According to the plan, by June 30, the reorganization of commune-level administrative units will be completed, which means many administrative office buildings will be left vacant. This presents an opportunity for schools to expand their classrooms and upgrade infrastructure to meet educational needs.

Following the central government’s directives, the provincial People’s Committee has made a list and proposed plans to manage the buildings and public assets of district and commune-level offices, in conjunction with the reorganization of commune-level administrative units. At a recent meeting discussing the arrangement and handling of public property, as well as programs and projects during the reorganization of the local government model, provincial leadership emphasized prioritizing the repurposing of these vacant buildings for community benefits, such as schools, health stations, libraries, cultural-sports facilities, and parks. This contributes to improving the lives of the people and enhancing the use of public land.

According to information from local authorities, many of the vacant office buildings post-reorganization have been proposed by schools (that lack infrastructure) to be transferred to expand classrooms. One of the schools requesting this is Tủa Thàng Boarding Ethnic Minority Secondary School in Tủa Chùa district. The school, located next to the office of the Tủa Thàng commune People’s Committee, has limited space, divided into three separate areas: a classroom building in front of the primary school, a boarding area behind the kindergarten (with the three schools - kindergarten, primary, and secondary - located together). The school currently has eight solid classrooms, six temporary rooms, and will need two more classrooms in the upcoming school year. The functional rooms include only one computer room and one meeting room. The schoolyard is approximately 700m2, which is too small to organize collective activities. Additionally, there is no office room, and teachers living far from school must rent accommodations.

Trần Văn Huấn, Principal of Tủa Thàng Boarding Ethnic Minority Secondary School, said: “In the coming school year, the school is expected to have 16 classes with 620 students. Given the current infrastructure, we may have to combine classes and use the library and meeting room as classrooms. Previously, in May, we reassessed the school’s education quality level 2 and recognized it as national standard level 1, but due to insufficient infrastructure, we requested to stop the assessment.”

As part of the administrative reorganization, Tủa Thàng commune is expected to merge with Huổi Só commune in Tủa Chùa district, with the office to be located at Huổi Só. Therefore, the school has proposed to the commune to transfer the Communist Party - People’s Council - People’s Committee office building to the school. The commune office occupies about 2,000m2. If the school receives this building, it can resolve the urgent classroom shortage while also expanding the activity space, campus, and playground areas, and consolidating the boarding areas into one for easier management.

Nậm Khăn Boarding Ethnic Minority Primary and Secondary School in Nậm Pồ district faces a similar situation. Nguyễn Văn Bốn, Principal of the school, said: “The school has requested to take over the Nậm Khăn commune office building after the commune merges. The higher authorities have agreed with the proposal, and we are waiting for the provincial decision. If approved, it will solve the immediate problem of the classroom shortage.”

Nậm Khăn Boarding Ethnic Minority Primary and Secondary School is located behind the Nậm Khăn commune People’s Committee office and covers an area of about 5,000m2. For the school year 2025-2026, the school plans to relocate three mixed-grade elementary classes to the center to reduce the number of classes, save manpower, make it easier to manage students, and improve the quality of education. In the upcoming school year, the school plans to organize 17 classes across two educational levels, but currently, the school has only 12 solid classrooms and two temporary rooms. Some classes must use the computer room and library as classrooms. According to the Ministry of Education and Training’s regulations, aside from the classrooms, at least two natural science rooms, one social science room, one technology room, one computer room, one foreign language room, one multifunctional room, two subject group rooms, and one student counseling room are required, but the school has not yet arranged for these specialized rooms.

These two educational institutions are not isolated cases; many schools across the province are facing classroom shortages or risk landslides and subsidence. These schools have requested to take over vacant government office buildings after the reorganization to address the challenges related to infrastructure and meet the teaching and learning requirements. This is a completely legitimate and humane request, contributing to preparing actively for the upcoming school year and focusing on resources for educational development.