Many boarding schools in Tuong Duong lack adequate infrastructure.
(Baonghean.vn) - Severely inadequate infrastructure has made it difficult for schools to arrange accommodation and meals for students.
Tuong Duong is a mountainous district with the largest area in the country. Its terrain is fragmented and scattered into different regions, with many small, scattered settlements and fragmented transportation networks. Therefore, the school system is also greatly affected, leading to fragmentation in the planning of school locations, especially at the primary school level.
Currently, Tuong Duong has 85 school locations, including 66 satellite school locations. The distance from each satellite school location to the main school is 3 km or more, with some locations reaching up to 20 km.
 |
| Main features of Mai Son Primary School. Photo: DT |
According to the General Education Program issued with Circular No. 32/2018/TT-BGDĐT dated December 26, 2018, by the Ministry of Education and Training, foreign languages and information technology will become compulsory subjects for students in grades 3, 4, and 5. Given the current scale of primary schools, investing in facilities and equipment, and providing enough teachers to teach these two subjects at all school locations is currently impossible.
 |
| Teachers at Huu Khuong Primary School have to borrow beds from other schools and repair them for the students to use. Photo: DT |
Mai Son Primary School had 280 students in the 2021-2022 school year. The majority were children from poor families of ethnic minorities such as the Thai, Mong, and Khmu. The people lived scattered across hillsides or along streams, with many villages located up to 12 km from the main school. For villages like Pha Khao and Pieng Cooc, the children had to walk for two hours.
To improve the quality of education and reduce the fragmentation of school sizes, this school year the school has implemented a boarding school model for elementary school students in grades 3 to 5. Due to a severe shortage of facilities, especially accommodation for students, the school had to repurpose a warehouse belonging to a nearby family and renovate it to provide lodging for students from outlying areas.
According to Mr. Dao Van Hai, the principal of Mai Son Primary School, the school is located in a border commune, so the infrastructure is severely lacking, especially the accommodation for boarding students. Before the start of the new school year, the school had to mobilize teachers and parents to repair and build makeshift beds using bamboo, reeds, and wood for the students to sleep on.
"Looking at the living conditions of the students, we sometimes can't help but feel heartbroken. We feel so sorry for them, but we can't do anything else. We can only use our affection to compensate for their lack of material resources," said Mr. Hai.
 |
| The sleeping quarters for the boarding students are borrowed from a local resident's warehouse. Photo: DT |
Not only is there a shortage of student accommodation, but according to the plan, the school is also lacking 3 classrooms for general subjects, 1 computer lab, and 1 English language lab. Furthermore, there is a shortage of essential items for boarding students, such as bunk beds, food trays, dining tables, and chairs.
This is not just the case at Mai Son Primary School, but a common situation in many schools in Tuong Duong. At Huu Khuong Primary School, there is no boarding facility for students, so the school has had to repurpose old classrooms as sleeping quarters for the children.
According to Mr. Le Tuyen Huan, Principal of Huu Khuong Primary School, the school currently operates two boarding facilities: one in San village and one at the main campus in Pung Bon. To provide accommodation for students, the school has repurposed old classrooms.
“At our main school, we had to mobilize teachers and parents to dismantle and move seven wooden classrooms from Con Phen village to the main school. In San village, it was easier because we already had five old classrooms, and we renovated some of them to create accommodation for the students. The students' beds come in various types – bunk beds, wooden platforms, and bamboo platforms,” said Mr. Huan, adding that the teachers obtained the bunk beds from other schools and then welded and reinforced them. The platforms were made by parents contributing materials, with teachers and parents working together. Currently, the water storage system and toilets are the most challenging issues. Despite our best efforts, we still cannot meet the needs of the students.
 |
| Leaders of Tuong Duong district encourage teachers at Mai Son Primary School. Photo: DT |
Compared to other schools in Tuong Duong district, such as Mai Son and Huu Khuong, Nhon Mai school is more fortunate to have sturdy dormitories for boarding students. However, there are no beds for the students, so the school has to ask for old beds from other schools and repurpose them. Currently, nearly half of the students are sleeping on makeshift platforms made of bamboo, reeds, and wood, which were constructed with the help of teachers and parents.
