On the afternoon of January 11, in Thai Nguyen province, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh attended the groundbreaking ceremony for three projects to invest in facilities for specialized schools, marking the 14th National Party Congress.

The three schools include Viet Bac High School for the Ethnic Minority Students, Ho Chi Minh City University Preparatory School, and Sam Son University Preparatory School for Ethnic Minorities.

At the event, Prime Minister Chinh emphasized that the ceremony holds significant importance for socio-economic development, national defense and security, and the education and training sector, ensuring fair and equal access to education. It also represented a key social welfare mission, reflecting the principle that progress, equality, and social welfare should not be sacrificed for the sake of mere growth.

Regarding upcoming work to ensure the projects are completed, put into use, and operate effectively, the Prime Minister directed the the Ministry of Ethnic and Religious Affairs not to establish a project management unit under the ministry but to assign implementation to local authorities, following the principle of “local decisions, local execution, local accountability.”

The Ministry of Ethnic and Religious Affairs, in coordination with the Ministry of Education and Training, other ministries, agencies, and the three localities Thai Nguyen, Thanh Hoa, and Ho Chi Minh City were tasked with urgently guiding the completion of facility investment projects for the schools, ensuring the progress and quality meet the set requirements.

The schools are expected to become “model ethnic education ecosystems,” improving the quality of education and training while preserving and promoting the cultural identity of ethnic groups. At the same time, students will be equipped with international integration skills through foreign language and information technology programs.

The Prime Minister instructed Thai Nguyen, Thanh Hoa, and Ho Chi Minh City to take responsibility for project implementation, maximizing initiative, self-reliance, and accountability. Any shortages or needs must be reported to the Government or the Prime Minister.

Project owners, construction contractors, and supervisory consultants were urged to demonstrate “ethnic solidarity,” maintaining the spirit of “working under the sun, overcoming the rain,” “seizing time, working urgently,” and employing “three shifts with four teams” to complete the works promptly, ensuring progress, quality, safety, technical and aesthetic standards, environmental requirements, and preventing corruption, misconduct, or waste.

For the schools under investment, the Prime Minister requested that they should be arranged their programs scientifically to avoid affecting teaching and learning during project implementation.

Emphasizing a systematic, modern, and well-planned investment approach, following the principle of “each task completed properly,” the Prime Minister instructed the Ministry of Ethnic and Religious Affairs to review, prepare comprehensive projects to repair, upgrade, and supplement missing components at specialized schools. The Ministry of Finance will allocate the budget in the first quarter, while the Ministry of Education and Training and relevant ministries continue reviewing curricula to further improve teaching and learning quality.

The Prime Minister also called on the military and police forces to enhance support activities, helping schools improve facilities and maintain hygiene, with the entire political system involved to ensure that schools in ethnic minority regions, remote areas, borderlands, and islands truly become places “where literacy is nurtured, knowledge is cultivated, dreams are ignited, and aspirations are realized.”

He urged teachers to continue demonstrating the spirit of “serving remote communities, spreading literacy, safeguarding the nation,” inspiring students and helping generations of ethnic minority and mountainous students to pursue their dreams and transform their lives. The Prime Minister expressed confidence that students will strive to overcome difficulties, preserve their cultural identity, study diligently, cultivate passions, and nurture ambitions and aspirations.

On this occasion, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, Minister of National Defense General Phan Van Giang, and other leaders presented 160 meaningful gifts to students of Viet Bac High School for the Ethnic Minority Students.