Eliminate remote schools to create quality education in the mountainous areas of Tuyen Quang

GD&TĐ - Thanks to the momentum from the New Rural Development Program, opportunities for fair and quality education have been and are opening up widely.

From makeshift classrooms nestled in the mountains and forests, isolated by terrain, to solid, spacious classrooms in the central school, the story of eliminating satellite schools in Tuyen Quang is not only an administrative decision but a strategic step to realize the goal of improving the quality of comprehensive and sustainable education for ethnic minority children.

For decades, Tuyen Quang , with its rugged mountainous terrain and difficult traffic conditions, has maintained thousands of small schools. The existence of these schools is a temporary solution, meeting the requirements of universal education and ensuring learning for students in remote villages and border areas. However, it comes with many challenges, such as makeshift facilities, lack of specialized equipment, teachers having to teach in groups, and especially the quality of teaching and learning cannot reach optimal standards.

Students of Pho Cao Primary School, Pho Bang.

However, that picture is gradually changing dramatically. The New Rural Development Program has brought about a revolution in infrastructure. The inter-commune and inter-village transportation system has been upgraded and expanded, gradually eliminating geographical isolation. This is the key premise for Tuyen Quang to implement a bold but necessary policy: concentrating students in main schools.

Pho Cao Primary School, Pho Bang Commune, used to have one main school and seven satellite schools. Currently, thanks to the key investment, the school only has one main school, a newly built second campus, and only three satellite schools that only retain grades 1 and 2. The remaining grades have been concentrated at the main school.

Mr. Nguyen Huu Trong, Vice Principal of the school, could not hide his pride: “Implementing the policy of consolidating satellite schools, the school has continuously invested in facilities and equipment to serve more modern teaching and learning. The most obvious change is in quality. Many families, although living near the satellite schools, have now proactively sent their children to the main school to study, simply because they see that their children have made more progress and have better development opportunities.”

At Xuan Lap Primary and Secondary Boarding School for Ethnic Minorities, Lam Binh Commune, the Vietnamese language class atmosphere of class 3A became more exciting and confident. The Mong and Dao ethnic minority students, who had just been transferred from the satellite school, quickly integrated. Giang Thi Xuan Chieu, class 3A, shared: "I am very happy to be able to return to the main school to study. Here, living and eating are more complete, studying is more orderly, and I get to interact with many friends, so I learn many useful things."

The excitement does not stop at the students. Mr. Giang Seo Hau, Khuoi Cung village, Lam Binh commune, a parent whose child will be transferred to the main school from the 2024-2025 school year, said: “My child will be able to study at the main school in a built house, sleep in bunk beds, and have teachers to manage his studies and activities, so he has made very fast progress. We are completely assured.”

According to the leader of the Department of Education and Training of Tuyen Quang province, eliminating satellite schools and bringing students back to the main school brings double benefits. The fact that students are staying in boarding schools and have better care and management conditions has overcome the persistent problem of dropping out of school and irregular attendance. The attendance rate of students has been maintained at over 90%.

Students are taught all specialized subjects, interacted and learned, and especially made remarkable progress in their Vietnamese language skills. Previously, nearly 100% of students in the satellite schools were ethnic minorities, with very limited Vietnamese language skills. At the main school, they are equipped and proficient in other skills through extracurricular activities.

The success of this policy has significantly improved the quality of education in mountainous and disadvantaged areas, even helping some schools break through and rise to high rankings in quality. This shows that, when there is a good environment, students in disadvantaged areas can absolutely rise up.

Despite significant achievements (there are no more satellite schools at the secondary and high school levels), Tuyen Quang still has 1,803 satellite schools at the primary and preschool levels (as of the 2025-2026 school year). To continue to complete the goal, the province is focusing resources on investing in building infrastructure in a focused and key direction.

Currently, the province has 12,185/17,231 solid classrooms, reaching 70.7%. At the same time, the province is also developing a plan to build boarding schools for primary and secondary levels in 17 border communes, a fundamental solution to improve the quality of education in ethnic minority areas.

The success of eliminating satellite schools is not only an administrative rearrangement but also the consensus and drastic participation of the entire political system, the education sector and especially the consensus and support from parents and the community.

Once the merger is complete, the focus will shift to managing and maximizing the central schools, ensuring that every student, wherever they are, receives an equitable, high-quality education that best prepares them for the future.

Source: https://giaoducthoidai.vn/xoa-diem-truong-le-kien-tao-chat-luong-giao-duc-vung-cao-tuyen-quang-post754523.html