Border communes in Son La province are receiving good news as the Politburo has officially approved the investment plan to build multi-level boarding schools in border communes nationwide, opening up a bright future for thousands of students in Son La's border region, contributing to creating a new face for education and firmly consolidating national security and defense in the border areas of the Fatherland. Currently, Son La province has 13 border communes, with a total of 45 general education schools and approximately 37,339 students. Although 73% of schools have met national standards, the percentage of ethnic minority, highland, and border region students attending boarding schools remains very low. According to Conclusion Notice No. 81-TB/TW, the Politburo has officially approved the investment plan to build multi-level primary and secondary boarding schools in 248 border communes nationwide. The specific goal is to complete 100 schools by 2025 to serve as models, then expand to 248 schools in the next 2-3 years. Each school is not only a place for learning, but also a second home, where children are nurtured culturally, physically, and mentally in the safest and most modern conditions. Son La held a meeting to discuss the implementation of the policy on investing in school construction for border communes. Photo: Van Ngoc. The policy of investing in the construction of boarding schools for primary and secondary levels in border communes is not simply a construction project, but a comprehensive strategy to raise the intellectual level of the people, develop high-quality human resources; create conditions for children of ethnic minorities to rise up and become core officials in the locality. At the same time, this is also an important step to improve the material and spiritual lives of people in border areas, contributing to a solid national defense and security posture. Son La province has over 274km of border with Hua Phan and Luang Prabang provinces (Lao People's Democratic Republic). Following the administrative merger, 13 border communes in Son La have received investment for the construction of multi-level schools. Currently, the province is focusing on reviewing locations for the construction of 13 new schools in these border communes. Each school is expected to serve more than 1,000 students and teachers. To date, Son La province has held a conference to implement the Politburo's Conclusion Notice No. 81-TB/TW dated July 18, 2025, on the policy of investing in school construction for border communes. At the conference, Mr. Nguyen Dinh Viet, Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee and Chairman of the Son La Provincial People's Committee, emphasized: This is an opportunity to fundamentally change the educational infrastructure conditions for border communes; The goal is to train the next generation in remote border communes, meeting the competency requirements in the context of integration and development. With urgency and determination, immediately after the conference, localities began reviewing the need for school construction and proposing land locations. According to the conclusions, each school will have a scale of 3-5 hectares, ensuring synchronous technical infrastructure: electricity, clean water, wastewater drainage, transportation, etc., with a total investment of 150 billion VND per school. Son La province is focusing on reviewing locations to build 13 new schools in border communes. (Photo: Van Ngoc Son La) Son La reviews school construction planning in border areas. Son La province has also established working groups led by Mr. Nguyen Dinh Viet, Chairman of the Son La Provincial People's Committee, to directly inspect and survey locations for the construction of boarding schools for primary and secondary levels in border communes throughout the province. Participating in the inspection and survey of school construction sites, Mr. Nguyen Van Chien, Director of the Son La Department of Education and Training, said: "This is a golden opportunity for education in the border region of Son La to make a breakthrough. Modern boarding schools will be places to nurture children's dreams, helping them have better learning and living conditions, reducing the burden on families, and creating a comprehensive educational environment. Son La has proposed building 12 new schools and upgrading 1 school, with a total estimated cost of approximately 1,880 billion VND. Regarding the teaching staff, the province will transfer capable teachers and staff to the new boarding schools, and at the same time, propose adding 3,678 vacant positions for the entire province and 100 positions specifically for the 13 schools undergoing model transformation." Long Phieng is a particularly disadvantaged commune bordering the Lao People's Democratic Republic. It was formed by the merger of the former Chieng Tuong and Long Phieng communes, with a natural area of ​​147.81 km2. The commune has 7 schools, including 2 kindergartens with 830 students; 3 primary schools with 1,044 students; and 2 secondary schools with 814 students. Following Conclusion Notice No. 81, the commune quickly implemented a review and identified a location for the construction of a multi-level school. Mr. Lu Van Chung, Chairman of the Long Phieng Commune People's Committee, happily stated: "The commune has proposed to the province the construction of a new school with an area of ​​approximately 5 hectares in the commune's rice paddy land, located about 500 meters from the current commune People's Committee headquarters. With its flat terrain and proximity to the national highway, transportation is convenient, and the electricity and water systems are readily available, making design and construction easy." Hoping that students in border areas will soon have a new, modern, and spacious school with the best learning conditions ever, the Chairman of the People's Committee of Son La province and the working group inspected and surveyed the school construction site in Muong Leo commune. Photo: Van Ngoc. Mr. Song Ba Chong, Head of the Parent-Teacher Association of Muong Cai Ethnic Boarding Secondary School, Chieng Khoong commune, happily said: "For many years, our children have faced many difficulties and shortages in their boarding school conditions. The rooms are not up to par, cramped, and the school lacks a multi-purpose hall, playgrounds, and sports fields… When we heard about the plan to build a modern multi-level boarding school, we were very happy. Our children will soon be able to study in a spacious school with full amenities, and we will no longer have to worry about food and accommodation. This is truly a long-held dream of our people." With decisive leadership and urgent involvement from the central to local levels, demonstrating strong unity and determination in caring for education, especially in difficult border regions, modern boarding schools will soon spring up, illuminating the future for the younger generation in border areas and contributing to the development and strengthening of these regions.