Proposal to relocate school damaged by flash floods in Tuong Duong.
The school has been severely affected by landslides and flash floods for many years, most recently in October 2024. Parents, the school, and the local authorities wish to relocate the school to a safer location.
Danger lurks
From the center of Luong Minh commune, after more than half an hour's journey along steep, winding, and treacherous roads, we arrived at Luong Minh Ethnic Minority Boarding Primary School in the mountainous district of Tuong Duong. The school is nestled in a ravine, with the Mat stream flowing behind it day and night. Most of the students here are children of the Khmu and Thai ethnic minorities. The school has 525 students in total, but 299 are boarding students.
Among the boarding students at the school, many live 5-6 km away, or even more than 20 km, with extremely difficult and arduous journeys. Therefore, students from villages like Ca Moong, Xop Chao, Xop Mat, Minh Phuong, etc., as young as 8-10 years old, leave home to pursue their education.
Living in Xop Chao village, one of the most remote and isolated villages in Luong Minh commune, Happ Van Khanh has to walk to the boat dock and then travel upstream (at the foot of the Ban Ve hydroelectric dam) to get to school. He then continues by motorbike for nearly another hour before reaching the school.
Mr. Luong Van Duong, from Xop Mat village, Luong Minh commune, and parent of Luong Nhu Y, a 4th-grade student at the school, said: "My daughter is still very young, and it's impossible for her to travel along the mountainous roads and cross rivers and streams to get to school on her own. Parents often face danger when taking their children to school, especially during the rainy season when the streams swell and flow rapidly. The roads are slippery and also pose a risk of landslides. Most of the roads from the villages of Luong Minh, including Xop Mat village, to the school are bordered by rivers and streams on one side and high mountains on the other, with many points threatening landslides."
As an example, during the flash floods in early October, many sections of the road to the school were buried under landslides from the mountains, causing serious damage to the road surface in many places. "Every rainy season, parents are filled with anxiety when taking their children to school," said Mr. Luong Van Duong.
As for Ms. Lo Thi Thin from Minh Phuong village, she is still shaken when recalling the flash flood that occurred at the end of September. Ms. Thin said: "It started raining heavily around dusk on September 30th, and the rain got heavier and heavier. Around 10 PM, I heard the news that the school had been hit by a flash flood. I felt like I was sitting on a pile of burning coals. I wanted to go to my children, but because of the heavy rain, the only road to the school was blocked by landslides, making it impossible to travel. I had to stay home and wait for news. Fortunately, the school later announced that the children had been moved to a safe place by the teachers. I could barely sleep that night. After the flash flood, not only I, but almost all the parents, hope that the authorities will consider moving the school to a safer location. If teaching and learning continue at this location, it will not only affect teaching and learning but also endanger both teachers and students."
Most worryingly, this school is situated with its back to the Mat stream, posing a very high risk of flash floods and landslides during heavy rains. In fact, it has already happened; in the past two years, the school has suffered two flash floods, each year more severe than the last. The most serious flash flood occurred on September 30th, forcing teachers and students to flee in the middle of the night.
Proposal to relocate the school to a safe location.
Mr. Luong Van Duong, a parent, expressed his opinion: “Last year (2023), a flood affected the school where my child is attending boarding school. This year, the school has suffered an even larger flash flood than last year. Natural disasters are becoming increasingly unpredictable, so many of us parents hope that the authorities will pay attention and relocate the school to another location so that teachers and children can have a safe learning environment.”
Not only the parents of the students, but also the school's leaders and teachers want the school to be moved to another location soon, especially after the recent devastating flash flood.
Mr. Nguyen Van Thanh, Principal of Luong Minh Semi-Boarding Ethnic Minority Primary School, said: "In recent years, the Mat stream has been silted up, narrowing the waterway, and the water has no outlet, so it flows strongly to both banks. Meanwhile, the schoolyard is not much higher than the stream bed, so heavy rain easily causes flash floods and landslides. In the past two years, the school has suffered two flash floods, causing anxiety among teachers and parents."
Therefore, the school's aspiration is to receive attention and support from Party committees, government authorities, and relevant agencies at all levels to relocate the school to a new location on a high hill, away from flash floods and landslides during the rainy season, so that the students here can have the safest possible learning environment.
In a conversation with Mr. Vi Dinh Phuc, Chairman of the People's Committee of Luong Minh Commune, he stated: Previously, the local Party committee and government recognized that this school was located in a very unfavorable position, being both low-lying and close to a ravine. Heavy rains could easily cause flash floods, posing a safety risk to teachers and students. The commune surveyed and selected a safer location closer to the commune center, making it convenient for parents to drop off and pick up their children, as well as for teachers to get to school. Parents, teachers, and the local Party committee and government hope to receive support to relocate the school to a location near the commune's People's Committee center. This location is safer because it is on higher ground.
Furthermore, locating the school in the center of Luong Minh commune will facilitate daily commutes for hundreds of students and their parents. This is especially beneficial for children from remote villages in the lowlands who have to travel by boat or ferry up the river and over the mountains to get to school, such as Ca Moong and Xop Chao villages.
"But the locality is still poor, and the district is still facing difficulties, so we really need help from the province, the central government, and support from philanthropists," Mr. Vi Dinh Phuc emphasized.
Regarding the aspirations of the people and the leaders of Luong Minh commune People's Committee concerning the relocation of Luong Minh Ethnic Boarding Primary School, Mr. Lo Thanh Nhat – Vice Chairman of Tuong Duong District People's Committee – stated that the district leaders also recognize that the current Luong Minh Ethnic Boarding Primary School has many shortcomings, such as being located in a low-lying area and near a stream, making it prone to flooding. However, relocating the school to another location requires significant resources, and since the district is still facing financial difficulties, it cannot be resolved immediately. Instead, it must be included in a long-term public investment plan or other forms of support from the community.
