Great significance from small plans

With the motto “Every day at school is a happy day”, in addition to investing in modern, well-equipped infrastructure, educational institutions across Dong Nai Province have, in recent years, made sustained efforts to build green, clean, beautiful, and friendly school environments through a variety of practical and meaningful initiatives.

These efforts have helped create a safe environment for students to study, play, and experience, encouraging them to cherish their schools, teachers, and friends, while raising awareness about environmental protection and climate change mitigation.

Raising environmental awareness

Tan Xuan Secondary School (Binh Phuoc Ward, Dong Nai Province) consistently ranks among the top schools in terms of educational quality while also being recognized as a green, clean, beautiful, and friendly learning environment. Alongside investments in spacious, modern facilities that serve more than 1,700 students, the school places strong emphasis on improving both classroom interiors and the overall campus landscape through a variety of practical measures.

Students of Hung Vuong Secondary School (Trang Bom Commune) study in a fresh, open, and airy environment. Photo: Vu Thuyen

Accordingly, Tan Xuan Secondary School has intensified its efforts to communicate and raise awareness among students. Each student not only participates in cleaning, collecting, and sorting waste at the source through the “Small Plan” program of the inter-team but also develops a strong sense of responsibility in caring for greenery around the campus.

“To maintain a green schoolyard and clean, friendly classrooms, everyone must develop a sense of hygiene and shared responsibility. To achieve this, teachers must lead by example. Through regular reminders and communication, students have learned to pick up litter whenever they see it, and so have the teachers, setting an example for their students to follow”, shared teacher Hoang My Thuan, Youth Team Supervisor at Tan Xuan Secondary School.

Nguyen Phuong Anh, a student from class 98 at Tan Xuan Secondary School, said: Studying in such a healthy environment makes me feel safe and happy. It also reminds me every day to raise my awareness of environmental protection, to plant more trees, pick up litter, and properly sort waste in accordance with regulations.

In the former border district of Loc Ninh, many years ago, the education sector launched a movement requiring all primary and secondary schools to participate in the “Small Plan” Campaign. Since then, schools have developed waste-sorting projects and worked in coordination with their inter-teams to collect recyclable waste, aiming to educate students about environmental protection and to create a funding source for the inter-teams’ “Small Plan” programs.

The “Small Plan” project of Loc Thinh Primary and Secondary School (Loc Thanh Commune, Dong Nai Province), also known as the “recyclable waste sorting house,” is situated in a corner of the schoolyard, making it easy for students to observe and participate in hands-on practice. The structure, designed to resemble a small house with an eye-catching appearance, is constructed with an iron frame and corrugated metal and is divided into three compartments for plastic waste, paper waste, and metal waste. During break times or before and after school sessions, students from all grade levels collect and sort recyclable items such as scrap paper, plastic bottles, and aluminum cans into the appropriate compartments. For non-recyclable waste, the school has placed organic and inorganic trash bins, shaped like playful animals, at convenient locations around the campus for students to use.

A green, clean, and beautiful school is one of the key criteria for being recognized as meeting national standards. However, its actual value lies not in the title itself, but in the joy and comfort it brings to students every day. A clean, airy environment filled with lush greenery and blooming flowers creates positive energy, embodying the spirit that “every day at school is a happy day”. This endeavor also serves as an educational message, helping to raise students’ awareness of environmental protection from the earliest stages of their schooling.

Nguyen Thi Hue, Vice Principal of Loc Thinh Primary and Secondary School, shared that to implement this model, the school first introduced the concept of waste sorting to each student and their parents, as students often had the habit of disposing of all types of waste in a single bin. Clear guidance on the categories of recyclable and non-recyclable waste has helped students follow the rules more consciously and responsibly. The program initially started with grades 8 and 9, who served as role models for younger students in grades 1 and 2. Every weekend, the school’s youth union collects recyclable waste and sells it to raise funds for youth-led projects and to support disadvantaged students, earning more than 3 million VND each school year.

A model example in building green, clean, and beautiful schools

The first impression upon arriving at Hung Vuong Secondary School (Trang Bom Commune, Dong Nai Province) is its spacious, airy, and refreshing campus, filled with lush green trees, ornamental plants, colorful flower beds, and a variety of facilities designed to support learning, experiential activities, and revolutionary tradition education for students. Every structure and feature on the campus is carefully planned, well-organized, and aesthetically designed. Achieving such a green, clean, beautiful, and friendly school environment has been the result of many years of collective effort from both teachers and students, along with extensive community engagement and social contributions.

In addition to its beautiful landscape, the school has also established bright classrooms and a green library, providing students with open, comfortable spaces for reading, relaxation, and experiential learning. This attempt creates a welcoming and friendly atmosphere every time they come to school. This undertaking is considered a “key factor” in educating and fostering environmental awareness among the younger generation.

“I feel happy and grateful to my teachers and the benefactors who helped build such a beautiful school campus. It not only provides us with a comfortable space for learning and experiences but also teaches every student to be aware of protecting the living environment, preserving trees, and avoiding littering”, shared Pham Thanh Tra, a student of class 8/2 at Hung Vuong Secondary School.

Keeping the Hung Vuong Secondary School campus green, clean, and beautiful, including its study gardens, herbal gardens, playgrounds, and sports fields, is the result of the collective effort of the entire school, with the inter-team playing a key role.

Nguyen Thi Quynh Nga, Team Supervisor at Hung Vuong Secondary School, said: From the beginning of the school year, the inter-team develops a plan and assigns each class a specific area to take responsibility for cleaning, caring for trees, ornamental plants, and flower beds every day. Additionally, each class is assigned to organize one Green Friday on a rotating basis throughout the school year. Thanks to this, the school’s landscape and environment are always well maintained, while also educating and enhancing each student’s and teacher’s awareness of keeping the school environment clean.

Nguyen Thuy Du, Vice Principal of Hung Vuong Secondary School, stated that the school is situated in the administrative center of Trang Bom Commune, spanning an area of more than 2.3 hectares. It has been well invested in and solidly constructed, featuring three multi-story classroom blocks along with auxiliary facilities that meet the learning needs of nearly 1,800 students across 41 classes. Building on that foundation, the school has received support from benefactors who have contributed construction materials, greenery, ornamental plants, and flower beds, and have collaborated with the school in developing ideas to create a green, clean, and beautiful campus  worthy of the name “Happy School.” Thanks to these collective efforts, Hung Vuong Secondary School has been recognized for many years as meeting Level 2 National Standards and, in 2023, was honored as a green, clean, and beautiful school at the provincial level.

By Vu Thuyen – Translated by Quynh Nhu, Minho