Part 1: The Journey to find a sustainable path

The journey to find a sustainable path for education in Tuần Giáo district is a challenging one, facing many difficulties related to funding, terrain, and scarce building materials. However, with a strong determination to overcome hardships, educational institutions in Tuần Giáo have been moving forward with appropriate solutions, focusing on building solid, environmentally friendly schools suited to the conditions of each region.

A difficult beginning

Among the stilt houses hidden in the early morning mist of Tuần Giáo’s highlands, there are still dozens of makeshift school points. Despite years of efforts, the journey to solidify schools in Tuần Giáo still faces many challenges. To date, the district still has several schools that need to be newly built or renovated, most of which are kindergartens, elementary, and boarding schools. According to statistics from the Tuần Giáo’s Sub-department of Education and Training, the district has more than 20 school points that need to be constructed or upgraded to meet the minimum teaching and learning conditions for students.

Many of these schools are remote, difficult-to-access locations like Hua Nạ and Phang villages (Bình Minh kindergarten, Chiềng Đông commune), Huổi Anh School (Tênh Phông Ethnic Boarding Primary and Secondary School), Hua Mức 1, Thẩm Pung, and Hua Mùn (Pú Xi kindergarten), or schools in Mùn Chung and Tỏa Tình communes. Particularly, the boarding houses for students in central schools like Mùn Chung Primary School, Mường Thín Primary School, and Phình Sáng Primary School are also in poor condition and need urgent renovation and investment. Except for a few schools funded by international organizations like VNHELP (such as Hua Mức 1 School at Pú Xi), most schools do not have a specific investment source.

Đỗ Văn Sơn, Head of the Tuần Giáo’s Sub-department of Education and Training, shared: “The investment capital for building school infrastructure from the state budget is limited. Mobilizing social resources in the community is also difficult. Additionally, there are no local suppliers of materials that meet the required standards (sand, cement, stone, bricks, etc.). Many schools in remote, highland areas face significant challenges in transporting materials, which is costly and time-consuming, and construction delays are a big obstacle when calling for donations. We are also concerned about finding solutions to acquire resources and effectively implement school building plans, improving the quality of education and the living conditions of teachers and students in the highlands.”

Another issue hindering the construction of schools in Tuần Giáo is that the designs for the buildings are not suitable. Most of the previous educational buildings used uniform designs to save costs and facilitate construction and supervision. However, this “standardization” has led to many buildings not being truly suitable for the needs of each school, each grade level, or each specific area.

Building hope from difficulties

The journey of turning temporary classrooms into solid and stable ones is not easy in a place like Tuần Giáo. In fact, schools located in remote areas like Tênh Phông, Pú Xi, and Mùn Chung face even greater challenges due to poor roads and the lack of standard materials. Essential materials like cement, bricks, sand, and stone must be transported from the district center, across slippery hills and steep roads, significantly increasing transportation costs, sometimes doubling the cost. During the rainy season, construction plans almost come to a halt as roads are washed out, and bridges are destroyed, preventing workers from reaching the construction sites.

In a conversation with us, Đỗ Văn Sơn, Head of the Tuần Giáo district’s Sub-department of Education and Training, could not hide his concern: “The investment capital from the state budget is very limited, and mobilizing social resources is difficult due to the poverty of the local people. We have had plans for some school sites for years, but we cannot start construction due to insufficient funding.”

Despite these difficulties, the local government and educational institutions in Tuần Giáo are gradually overcoming the challenges. One of the solutions being implemented is to increase investment from the provincial and central budgets to repair and build schools in priority areas, especially those with the most students and the worst deteriorating facilities. Furthermore, the Tuần Giáo district’s Sub-department of Education and Training is proactively connecting and mobilizing contributions from philanthropists, NGOs, and individuals to gather more resources. Notably, a new direction is being explored by the department, which is redesigning school models to be “flexible, cost-effective, and environmentally friendly” instead of rigidly following traditional designs.

Leading us to visit the schools under construction, Phạm Văn Tuân, Deputy Head of the Tuần Giáo district’s Sub-department of Education and Training, shared: “We want the construction process to start from the needs of the main users, which are teachers, students, and parents. Only then will the school buildings truly hold value and provide long-term benefits. In the future, we will work closely with relevant units to advise local governments to review the needs, integrate various funding sources, and speed up the process of building solid schools. At the same time, we will listen to feedback from teachers and parents regarding the design and use of educational buildings.”

The journey of building solid classrooms in such a difficult area as Tuần Giáo will undoubtedly face more obstacles. However, with the persistence and dedication of the teachers, the involvement of the entire political system, and the support of the community, this journey is being carried forward every day, lighting the way for future generations of students to study in safe, strong, and joyful schools.