Điện Biên borders two neighboring countries, with dozens of border communes and many remote villages facing difficult socio-economic conditions and shortages. In this context, building inter-level boarding schools for primary and Secondary students is not just about “building schools” but about creating a launchpad for the future.

With its special position, Điện Biên urgently needs an education system that is both strong enough and suited to the unique characteristics of the highlands and border. The Government’s policy of building inter-level schools, therefore, sets a high requirement for urgent, decisive, and effective implementation. The inter-level school, an integrated boarding model of primary and secondary education, is the appropriate model for the border area. Boarding schools solve many needs: students in remote villages far from school with difficult travel; kindergarten, primary, and secondary students having to scramble between different facilities; and a lack of boarding areas and conditions to support living and learning.

When an inter-level school is invested in with modern, synchronous facilities, including boarding houses, study areas, and areas for physical and cultural training, it will create conditions for students to live and study centrally. This is the launchpad to propel students from the border region towards higher learning goals.

Building inter-level schools in the border region is not just for education. It is also a tool to raise the people’s intellectual level, train local human resources, strengthen the great national unity bloc, and build a solid “people’s heart posture” in the border area.

To date, the Si Pa Phìn commune Inter-level Primary and Secondary School project, for which Party General Secretary Tô Lâm and provincial leaders held the groundbreaking ceremony on July 27, 2025, has reached over 45% completion of its components and over 97% of the ground leveling volume. On November 9, 2025, the province simultaneously broke ground on 6 more inter-level schools in border communes. The schools are expected to become operational from the 2026 - 2027 school year.

It is estimated that by the time the projects are inaugurated, nearly 7,000 children and students in the border region will benefit from the new facilities, better meeting their learning and living needs. This number will continue to grow with generations of students who are nurtured by the hearts and efforts of the community.

It doesn’t stop at spacious school buildings. Along with the synchronous implementation of the new general education curriculum, the local party committees, authorities, and the Education and Training sector will continue to sow the seeds of knowledge and skills for children and students in the border region. Soon, regular academic and extracurricular activities will be organized, turning the new schools into spaces for learning, experience, and growth for children and students in difficult areas.

We have every reason to believe that in Điện Biên, each inter-level boarding school established will be a launchpad for the future of ethnic students in the border region and for the province’s development. When a young generation from the border is fully educated and grows up to contribute back to their locality and country, that is the humane, glorious achievement of this major policy. And thus, this is not just about building schools, but about building the future, lighting up knowledge at the “frontier” of the Fatherland.