Construction of the 13 inter-level boarding schools has largely stayed on schedule, with several projects exceeding the planned timeline.

Regarding investment in equipment procurement for the projects, as of March 15 design consultants had completed the preparation of school equipment lists. However, the development of price quotations has faced difficulties due to a lack of suppliers and the limited capacity of some equipment providers, preventing the preparation and approval of cost estimates as planned.

Regarding the scheme to organise staffing at the primary and secondary schools, seven of the 13 border communes have so far completed their proposals.

Accordingly, each school is expected to enroll about 1,000 students across 30 classes, prioritising children from ethnic minority families and policy beneficiary households in border areas. Staffing will include managers and teachers in line with national standards, along with support staff arranged in accordance with each commune’s staffing capacity.

At the meeting, Chien called on contractors and project investors to adhere to their commitments on construction timelines and expedite procedures related to investment in equipment procurement so that cost estimates can be approved in March 2026. Installation should be carried out in the second quarter, with handover and commissioning scheduled for August 2026 to ensure the schools are ready for the start of the new academic year.

He urged border communes to finalise and issue their plans for organising staffing at the schools for primary and lower secondary students before March 18. The communes were asked to set out principles for recruiting and appointing teachers, develop plans for reallocating and assigning teaching staff appropriately, review all teaching equipment, receive transferred assets and prepare effective operational plans once the schools are handed over and put into operation.