Ensuring progress of schools in border areas

Mr. Nguyen Thanh Binh, Member of the Standing Committee of the City Party Committee and Standing Vice Chairman of Hue City People’s Committee, working with the project owner and contractors at the boarding inter-level school project for primary and lower secondary education in A Luoi 4 commune

Speeding up construction progress

Hue City is implementing a plan to build five new boarding inter-level schools for primary and lower secondary education in the five communes of A Luoi 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5. Since August 30^th, 2025, the city has started construction on the first two schools in A Luoi 3 and A Luoi 4 communes.

At the boarding inter-level school project in A Luoi 3 commune, according to Hue City Project Management Board for Investment, Construction and Urban Development (the project owner), consulting packages are currently being carried out in line with contractual schedules and the project implementation plan. Since December 2025, the project management board has signed contracts with construction contractors and started implementing the project. Up to now, building blocks such as the administrative building, multi-purpose hall, library, staff housing, kitchen and dining area have completed the fabrication and installation of reinforcement steel, construction of floor slabs for each level, concrete columns, ground leveling for yards and internal roads, and the construction of the fire prevention and firefighting system. The accumulated workload has reached about 21% of the contracted schedule.

For the satellite school facilities, including the upgrading of Hong Thai Primary School and Hong Thuong Primary School, the Department of Finance has submitted a document proposing that the city separate the investment items for these satellite campuses. The city authorities have agreed on the investment scale and preliminary total capital so that they can be implemented through separate independent projects, in accordance with regulations.

According to the project owner, the cumulative central government funding allocated so far amounts to 72,4 billion VND, while disbursement has reached about 42,7 billion VND. This includes advance payments for construction contracts and payments for consulting services, accounting for about 59% of the allocated central funding. However, the disbursement progress has not yet met the weekly reporting plan.

In the future, Hue City Project Management Board for Investment, Construction and Urban Development will require contractors to mobilize additional manpower and materials to accelerate construction on site in accordance with the construction contract. In addition, according to the project owner, the annual sand reserves and permitted mining quotas in A Luoi area and nearby localities are insufficient to meet the construction schedule. As a result, contractors must source sand from multiple suppliers, which poses a risk of slowing down the project’s progress.

The boarding inter-level school project for primary and lower secondary education in A Luoi 4 commune is currently under construction

Removing obstacles

For the boarding inter-level school project in A Luoi 4 commune, construction has been simultaneously carried out on several building blocks including the administrative building, primary school, lower secondary school, multi-purpose building, dormitory and kitchen, along with auxiliary infrastructure such as external road culverts, retaining walls, water supply systems, power lines and transformer stations. The completed workload currently reaches about 20,3% of the contracted volume. The project was started in December 2025 and is expected to be completed in July 2026, with a total investment of more than 240 billion VND from the central government budget. The project owner is the Regional Project Management Board for Investment and Construction No. 2.

In addition, this board is also completing documents and procedures to implement similar projects for inter-level boarding schools in A Luoi 2 and A Luoi 5 communes.

According to Mr. Ho Huu Phu, Acting Deputy Director of the Regional Project Management Board for Investment and Construction No. 2, the project owner has submitted documentation to the city authorities for approval of the investment scale and total capital. The dossier for partial adjustment has been completed and is currently being coordinated with the People’s Committees of A Luoi 2 and A Luoi 5 communes for submission to relevant authorities for approval. The overall site plan and preliminary design are being prepared simultaneously, along with contractor selection procedures and detailed design work, which are expected to be completed in March 2026.

However, according to the project management board, the consulting package for preparing the overall site plan and preliminary design, valued at over 800 million VND, would take longer to implement if carried out under the current bidding procedures. Therefore, the board has proposed that the Department of Finance review the issue and submit guidance to the city authorities on the contractor selection process.

In addition to speeding up construction progress, the units involved are also focusing on ensuring labor safety at the border schools

During the inspection, Standing Vice Chairman Nguyen Thanh Binh requested the project owners and construction units to mobilize maximum resources, closely follow the schedule, and complete the committed workload in order to accelerate the project’s progress. He also called for close coordination among all parties to promptly resolve difficulties and obstacles during implementation. In addition, the city has required project owners to report progress weekly to ensure the projects are completed on schedule and with the required quality for the 2026 - 2027 school year.

Mr. Binh emphasized that building a system of schools in border communes is a major policy of the Party and the State, reflecting strong concern for education in particularly disadvantaged areas. This effort is not only an immediate solution to ensure learning conditions for children in border communities but also a long-term strategic measure to improve educational standards, develop human resources, and create a sustainable foundation for the locality’s socio-economic development.