Form of the first border school deployed
In the last days of January 2026, the campus of Si Pa Phin Inter-level Primary and Secondary Boarding School (Dien Bien province) is busier than usual. More than 1,000 students and teachers of Si Pa Phin commune eagerly await the day to move to the new school - the most spacious and modern educational project, the largest ever in a border commune of the province. To keep up with the schedule, hundreds of workers are diligently working continuously in 3 shifts, 4 crews.
Directly inspecting the progress of the project, Mr. Le Thanh Do - Standing Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee, Chairman of the People's Council of Dien Bien province affirmed: "This is the first school among the 248 inter-level boarding schools in land border communes to be implemented. Therefore, the province identifies this as a particularly important task, which must be done well, ensuring quality and progress, creating a premise for other localities to learn and replicate.
For teachers in the highlands, the new school is not only a joy, but also a very specific change in teaching and learning.
Ms. Lo Thi Hanh, a teacher at Si Pa Phin Secondary School, shared: "Previously, many students were far away, some were dozens of kilometers away from school, the forest roads were slippery, and during the rainy and flood season, they often dropped out of school. When there is a boarding school, they are able to eat, stay, and live concentrated, and teachers are also much more assured in organizing teaching.
Giang A Pao, a 7th grade student, excitedly said: "There is a new boarding school, we can stay at school, have clean eating and sleeping places, I will try to study better so as not to betray my parents and teachers.
According to Ms. Hoang Tuyet Ban - Director of the Department of Education and Training of Dien Bien province, when completed and put into operation, Si Pa Phin Primary and Secondary School will have 31 classes with more than 1,000 students, including about 752 boarding students. This scale is suitable for the actual local conditions, ensuring stable and effective boarding education and management right from the first school year, and at the same time contributing to limiting dropouts, especially at the secondary level.
Spreading throughout the northwestern border provinces
In Cao Bang, the province plans to build 11 inter-level boarding schools in border communes such as Truong Ha, Lung Nam, Tong Cot, Tra Linh, Dam Thuy, Phuc Hoa... To date, many localities have completed site clearance. In which, Phuc Hoa Inter-level Boarding School is the first project to be implemented on the ground.
In Tuyen Quang province, 6 inter-level boarding school projects are being built in Xin Man, Son Vi, Minh Tan, Pa Vay Su, Pho Bang, Thanh Thuy communes, with a total investment of nearly 200 to over 250 billion VND per project. Most projects have completed site clearance, many items are under construction of foundations and houses, striving to be completed in 2026.
Sharing from the grassroots level, Mr. Then Van Tien - Chairman of Xin Man Commune People's Committee - said: "When the boarding school is completed, highland students will not have to go to school far away, which will help reduce the situation of seasonal school closures. This is the aspiration of the people for many years.
In Lao Cai, the construction sites of inter-level boarding schools in Muong Khuong, A Mu Sung, Pha Long, Y Ty are being accelerated. Many key items have completed the foundation and leveling, reaching from 50% to 90% of the volume, ensuring progress according to the plan.
Ms. Phan Thi De, a teacher in the highlands of Y Ty, confided: "Students here are mainly children of ethnic minorities, travel and living conditions are very difficult. With spacious boarding schools, we believe they will be more attached to schools and classes, and the quality of teaching and learning will also be significantly improved.
According to Lao Dong's records, at the Pha Long Primary and Secondary Boarding School project, despite the steep terrain and large leveling volume, the contractor still maintains three construction teams. Some items have been completed with concrete foundation filling; teams are processing steel reinforcement, molding boards, and clamping foundations.
At A Mu Sung Primary and Secondary Boarding School, about 90% of the leveling volume has been completed, and the entire foundation system of the blocks and classrooms has been dug.
According to the assessment of the education sector, after boarding schools go into operation, it will shorten the educational distance between favorable areas and border areas as well as reduce the burden on ethnic minority parents whose children go to school. In particular, boarding schools are not only educational institutions, but also a social security fulcrum, creating conditions for population stabilization, improving people's knowledge, and consolidating national defense and security from the grassroots level.
