Efforts to restore schools, prepare for the new school year 2025-2026

7 students died, a series of schools damaged in Dien Bien

According to the report of the Department of Education and Training (DET) of Dien Bien province, the flood that lasted from July 31 to August 2 caused severe impacts to the communes of Tia Dinh, Xa Dung, Na Son and Muong Luan. In particular, natural disasters have claimed the lives of 7 students in preschool, primary and secondary schools.

Not only causing human damage, floods also caused many schools to be deeply flooded, classrooms to be damaged, sunken, and roofs to collapse, posing a serious risk of insecurity. Many teaching equipment such as computers, projectors, printers, desks, chairs and school supplies were swept away or completely damaged.

Immediately after the natural disaster, the provincial Department of Education and Training directed educational institutions to temporarily repair the damage such as clearing mud, repairing minor damage, and placing warning signs in dangerous areas to ensure the safety of life and teaching equipment.

At Tia Dinh Kindergarten (tia Dinh commune), Ms. Le Thi Diep - Principal said that the school had mobilized more than 30 staff, teachers, and employees to clean up the school, and at the same time organized support for people in the two villages of Tia Dinh 1 and 2 to overcome the consequences of floods.

"The school's staff and teachers have worked with the people to relocate the severely affected houses, clean up mud and soil, and clean the houses. Fortunately, the central school and the village schools are not affected much compared to other schools. However, the roads to school are often landslides, making it extremely difficult to travel, Ms. Diep shared.

Mr. Cu Huy Hoan - Deputy Director of the Department of Education and Training of Dien Bien province - said that the industry has initially provided 10 million VND for each family with a student who died and directed units to review the entire school, deploy an emergency repair plan to ensure the opening on schedule.

Boarding school in Nghe An devastated after flood, students lose all their belongings

In the West of Nghe An, the circulation of storm No. 3 caused a historic flood in the early morning of July 23. My Ly 2 Primary Boarding School for Ethnic Minorities (My Ly Commune, Ky Son District) is one of the most severely damaged locations. The first and part of the second floors were buried in mud, all tables, chairs, teaching equipment, books, blankets, and even 1.7 tons of rice reserved for boarding students were swept away.

Principal Tran Sy Ha choked up: "The second floor was also flooded with mud for a meter. We never thought that there would be such a day when the school would be so destroyed.

The Provincial Police, Border Guard, teachers and parents were present immediately to clear the mud. In the face of lack of electricity, water, and phone signals, 55 officers and soldiers traveled 7km from the forest to the school to provide emergency support.

Not only My Ly 2, Muong tip 2 Primary School (Muong trip Commune) also fell into a "empty-handed" situation. The boarding area for 150 Mong, Thai, and Kho Mu ethnic students was completely destroyed. The tables and chairs overturned, the dining room collapsed, the corrugated iron roof was swept away, the dormitory turned into a pile of ruins. Essential household items such as showers, pots, blankets, and sticks were also swept away by floodwaters.

" Returning to school after the flood, we were stunned.The mud was half a meter deep, many rooms, dining rooms, and dormitories turned into rubble.Reverse tables and chairs, pots and pans, blankets, and school supplies are broken or lost.Almost nothing is intact, Principal Tran Gia Thao choked up.
The school has now made a list of items that need urgent support such as blankets, tables and chairs, storage cabinets, pots and pans, etc. to organize boarding before the opening day.

Mr. Nguyen Trong Hoan - Chief of Office of the Department of Education and Training of Nghe An province - informed that the industry has fully grasped the situation and is urgently developing a plan to mobilize resources from the budget, socialize, organize charity and businesses. "We will try to mobilize maximum resources from the budget, socialization, charitable organizations and businesses to support schools affected by floods. Regarding textbooks, the Department ensures that no student lacks textbooks in the new school year, Mr. Hoan emphasized.

Joining hands to prepare for the new school year

In Son La province, many schools in Chieng So, Song Ma, Muong Lam, Bo Sinh, Huoi Mot, Chieng Khuong communes... suffered landslides, collapsed surrounding walls, damaged kitchens, flooded water and mud. In some places, floodwaters swept away all of their school supplies.

At Hoa Hong Kindergarten (Chieng Khuong commune), two schools in Puong and La villages were still flooded with thick mud. The fence collapsed, many classrooms were cracked, desks, chairs, and school supplies were almost completely destroyed. The estimated damage is up to more than 1 billion VND.

In recent days, when the floodwaters receded, the school mobilized teachers with the support of parents, border guards and a group of young people to help clean up mud, repair and rearrange tables and chairs. There are teachers who still wade through mud from morning to night to mop each toy for students so that they can go to school soon, Ms. Do Thi Lan - Principal shared.

A representative of the Son La Department of Education and Training said that the Department has directed schools to coordinate with the government and functional forces to quickly overcome the consequences of floods, ensuring the opening schedule. However, with the large damage, on-site resources are not enough. We really need the support of the community, businesses and social organizations.