PV's records show that the Department of Education and Training (GDĐT) of Dien Bien province has completed the plan to arrange the network of public educational institutions, this unit is submitting it to competent authorities according to regulations.
According to the arrangement plan, the locality will reduce 272 school branches, equivalent to 58.4%.
However, with the characteristics of mountainous terrain, with 1,135 remote school sites, the problem posed is not only to streamline but also to ensure that students can get to school conveniently and safely.
According to the Department of Education and Training of Dien Bien province, 45/45 communes and wards have completed the construction and agreed on arrangement plans.
Before the arrangement, Dien Bien province had 466 public educational institutions. After the arrangement, there are still 194 units, a decrease of 272 focal points, equivalent to 58.4%, nearly double the target of a minimum reduction of 30% as directed by the Prime Minister.
In which, the school block managed by the commune-level People's Committee decreased from 429 to 160 schools, equivalent to 62.7%. The unit block directly under the Department of Education and Training decreased from 37 to 34 units.
By grade level, the number of kindergartens decreased from 166 to 50; primary schools from 139 to 42; secondary schools from 95 to 40. The number of primary and secondary schools decreased from 28 to 13.
After arrangement, on average, each commune and ward manages 3.6 schools, a sharp decrease compared to the previous 9.5 schools.
Dien Bien also established 15 new boarding primary and secondary schools in border communes.
Four regional vocational education - continuing education centers are merged into one provincial-level center, with a scale of 55 classes with 1,877 students, unchanged.
According to the plan, the number of management officials will decrease from 1,262 to 745 people, corresponding to a decrease of 517 positions, about 41%. The number of administrative - personnel departments will decrease from 466 to 194.
Meanwhile, all 12,664 teachers and 1,861 staff were kept unchanged, without mechanical cuts. About 11,643 students affected by the arrangement are guaranteed to continue to fully enjoy regimes and policies.
Ms. Hoang Tuyet Ban - Director of the Department of Education and Training of Dien Bien province - said that the arrangement plan must be based on regulations and the reality of each area, ensuring science, synchronization, and avoiding mechanics.
In which, focus on improving the quality of education, management efficiency, resource use and ensuring the rights of students, teachers, and workers" - Ms. Ban said.
Dien Bien province has more than 80% of its area being hills and mountains, densely populated, and traffic is often cut off when it rains heavily, and the arrangement of schools and classrooms in the locality cannot only be calculated by the number of focal points.
In some places, students have to take many days off due to landslides or rising floodwaters. Therefore, a small-scale satellite school point is still of great significance, especially for preschool and elementary school students.
From this reality, the head of the Department of Education and Training of Dien Bien province said that the arrangement plan must consider the distance from home to school, traffic conditions, terrain and population characteristics.
The goal is not only to reduce how many schools, but more importantly, whether students can study in better conditions after arrangement.
Along with reorganizing the network, Dien Bien is investing in inter-level ethnic minority boarding schools in the border area. This is considered a suitable solution to create stable learning conditions for students in remote and isolated areas.
According to Ms. Hoang Tuyet Ban, the opinions of local authorities, teachers and parents have all been listened to during the arrangement process, because these are the people who understand best the travel conditions and actual difficulties of students.
Dien Bien sets a goal to complete the arrangement before August 30, 2026, synchronously with the opening of the new school year.
