Developing a system of boarding schools for ethnic minorities

On September 21, the Prime Minister signed Decision No. 1640/QD-TTg approving the Project on Strengthening and Developing the System of Ethnic Boarding Schools for the 2011-2015 Period with a budget of over VND 4,150 billion.

One of the specific objectives of the project will be to consolidate and develop the network and scale of ethnic boarding schools in mountainous areas, ethnic minority areas, and areas with particularly difficult socio-economic conditions, ensuring that provinces and districts with a large ethnic minority population, with the need and conditions to open schools, all have ethnic boarding schools; on average, each province has one provincial ethnic boarding school, and each district has one district ethnic boarding school.
By 2015, the country strives to have 317 ethnic boarding schools with about 85,000 students, reaching an average of 7% of ethnic minority students at junior high and high school levels nationwide studying in ethnic boarding schools. At the same time, invest in building facilities for ethnic boarding schools in the direction of national standard high schools and ensuring conditions for educating boarding students.

By 2015, we aim to have about 30% of ethnic boarding schools meeting national standards. In addition, we will improve the pedagogical skills of the management team and teachers of ethnic boarding schools to meet the requirements of improving the quality of teaching, education and management at these schools; and strengthen the conditions to support educational activities and management of ethnic boarding schools.

To complete the set goals, the project will simultaneously carry out four major activities, including one, investing in the construction of additional works for 223 ethnic boarding schools in the direction of national standard high schools and ensuring conditions for educating boarding students.

Second, investing in building new facilities for 48 ethnic boarding schools in 22 mountainous provinces and ethnic boarding areas. Specifically, building 41 new district-level ethnic boarding schools and seven provincial-level schools in 22 provinces: Ha Giang, Tuyen Quang, Cao Bang, Bac Kan, Thai Nguyen, Hoa Binh, Thanh Hoa, Nghe An, Kon Tum, Gia Lai, Dak Lak, Dak Nong, Lam Dong, Ninh Thuan, Binh Phuoc, Binh Thuan, An Giang, Kien Giang, Tra Vinh, Soc Trang, Bac Lieu and Ca Mau.

Third, training and capacity building for management staff and teachers of ethnic boarding high schools.

Fourth, strengthen the conditions to support educational activities and management of ethnic boarding schools to meet the requirements of innovation and improvement of educational quality. In particular, a common website will be built for the ethnic boarding school system and the Boarding Education Journal will be published to serve the management work of the sector./.

(According to VNA/Vietnam+)