In the final days of August, preparations for the new school year at Núa Ngam Inter-Level Ethnic Boarding Primary and Secondary School in Núa Ngam commune grew more bustling. Within the new campus, spacious classroom blocks, boarding quarters, cafeterias, and functional facilities for study and daily living are nearing completion. Teachers are busy preparing for the academic year; students eagerly await studying and living in the new environment.

For Cà Thị Vy, an 8th-grade student, back-to-school excitement is multiplied: “I feel joyful and excited to meet new classmates and study in a modern school. I will strive to study well...”

That joy is visible not only on students’ faces, but also among parents. For many ethnic minority households, having children study and board on campus creates favorable conditions for schooling while relieving families of concerns regarding travel, living logistics, and daily care.

Lường Thị Hiên from Ten Núa village, Núa Ngam commune, shared: “Seeing my grandchild attend a spacious and modern new school, eat meals on campus, and stay in boarding care brings me great happiness. It helps our family worry far less.”

In the 2026-2027 school year, Núa Ngam Inter-Level Ethnic Boarding Primary and Secondary School operates 30 classes with more than 1,000 students. Following establishment and personnel decisions, the school stabilized its organizational structure, assigned duties, formulated plans, fostered internal consensus, and prepared optimal conditions for the new school year.

Principal Phạm Trung Thành noted that the first priority is innovating school management and accelerating digital transformation to handle tasks swiftly and effectively. Specialized subject departments also focused on reviewing and developing curricula tailored to the inter-level boarding model.

At Thanh Nưa Inter-Level Ethnic Boarding Primary and Secondary School in Thanh Nưa commune, back-to-school preparations are being carried out urgently. On August 24, the school gathered students for orientation, assigned classes, and provided life skills guidance for boarding pupils, finalizing preparations to enter the school year.

Principal Nguyễn Đức Hồng stated that the school stabilized its organization, completed subject departments, assigned tasks, and established operational regulations, annual plans, and coordination mechanisms between the school, local departments, mass organizations, parents, and area agencies. Teaching and learning plans were formulated in detail, ready for the upcoming session.

A distinctive aspect of border inter-level boarding schools is that students not only study in classrooms, but also live, train, and engage in collective activities on campus. Consequently, educators are required not only to impart knowledge, but also to accompany, care for, and guide students in developing life skills, independence, and personal, familial, and civic responsibility. “To achieve this, the school built a detailed, specific plan, assigning clear duties to each cadre, teacher, and department, ensuring educational, caretaking, and boarding operations run synchronously and effectively,” Nguyễn Đức Hồng emphasized.

For teachers, the new environment offers added drive to innovate pedagogy and elevate education quality. Mai Bích Thủy, a teacher at Thanh Nưa Inter-Level Ethnic Boarding Primary and Secondary School, shared: “We are thrilled, proud, and inspired to work and teach in such a spacious, beautiful environment. We pledge to give our utmost effort to deliver the highest quality education.”

In the 2026-2027 school year, Điện Biên is putting 9 inter-level ethnic boarding general schools into operation across border communes. Comprehensively equipped, these schools accommodate learning, dining, and boarding needs while providing a superior educational setting for border pupils. For educators, the new schools encourage dedication, responsibility, and instructional innovation. For students, they serve as places to cultivate dreams, broaden access to knowledge, and pursue well-rounded personal development.

From campuses on the nation’s frontier, faith in a generation of border students learning under better conditions and maturing steadily is progressively turning into reality.