

On July 30th, the People's Committee of Ha Tinh province issued Document No. 5569/UBND-XD regarding the proposed investment plan for the construction of a multi-level boarding school. Based on this, the Department of Education and Training, in coordination with local authorities and relevant agencies, conducted a survey of the current situation to develop a plan to support the planning and development of education in disadvantaged areas. After review, six border communes in the province met the criteria regarding classroom size and planned land area.

Son Kim 1 commune is located in western Ha Tinh province, with a 44 km long border with Laos. It has a natural area of ​​over 223 km² and a population of nearly 5,800 people. The rugged terrain and fragmented transportation, especially during the rainy season, make it difficult for students to get to school.

Son Kim 1 has two main educational facilities: Son Kim 1 Primary School (two campuses) and Son Kim Secondary School (one campus), with a total of 1,332 students in the 2024-2025 school year, including 539 primary school students and 793 secondary school students. Among these, 101 students are from ethnic minority groups living in mountainous areas with difficult conditions. The facilities are insufficient to meet teaching and learning requirements, lacking classrooms, boarding facilities, and the implementation of a two-session-per-day school program is not yet feasible.

Forecasts for the period 2026-2030 indicate that the number of students in Son Kim 1 commune will remain above 1,100 each year, with 38-40 classes. Despite a slight decrease due to population fluctuations, the demand for education remains high, especially in the context of educational policies increasingly prioritizing remote and disadvantaged areas. Based on this reality, the People's Committee of Son Kim 1 commune has proposed the construction of a boarding school for primary and secondary levels in Trung village.

Mr. Pham Anh Hao, Chairman of the People's Committee of Son Kim 1 commune, affirmed: "If approved, this will be the first multi-level boarding school in Son Kim 1, helping to reduce travel pressure, improve the quality of education, ensure students attend school for two sessions a day, and contribute to raising the intellectual level of the people in the border region."

Besides Son Kim 1, the communes of Son Kim 2, Huong Xuan, Huong Khe, Huong Binh, and Son Hong are also proposed for investment in the construction or upgrading of boarding school systems to meet the educational needs in the area. Some projects are also linked to the reuse of existing infrastructure, such as in Son Kim 2 and Huong Binh, in order to avoid wasting public assets and optimize land use.

In Dong Thap, Mr. Le Quang Tri, Director of the Department of Education and Training, said that in implementing the Politburo 's Conclusion Notice No. 81 on the policy of investing in schools in border communes, the province has surveyed and compiled a list of needs for each school. Accordingly, Dong Thap proposed building 14 primary and secondary schools in land border communes, with a total estimated cost of 233.76 billion VND, of which 163.632 billion VND will come from the central budget, and the remainder from the local budget.

According to a survey, Dong Thap province has over 50 km of border with Cambodia, with 6 border communes and more than 28,000 households. It is expected that 14 schools will serve over 9,000 students. According to Mr. Le Quang Tri, the survey showed that students and parents do not have a need for boarding school. The Department of Education and Training has reviewed the matter and reported to the Ministry of Education and Training, which has also sent a document to the Office of the General Secretary regarding this issue.

INT illustration.

Untangling the planning bottleneck

In Vu Quang commune (Ha Tinh province), Vu Quang Primary and Secondary School does not yet meet the requirements to become a multi-level boarding school due to limited land area and classroom size. However, the local authorities have proposed renovating and upgrading the existing facility with an investment of 22 billion VND, serving nearly 500 students, with completion expected by the end of August 2026.

Currently, Ha Tinh province has four projects eligible for commencement in 2025, including schools in Son Kim 1, Huong Khe, Huong Binh, and Son Hong. These projects have secured land, favorable planning conditions, and well-prepared investment plans. However, the Department of Education and Training has highlighted several difficulties, such as sparse population, hilly terrain, slow natural population growth rate, and many communes not meeting the standards for classroom size and minimum land area of ​​5-10 hectares as stipulated in Document No. 4408/BGDĐT-KHTC dated July 29, 2025, from the Ministry of Education and Training.

“Adjusting and supplementing land use planning is difficult because the quotas have not yet been allocated to the commune level. The survey time is short, and there is a shortage of specialized staff in construction and education, affecting the reporting schedule. Some communes have not fully calculated the total investment cost, lacking funds for compensation, consulting, contingency, and project management, leading to many shortcomings in capital allocation,” said Mr. Nguyen Hong Cuong, Director of the Department of Education and Training of Ha Tinh province.

In light of this situation, the Ha Tinh Department of Education and Training has requested the Provincial People's Committee to direct relevant departments and agencies to coordinate with local authorities to conduct a detailed survey on land availability, implementation progress, and total investment. Simultaneously, it has proposed that the Ministry of Education and Training consider adjusting some criteria to better suit the actual conditions in border communes, such as reducing the minimum land area, adjusting class sizes, and allowing the use of future-oriented school planning.

In addition, Dong Thap will build several facilities at 14 border schools so that students can participate in boarding school programs. The Department of Education and Training will continue to refine regulations to ensure that students in border areas benefit from appropriate policies, while also allocating teachers appropriately and ensuring sufficient budget to maintain operations and provide teachers with the necessary benefits under the new conditions.

Following the direction of the Dong Thap Provincial People's Committee, the Department of Education and Training has meticulously reviewed and assessed the needs in border communes to propose a plan for building a boarding school encompassing primary and secondary levels. This process involves not only the management agency but also the participation of teachers, school principals, homeroom teachers, and parents. - Mr. Le Quang Tri said.

Source: https://giaoducthoidai.vn/xay-truong-noi-tru-vung-bien-gioi-quyet-tam-vuot-kho-bao-dam-tien-do-post746491.html