The boarding school was established 10 years ago, but teachers and students still live and study at other people's places?

These days, Con Cuong Secondary School for Ethnic Minorities is making final preparations for its 10th anniversary celebration, scheduled to take place in November. However, to date, the school has not been built. After 10 years, students here still have to study in a temporary borrowed facility, and after school hours, they return to another boarding facility, nearly 1 km away.

“Because the school and dormitory are borrowed, it greatly affects teaching and learning, it is really difficult. Every year, at the beginning of the school year, the school issues a document to borrow the facilities. We have also proposed to the district many times to speed up the school construction progress,” said a representative of the Department of Education and Training of Con Cuong district.

Con Cuong Ethnic Boarding Secondary School was established on August 26, 2013, for outstanding ethnic minority students in the district. Immediately after its establishment, because the school had not yet invested in building facilities, it had to borrow the old facility of Bong Khe Secondary School in Thanh Nam village, because this school merged into Con Cuong Town Secondary School.

Since there was no new school, in the early days of its establishment, the school mobilized parents to contribute labor and materials to build houses with thatch, bamboo, reed, and leaves; dug a well, and at the same time, borrowed the yard space of Thanh Nam Village Cultural House to make a place for students to study and practice physical exercises. Making the most of the spaces behind the existing school buildings of Bong Khe Secondary School, the spaces and open spaces in the school grounds to extend the roof, cover the surrounding area and cover the roof to make accommodation and a place for students to eat. Overcoming, repairing, and building temporary functional rooms to have a place to work and study for staff, teachers, and students. Mobilizing educational sponsorship from parents to invest in and purchase equipment and necessary items to serve teaching, management, care, and nurturing activities for students.

However, in August 2018, due to the severe impact of storms and floods, the borrowed school was heavily flooded, washed away, damaged property and unsafe for students. Con Cuong District had to urgently relocate the school to 2 locations: Teaching and learning was lent a 2-storey building with 12 classrooms by Nghe An Ethnic Boarding Vocational College; the dormitory for students was borrowed from the District Continuing Education Center.

According to the reporter's investigation, since 2016, the Provincial People's Committee has approved the Investment Project for ConstructionCon Cuong Secondary Boarding School for Ethnic Minorities. The project has a total investment of 45 billion VND, with full items such as school buildings, dormitories, dining halls, gymnasiums, administrative buildings, etc. The construction site is in Tra Bong village, Bong Khe commune. The project was assigned to the Con Cuong District Project Management Board for implementation, with a time limit of 3 years from the commencement date. However, up to now, this area is still just an empty lot. Up to now, teaching and learning are borrowed at Nghe An Ethnic Boarding Secondary School, under the Department of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs.

However, because this secondary school also has a lot of students, and also has to lend out a 2-story building, it leads to overcrowding and overload. The classroom facilities are borrowed, so there is only enough for 12 classes. The entire Board of Directors and accountants of 4 people have to work in a room that is less than 15 square meters wide. There is also no laboratory or practice room. And every time it is time for IT or Foreign Language classes, teachers and students have to go to the Continuing Education Center. Not only the classrooms, the area for recess, outdoor activities, and flag salutes is also very cramped.

Each time like that, the students have to line up among the flower pots. As for the students' bicycles and teachers' motorbikes, because there is no garage, they have to be parked in the rain and sun. After each class, the students go back to rest at the dormitory borrowed from the Continuing Education Center, nearly 1 km away. The living space for them can only be limited to a small area. Meanwhile, because they are boarding, every month, except for 2 days off to go home, the rest of the time they have to stay in this borrowed dormitory and are not allowed to go out.

Because the temporary dormitory building was built decades ago, it is now in a very bad state. Pieces of the wall are jagged and occasionally fall down. Inside, about 40 students are arranged in a cramped room. Most of the room is used for bunk beds, leaving only a small space for walking. The students here have very little space to store their personal belongings. Books and notebooks have to be placed on the ventilation holes.

“Because the row of houses is dilapidated and has a corrugated iron roof, it gets very hot in the summer. Here, we are afraid that the children will get sick, so we have a rule that they are not allowed to bathe at noon. But because it is so hot, sometimes we see the children drenched in sweat and ask the teachers to let them bathe, and we feel sorry for them,” said a teacher working at the dormitory. The student cafeteria takes advantage of the space in front of the porch. This is also where the children study in the evening.

Mr. Lo Van Thiep - Principal of Con Cuong Secondary School for Ethnic Minorities Boarding said that the school currently has 380 students, all of whom have to cram into 10 dormitories. Due to lack of rooms, the school has not dared to recruit enough students for many years. Therefore, the wish of teachers and students here is to have a proper school.

“Although it has been established for 10 years, there is no school yet, and the dormitory is borrowed but not yet guaranteed. The living, studying, teaching conditions; the management, care, nurturing and other educational activities of the school still face many difficulties and obstacles. The conditions of the facilities, campus, playground and practice ground for students are not guaranteed.

Mr. Lo Van Thiep - Principal of Con Cuong Secondary Boarding School for Ethnic Minorities