These projects aren’t just for teaching and caring for the future generations of the highlands and border; they’re symbols of faith and the aspiration to rise through knowledge. They affirm a strategic vision for educational development and lock in public trust and support right at the nation’s frontier.

Momentum from pioneer project

The Si Pa Phìn commune Inter-level Primary and Secondary Boarding School project, which broke ground on July 27, is the first inter-level boarding school of its kind in the country. The project is now 50% complete and is expected to be in use by January 31, 2026.

To meet that goal, over 400 workers, divided into 3 shifts and 4 teams, are toiling day and night. They aren’t just racing the clock; they’re working with a sense of responsibility, believing that every brick laid today will support the dreams of future generations.

Following that first school, the entire province broke ground on 9 more inter-level schools in border communes this November, affirming the determination to bring the light of knowledge to the highlands and border.

Joy spreads across border region

From the momentum at Si Pa Phìn, 9 new schools breaking ground simultaneously carry the great faith and expectations of the ethnic peoples. At the Sín Thầu border commune, the westernmost point of the nation, the Sín Thầu commune Inter-level Primary and Secondary Boarding School project, which began on November 9, has become a shared joy, embodying people’s aspirations.

The school, with a total investment of VND 197 billion, is planned on 8.4 hectares, including 30 classrooms, 12 subject-specific rooms, 81 student dormitory rooms, and official-duty rooms for teachers, along with a multi-purpose hall, library, and a full sports complex. Lê Bảo Khương, Principal of Leng Su Sìn Ethnic Minority Semi-Boarding Secondary School (Sín Thầu commune), was clearly moved: “I’ve been dedicated to border education for many years. To see these inter-level boarding schools breaking ground now is incredibly exciting. It shows the special care of the Party, the State, and the province for the cause of highland border education.”

Khương further analyzed that the new, well-invested school will ensure students are brought in for centralized learning and living. This not only improves educational quality but also fundamentally solves the problem of students dropping out. Moreover, officials and teachers far from home are also guaranteed official-duty rooms so they can focus on their work.

Joy over a new school is also palpable in the Quảng Lâm border commune, where the inter-level boarding school project is being built in Trạm Púng village. With 31 classrooms and full dormitories, a multi-purpose hall, library, and sports field, the school will meet the needs of over 1,000 ethnic minority students. Mùa A Mang, from Nậm Chà Nọi 1 village, whose daughter is in 4th grade, beamed when talking about the new school: “My child and the other students in the area are about to study in a big, beautiful school and board there. Kids who live far away won’t have to commute anymore. The children can focus on studying, and we parents are also thrilled.”

Assessing the project’s significance, Lò Văn Chiên, Secretary of the Quảng Lâm commune Party Committee, affirmed: “The school’s construction groundbreaking is a great joy and a major milestone in the commune’s development. Once completed, it will create conditions for children to learn in a spacious, modern, and safe environment, thereby improving educational quality, nurturing knowledge, and building the future for Quảng Lâm.”

In Thanh Nưa commune, which has a 38.8km border, many remote villages and ethnic communities have long hoped for a boarding school. The commune currently has 9 primary and Secondary schools with 3,857 students, but only 235 receive support under Decree No.66/2025/NĐ-CP. Therefore, the Thanh Nưa commune Inter-level Primary and Secondary Boarding School project, with a capacity for 1,050 students and designed as a modern, integrated complex, is highly anticipated. Cà Thị Lanh from Tâu village, whose child is in Secondary school, shared her hope: “The boarding school will bring the best opportunities for learning, care, and education to highland students. I hope the children will study well and have the chance to pursue knowledge and their own dreams.”

A breakthrough for education

These schools aren’t isolated projects; they are part of a comprehensive, systematic strategy. Implementing Conclusion No.81-TB/TW of the Politburo and Resolution No.298/NQ-CP of the Government, the provincial People’s Committee issued a plan to execute the “Campaign to build schools for border communes” and the “Whole country for beloved border students” movement. By 2028, the entire province plans to complete 15 inter-level ethnic minority boarding schools in 15 border communes. The 10 schools that broke ground in 2025 are on a determined path to be completed before August 30, 2026.

The inter-level boarding schools are designed to be “open,” friendly, multi-functional, and suited to local cultural characteristics and highland terrain. The infrastructure is being synchronously invested, from classrooms, official-duty housing, and dormitories to cafeterias, sports fields, libraries, and the IT infrastructure for digital transformation. According to the plan, each school will cover 5-10 hectares, with a scale of about 30 classes (around 1,000 students), meeting high standards for engineering and safety.

With these spacious, modern, and integrated facilities, the expectation is to create a breakthrough, fundamentally and comprehensively changing education in the border region. This also affirms the special care of the Party and State for regions still facing hardship, helping to narrow the development gap and ensure equity in access to education.

In these borderlands, the new schools bring not only knowledge but also a light of faith, igniting the aspiration to rise for thousands of ethnic minority students. When the light of knowledge is lit, public trust is strengthened, and the border becomes more secure.