Pupils receive scholarships under the “Nâng bước em đến trường” (Helping children go to school) charity programme for disadvantaged and outstanding students in the border commune of Thường Phước in Đồng Tháp Province on September 20. The province is set to increase investment in education in areas along the Cambodia border. – VNA/VNS Photo Đức Tâm

ĐỒNG THÁP – The Cửu Long (Mekong) Delta province of Đồng Tháp will build 42 boarding and semi-boarding primary and lower secondary schools in communes and wards along the Cambodian border.

They are expected to cost VNĐ2.097 trillion (US$79.4 million), with the government providing VNĐ1.102 trillion ($41.7 million) and the province putting up the rest.

The schools will be situated in the border communes of Thường Phước, Tân Hộ Cơ, Tân Hồng, and Tân Thành and the wards of Hồng Ngự and Thường Lạc.

Six of the 42 schools are inter-level institutions. 

They will follow a model design with at least 26 classes each and more than 1,000 students.

Each will be at least five hectares in size.

The remaining 36 will have 182 classrooms, 413 function rooms, auxiliary facilities, sports areas, and equipment. 

By building these schools, the province hopes to gradually improve education quality, meeting the needs of children living in more than 28,000 households along the 50km border.

Once completed, all schools in the province’s border areas will meet minimum and level-1 facility standards. 

Border communes and wards now have 75 schools and 82 satellite sites, with 39,708 students.

However, there are no boarding schools available, while semi-boarding is primarily offered at the preschool and primary levels.  

Besides infrastructure, the province is also focusing on teacher training, pledging to ensure there are adequate teachers, standardise their quality and continue professional development to support the new general education curriculum.

It is also promoting science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), and science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics (STEAM) education, strengthening English teaching and gradually introducing English as a second language in schools.

The Department of Education and Training will collaborate with the Department of Home Affairs and local administrations to recruit teachers and build national-standard schools in 2026–30. 

Lê Quang Trí, director of the department, said: “In recent years, the province has strengthened investment in school infrastructure to ensure implementation of preschool and general education programmes.” 

Since 2021, the province has invested in classrooms, rooms for childcare and education, subject classrooms, study support rooms, auxiliary rooms, dining rooms, administrative blocks, and facilities and equipment. – VNS