Dong Nai focuses on investing in school construction for border communes

The Dong Nai Provincial Party Committee has directed the Provincial People's Committee and the Department of Education and Training to immediately begin implementing Conclusion Notice No. 81-TB/TW, dated July 18, 2025, of the Politburo on the policy of investing in school construction for border communes.

The delegation of the Department of Education and Training surveys the need for school construction in Loc Tan commune

Accordingly, many schools in border communes adjacent to Cambodia will be surveyed. Plans will also be developed for their construction, renovation, and upgrading to provide the most favorable learning conditions for students. This policy has been met with great enthusiasm and eager anticipation from Party committees, local authorities, school boards, and residents of these communes.

Practical needs

To develop investment plans for classrooms in accordance with Conclusion Notice No. 81-TB/TW, the Department of Education and Training has immediately begun surveying the need for classroom construction at all schools in the province's 8 border communes, including Loc Tan, Loc Thanh, Loc Thạnh, Tan Tien, Hung Phuoc, Thien Hung, Bu Gia Map, and Dak O. In these communes, the school system has been invested in, but there are still many difficulties in ensuring improved quality of teaching and learning. When the Politburo issued the policy of investing in schools for border communes, Party committees, authorities, school boards, and parents and students were all very happy.

According to the Loc Tan Commune Party Committee, there are currently 4 public schools in the commune: Loc Thien Primary School, Loc Tan A Primary School, Loc Tan B Primary School, and Loc Tan Secondary School. When the Politburo's conclusion Notice on the policy of investing in school construction for border communes was issued, the commune re-surveyed the actual needs in its locality. In addition, the commune also assigned schools to survey the learning needs of parents and students according to two basic options: building semi-boarding or boarding schools. To date, the survey of needs from schools and parents has been basically completed, and the commune will submit recommendations to the Provincial People's Committee and the Department of Education and Training.

Dieu Khim, Standing Deputy Secretary of the Loc Tan Commune Party Committee, enthusiastically shared: “Conclusion Notice No. 81 of the Politburo is a very humane and practical policy, and it is expected to create a breakthrough for school facilities in communes along the country’s border.” He added, “In the past, I was a Choro ethnic student, and thanks to the provincial ethnic boarding school, I had the opportunity to study and grow into who I am today. Therefore, when Conclusion Notice No. 81 of the Politburo was issued, I was overjoyed, because it means the dream of going to school for many students in border areas will not be interrupted.”

Pham Thi Tram, Principal of Loc Tan Secondary School, shared: Previously, the school had received investment in building relatively adequate classrooms for teaching and learning. However, there are still many difficulties, and more investment is needed to better cater to the needs of teaching and learning, especially the semi-boarding needs of students, because currently there is only 1 secondary school in the entire commune, and students have to travel quite far. In addition, the school also wishes to have more land to expand playgrounds and practice areas for students and build public housing for teachers.

Necessary but not wasteful

Nguyen Manh Dung, Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee and Chairman of the Loc Tan Commune People’s Committee, said: “Investing in the commune’s school system is essential, and we also hope that the policy of building schools for border communes will help create a strong breakthrough in developing a modern school system.” However, according to Mr. Dung, surveys show that most parents prefer their children to attend semi-boarding schools rather than boarding schools. “This is understandable,” he noted, “because the distance from home to school is not too far, and nowadays most parents have only one or two children, so they do not want them to board at school.”

In Loc Thanh commune, there are currently 3 schools, all of which are inter-level primary and secondary schools. In this regard, the new school has been invested in renovation and upgrading and will be put into use in the upcoming new school year. The school boards are all very eager for the school's facilities to undergo breakthrough changes in the near future. According to the school boards, if the schools are spacious, have a semi-boarding model, and have a policy to support meal costs, it will attract students to school, avoiding the situation of dropping out midway, especially for ethnic minority students.

Nguyen Thi Tuyet, Principal of Loc Thanh Primary and Secondary School (Loc Thanh Commune), said: “In addition to the main campus, the school currently has an old, deteriorated sub-campus located near the main one. We very much hope to secure investment resources to turn this sub-campus into a place where students can eat and rest after morning classes at the main campus.” She added: “If we have a semi-boarding school, the school board and teachers will have to work harder, but in return, students will benefit greatly and parents will feel more at ease, as they would only need to drop their children off in the morning and pick them up in the afternoon, without having to worry about transportation or meals for the students.”

Mr. Ho Quang Khanh, Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee, Chairman of the People's Committee of Loc Thanh Commune, said: Currently, transportation in the commune is quite convenient, and schools are located close to residential areas, so it is not necessary to build boarding schools. If boarding schools are built, it will be very costly, while the demand is not high, which could lead to waste. Ho Quang Khanh believes that: Current schools only need to be fully invested according to the semi-boarding model, with synchronous facilities, sufficient teachers, and good conditions for learning, playing, and eating lunch, which is excellent.

Meanwhile, Do Dang Bao Linh, Deputy Director of the Department of Education and Training, said: “After completing the survey of school construction investment needs, assessing the current condition of previously invested schools as well as identifying remaining difficulties, the Department of Education and Training will develop an overall plan to submit to the Provincial People’s Committee for the formulation of a specific investment plan. Investing in school construction is essential, but it must be calculated thoroughly, ensuring that the investment is modern and that resources are not wasted.”

By Cong Nghia/Translated by Van Nga-Minho