Dien Bien: Renewing Content and Methods of People-to-People Diplomacy
	Vietnamese Community in Australia Raises 1.1 Billion VND for New School in Dien Bien

Upholding standards in difficult conditions

Located in the highland commune of Sinh Phinh, Dien Bien Province, the school currently has 566 students across 14 classes, most of whom are from ethnic minority communities.

The fragmented terrain and difficult living conditions make it challenging to maintain student attendance and improve education quality. However, thanks to the perseverance of the teaching staff and the support of local authorities, the school has consistently maintained its status as a national-standard institution for many years.

After intensive classroom hours, the students take part in meaningful outdoor activities as they continue with new lessons. (Photo: Pham Loi)

Pham Van Loi, the school’s principal, shared: “Maintaining national standards is already difficult in more favorable areas; it is even more challenging in the highlands. We have identified that keeping students in school and improving learning outcomes are what truly give meaning to the national-standard title.”

Teachers regularly visit villages and work closely with parents to encourage students to attend school, while effectively maintaining the semi-boarding model. This helps students feel secure in their studies and reduces dropout rates.

Improving education quality from a strong foundation

Alongside maintaining standard-compliant facilities, the school places strong emphasis on enhancing the quality of its teaching staff. It currently has five district-level outstanding teachers, one excellent Young Pioneer leader at the district level, and seven school-level outstanding teachers, forming an important foundation for improving teaching quality in a challenging environment.

Life skills education is consistently prioritized by the school. (Photo: Pham Loi)

In the past academic year, 100% of students met the requirements for conduct and academic performance, with 98.9% achieving good or very good conduct. Academically, 47.2% of students reached fairly good or higher levels, demonstrating clear improvements in education quality.

Beyond maintaining academic discipline, students have also achieved notable results in intellectual competitions. The school won 21 district-level excellent student awards, a first prize at a district-level science and technology competition, a third prize at the provincial level, and also had a project that won an A prize at the provincial level and a fourth prize nationally in a youth and children’s creativity contest.

According to Principal Pham Van Loi, the school’s ultimate goal is not recognition, but to create equal learning opportunities for students in highland areas.

“In difficult regions, each student who continues their education today is laying the groundwork for the locality’s future development,” he said.

Narrowing the educational gap in disadvantaged areas

In practice, maintaining national-standard schools in particularly disadvantaged areas not only improves teaching and learning quality, but also helps change parents’ perceptions of education, motivating students to pursue higher levels of schooling.

In addition to academic instruction, the school consistently places emphasis on educating students about cultural traditions through a variety of activities. (Photo: Pham Loi)

From classrooms in the highland commune of Sinh Phinh, the journey to improve educational standards, develop human resources, and gradually narrow the gap between mountainous and more developed regions is being built through the perseverance of teachers and students alike.

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