The Huỳnh Cương Ethnic Boarding High School in Sóc Trăng City’s Ward 3. — VNA/VNS Photo Tuấn Phi

SÓC TRĂNG — Sóc Trăng Province is increasing its spending on boarding schools for ethnic students to improve education quality in minority areas.

The Cửu Long (Mekong) Delta province has a population of 1.3 million with ethnic people, mostly Khmer and Hoa, accounting for 35 per cent.

But it has only 10 boarding schools for ethnic students with 3,352 students, according to its Department of Education and Training.

The Kế Sách District Ethnic Boarding High School has 270 students, 260 of them ethnic minorities.

It has recently built two new classrooms, a dining room and other facilities at a cost of VNĐ7 billion (US$290,000).

Ngô Vân, a teacher there, said the school lacked facilities in the past, limiting the education quality.

But now things have improved and education quality is ensured, he said.

Kim Ngọc Nhi, an ethnic student at the school, said with the improved facilities her learning has improved.

In Châu Thành District, 49 per cent of the population is Khmer, and the district has invested in its ethnic boarding school.

Đỗ Văn Nôl, head of the Châu Thành District Ethnic Boarding High School, said VNĐ10 billion ($410,000) has been spent to upgrade 50 boarding rooms for students, five working rooms, a gym, a dining room, and seven classrooms.

With the investment, the school has improved its education quality to meet level 1 national education standard and targets level 2 by the end of next year, he said.

The provincial People’s Committee plans to invest in facilities for boarding schools.

The Department of Education and Training has been instructed to renovate and upgrade a school each in Châu Thành, Kế Sách, Mỹ Xuyên, Long Phú, and Thạnh Trị districts starting last year at a cost of VNĐ54 billion ($2.2 million).

Danh Hoàng Nguyên, deputy director of the department, said boarding schools are steadily improving, and ethnic students and those in remote and rural areas and special economic difficulty areas have conducive conditions for studying, which would help develop human resources for socio-economic development.

The department would invest an estimated VNĐ15 billion ($620,000) to improve boarding schools next year, he added. —  VNS