According to statistics from the Ministry of Education and Training (MOET), the number of students with boarding and semi-boarding needs in the land border communes accounts for a very high proportion. Meanwhile, the conditions for school facilities in border communes are still very difficult, lacking, not meeting the minimum requirements, not ensuring to meet the boarding and semi-boarding needs of students; the teaching staff is still lacking and not properly arranged, greatly affecting the quality of education, leading to not ensuring fairness in education.
To improve the quality of education, narrow regional gaps, and create a source of quality cadres in border areas to meet the requirements of national development in the new period, the Ministry of Education and Training has reported and proposed to Party and State leaders, headed by General Secretary To Lam, on the policy of building boarding schools for students in remote, isolated, border, and island communes, especially in land border communes.
Scale, scope and investment capital
According to Conclusion Notice No. 81-TB/TW dated July 18, 2025 of the Politburo and Resolution No. 298/NQ-CP dated September 26, 2025 of the Government, the whole country has 248 land border communes planned to invest in 248 primary and secondary boarding schools.
Of which, 100 schools were selected to invest in the construction of phase 1, with a total investment capital of nearly 20,000 billion VND. The Ministry of Finance is assigned to allocate and manage capital sources; localities directly implement construction investment according to specific mechanisms, ensuring progress, quality and efficiency in using state capital.
The schools that started construction on November 9, 2025 are all on the list of 100 schools approved for investment by the Government in 2025, expected to be completed and put into use before the opening of the 2026-2027 school year.
In parallel with public investment capital, the Ministry of Education and Training is assigned to coordinate with the Central Committee of the Vietnam Fatherland Front and member organizations to launch the program "The whole country joins hands to build schools for border communes" and the movement "All for beloved border students" to mobilize the strength of solidarity of all people, businesses, domestic and foreign organizations and individuals to contribute, build, maintain and develop a sustainable school system in the border area.
exemplary schools and expansion orientation
Inter-level boarding schools are designed by the Ministry of Construction to ensure technical standards, scale, classroom area; synchronous, modern, sustainable, and safe facilities; meeting the highest standards for high school facilities today.
Each school is arranged with a learning area, boarding house, dining room, cultural - sports living area, library, subject classroom, boarding teacher area, ensuring comprehensive learning, living and training conditions.
The Ministry of Education and Training identifies this as a new school model, not a "compression school" or "dispersing school", but a modern, synchronous model, combining flexible boarding and semi-boarding policies, suitable for the terrain and circumstances of students in border areas.
The first 100 schools to start construction in 2025 are identified as "exemplary schools", both ensuring advanced facilities and being a model in organizing education, management and operation.
The schools are built to comprehensively develop students in virtue, intelligence, physical strength, and aesthetics, with a space for studying, sports, music, fine arts, career guidance, cultural development, and at the same time ensure adequate boarding and semi-boarding conditions.
This is the first step towards completing 248 schools in the 2025-2028 period, contributing to gradually eliminating regional gaps and creating a sustainable knowledge belt at the border.
Policy on teachers and students in border areas
Along with the construction of inter-level boarding schools in border communes, the Ministry of Education and Training is coordinating with ministries, branches and localities to research and develop specific policies to arrange, train, attract and retain a team of qualified and dedicated teachers to meet the requirements of education in border areas. The policies are expected to be issued before the 2026-2027 school year, in line with the completion progress of the projects.
For students in border areas, they will study and live in a modern, safe, fully equipped environment, with guaranteed living conditions, training and capacity development by the State. The goal is to ensure fairness in access to education, improve people's knowledge, train on-site human resources, and contribute to sustainable development of border areas.
