Best preparation made to welcome students back to school

Preschools and general education schools across Dong Nai Province are ready for the new 2025–2026 academic year with renewed energy. After the merger of the former Dong Nai Province and the former Binh Phuoc Province into the new Dong Nai Province, it is expected that the upcoming school year in the province will welcome more than 1.2 million students, making Dong Nai one of the provinces and cities with the largest number of students nationwide.

A working delegation of the Dong Nai Department of Education and Training inspect the facilities of 36 schools in eight border communes in preparation for the new school year and the plan on school renovation and upgrade. Photo: Cong Nghia

With many new responsibilities devolved upon the communal level, the Provincial People’s Committee and the Department of Education and Training have held numerous meetings with communes and schools to carefully prepare for the opening ceremony.

Ready for the first day of school

Although the new 2025–2026 school year officially starts at the end of August, in late July, many teachers of Loc Tan A Primary School (Loc Tan border commune) had already come to school to prepare classrooms and furniture for students. To create a lively atmosphere for the opening ceremony, the teachers braved the sun and rain to paint a mural at the school gate on the theme of the 80th anniversary of the August Revolution and National Day (September 2). Completing the meaningful mural took over three days, but it was done with great enthusiasm.

Principal Pham Ngoc Tram of Loc Tan Lower Secondary School shared: “In the new 2025–2026 academic year, the school will have 700 students. We have already informed parents of the official back-to-school date so they can prepare textbooks, learning supplies, and uniforms for their children. The school has reviewed its facilities, and teachers are ready for the opening ceremony under the best possible conditions. In particular, to ensure that no student is left behind, the school has instructed homeroom teachers to closely monitor the circumstances of disadvantaged students in order to provide timely support.”

Meanwhile, Nguyen Thi Tuyet, Principal of Loc Thien Primary and Lower Secondary School (Loc Thanh Commune), said: “This school year we are excited and hopeful for improvements in facilities, as the province has conducted surveys and developed plans to upgrade the school under Conclusion No. 81-TB/TW, dated July 18, 2025, of the Politburo, on investment policy for schools in border communes. If investment gets underway, our school will soon have more modern and spacious facilities, especially since demand for boarding services is high. For now, we are still ensuring the best possible conditions for the new school year, ready to welcome students back to school.”

Parent Dinh Thi Thu Thao, whose child is entering Grade 5 at Loc Thien Primary and Lower Secondary School, said: Even before the school announced the back-to-school schedule, I had already bought all the textbooks, school supplies, and a new uniform for my child. After three months of summer break, I am eager to send my child back to school to maintain study routines, while also hoping that he will have a joyful learning environment with friends.”

Joys of the new school year

In Trang Dai Ward - the ward facing the greatest pressure in the province in terms of classrooms, the school welcomed a major joy this school year as a new five-story building with 16 classrooms and functional rooms was completed right before the opening of the 2025–2026 academic year. From this year on, the school will no longer face the situation of having to send students to study temporarily at neighboring schools, some as far as three kilometers away.

Teachers of Loc Tan A Primary School diligently complete a mural on the theme of the homeland in front of the school gate to welcome students for the new school year. Photo: Cong Nghia

Pham Thi Hai Anh, Principal of Trang Dai Lower Secondary School, happily shared: “After many years of waiting, this will be the happiest school year because our facilities are now stable, and we can start considering a gradual transition to a two-shift study schedule.”

As in previous years, staff and soldiers of Division 905 came to Long Binh Tan Primary School (Long Hung Ward) to help clean classrooms and the schoolyard before the new academic year. From ceiling fans to broken light fixtures that teachers could not reach, the soldiers dismantled, cleaned, and reinstalled everything neatly.

Teacher Vu Thi Thanh Thuy shared: “Thanks to the soldiers, it took only half a morning for the school to become green, clean, and beautiful, getting ready to welcome students. If we teachers had done it ourselves, it would have taken several days.”

Meanwhile, Hoang Thi Ngoc, Principal of Nguyen An Ninh Primary School (Tam Hiep Ward), said: “In the new 2025–2026 academic year, besides new Grade 1 students, we also have many new students in other grades transferring from the former Binh Phuoc Province as their parents were reassigned. At first, these students will surely feel unfamiliar, but we have done everything possible to reassure parents and help children quickly adapt to the new environment. With the increase in student numbers, we have reviewed facilities and teaching staff to proactively implement the school year plan.”

According to the latest plan approved by the Provincial People’s Committee, preschool children and students in Grades 1, 9, and 12 will return to school on August 25, while students in other grades will return on August 28. The opening ceremony for the new 2025–2026 academic year will take place on September 5, as in previous years. This year, however, students in the entire province will join students nationwide in starting the school year at the same time as regulated by the Ministry of Education and Training.

Vo An Ninh, Director of Dong Nai School Books and Educational Equipment Joint Stock Company, said that in preparation for the new school year 2025–2026, the company began supplying textbooks, notebooks, and teaching equipment to schools in the area of the former Dong Nai Province in March. This work has now been largely completed, and there will be no shortage of textbooks as in previous years. In the area of the former Binh Phuoc Province, textbook distribution is handled by the Binh Phuoc School Books and Educational Equipment Joint Stock Company.

Speaking on textbook prices, Vo An Ninh said: “This year’s textbook prices are basically stable, so parents do not need to worry too much, but they should be careful to avoid buying counterfeit books.”

By: Cong Nghia
Translated by: Trieu Ngan - Thu Ha