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| Party General Secretary To Lam (front, third from right), Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh (front, second from right) and officials mark the start of work on inter-level boarding schools in land border communes on March 19 morning. (Photo: VNA) |
Hanoi (VNA) – The Ministry of Education and Training (MoET) teamed up with state broadcaster Vietnam Television, telecom giants VNPT and Viettel, and authorities of 17 cities and provinces to kick off simultaneous construction of combined primary and secondary boarding schools in land border communes on March 19 morning.
The in-person and virtual ceremony had its main site at the Dong Dang Primary and Lower-Secondary Boarding School in Dong Dang commune, Lang Son province. Attending the event were Party and Government leaders, Cabinet members, heads of ministries and agencies, and officials from localities where the new facilities are to rise.
The groundbreaking is a major move to follow the Politburo’s Conclusion 81-TB/TW, dated July 18, 2025, on the building of such integrated boarding facilities for border areas. It carries profound political and social significance, reflecting the State’s attentiveness to the educational needs of students in those areas, an effort to secure equitable access to education, narrow regional disparities, and bolster national defence – security.
Vietnam now has 22 cities and provinces with land borders, within which lie a total of 248 border communes and wards, with plans to construct 248 inter-level boarding schools.
This round hits 121 schools spread across 17 provinces and cities, including Cao Bang, Lang Son, Tuyen Quang, Lao Cai, Lai Chau, Dien Bien, Thanh Hoa, Nghe An, Ha Tinh, Quang Tri, Hue, Quang Ngai, Dak Lak, Lam Dong, Tay Ninh, Dong Thap, and An Giang.
Localities are pushing for 30 trillion VND (1.1 billion USD) to get these 121 schools built, with roughly 28 trillion VND from the central budget and 2 trillion VND from local sources.
The MoET is working with the Ministry of Finance to finalise and submit local proposals to competent authorities for budget allocation under regulations. The target is to complete all schools in this phase before August 30, 2027, in time for the 2027–2028 academic year.
Under the same policy, construction began in 2025 on 108 inter-level boarding schools in border communes, slated for completion by August 30, 2026. Of these, 99 schools are financed by the central budget, one via public donations, six solely by Quang Ninh province, and two others in Dien Bien and Cao Bang supported by Hanoi.
The MoET has also taken steps to refine the regulatory framework, built organisational and operational models, introduce tailored mechanisms and policies, and line up the right resource, all to make sure these schools run efficiently once built and put into use in accordance with regulations./.
