Decree No.66/2025/NĐ-CP of the Government, effective from May 1, 2025, provides policies for children in nursery schools, pupils, and trainees in ethnic minority and mountainous regions, coastal areas, and islands, as well as for educational institutions with eligible students. Under the decree, boarding students are entitled to support including rice and a food allowance of VND 936,000 per month for up to 9 months each school year. Those who have to arrange their own accommodation receive an allowance of VND 360,000 per month, also for no more than 9 months a year.

This school year (2025-2026) is the first to apply Decree 66. Across Điện Biên province, 45 communes and wards are involved. Following administrative mergers, most boarding schools now fall under the direct management of commune authorities. Before the new school year began, schools carefully reviewed and submitted documentation for approval to ensure eligible students could access their entitlements, helping them feel secure in their studies, maintain stable attendance, and improve education quality.

In Na Sang commune alone, 14 schools provide education, including 9 with nearly 2,000 boarding students at the primary and lower-secondary levels. Mr. Giàng A Sang, Head of the commune’s Culture and Social Affairs Office, explained that schools had completed reviews and submitted applications for approval. Normally, boarding students return to school two days before the official opening ceremony to settle in, giving schools time to arrange accommodations, meals, and class routines.

At Na Sang Primary Boarding School No.1, nearly 200 boarding students are enrolled. Principal Phạm Thị Thu Hằng shared that teachers had prepared dormitories, kitchens, and beds ahead of time. To ensure safe, nutritious meals, the school established a Board of Student Life Management, which selects menus and approves food suppliers meeting quality and food safety standards.

At Na Sang Primary and Secondary Boarding School, Principal Phạm Hải Cường said that although funding was still awaiting approval, the school worked with food suppliers to advance provisions so that student life would not be disrupted. Currently, 100% of boarding students are accommodated and stable.

Circumstances vary across schools, requiring flexibility and initiative from teachers and administrators. At Nậm Nhừ Primary and Secondary Boarding School, with more than 900 pupils, about 700 are boarders. This year, students from the satellite site at Nậm Chua have been transferred to the central campus, creating a shortage of dormitories. To solve this, teachers’ rooms were converted into temporary student housing, while teachers moved to spare official residences provided by the commune after the administrative merger.

Clearly, ensuring entitlements and supporting the daily lives of students, especially boarding pupils, plays an essential role in upland education. These efforts not only help raise school attendance rates but also create more favorable conditions for ethnic minority children in remote areas to learn, grow, and build a better future.