Nguyễn Văn Khoa, deputy director of Nghệ An Province Department of Education and Training, Nguyễn Bá Luân, country president of Cargill in Vietnam and delegates at the ceremony to hand over the Văn Thành primary school in Nghệ An Province on December 11. — VNS Photo

NGHỆ AN – Cargill opened its 100th school in the country in Nghệ An Province’s Yên Thành District on December 11.

The US company started its Vietnam School Building Project in 1996 with the stated goal of building 100 schools in rural areas by 2020 to help increase access to education, improve student enrolment and teacher retention in rural communities.

Văn Thành primary school is in a commune with a long-standing tradition of relying on agriculture. More than four decades old and with limited resources in the underprivileged community, its building had severely deteriorated and it lacked teaching equipment.

Cargill undertook its renovation, building nine new large classrooms, toilets, playgrounds, a front gate, and fencing.

It can now admit nearly 250 students from grades one to five.

The construction cost VNĐ3.05 billion (US$131,850).

Nguyễn Bá Luân, country president of Cargill in Vietnam, said: “Empowering local Vietnamese communities for a more prosperous future has been our aspiration, and we believe one of the best ways to achieve it is by promoting quality education for the next generation.

“This will open a new chapter for us to expand this meaningful programme over the years to come to regions that still lack educational facilities.”

The employee-led Cargill Cares Council, which has since 1997 raised around VNĐ130 billion (over $5.6 million) to build schools, now has a new ambitious goal of building 150 of them by 2030. — VNS