Building a 63 billion school on a hill, students cannot study for fear of...landslides

Trường THPT Võ Chí Công - Ảnh: LÊ TRUNG — Vo Chi Cong High School - Photo: LE TRUNG

Teaching and learning at other schools

The Vo Chi Cong High School project in A Xan commune, Tay Giang district was implemented in 2016 in two phases with a total investment of more than 63 billion VND.

Phase 1 includes the items of classroom blocks, student dormitories, embankments, administrative offices, laboratories, libraries, public houses, and multi-purpose buildings invested by the Department of Education and Training with a budget of more than 33 billion VND.

In 2019, the province continued to approve the second phase of the project with an investment of nearly 30 billion VND, with the Provincial Construction Investment Project Management Board as the investor, continuing to implement the next items.

The school was put into use in the 2019 school year, but students had not been studying for long when, after the floods at the end of 2020, the school experienced serious landslides on the hills behind the school.

Thousands of cubic meters of rock and soil fell from the positive slope, creating large cracks at the top of the hill, directly affecting teaching and learning.

Nhìn từ trên cao những vết nứt ở ngọn đồi đe dọa ngôi trường, vì vậy học sinh phải đến điểm trường khác học để đảm bảo an toàn - Ảnh: LÊ TRUNG — From above, cracks in the hill threaten the school, so students have to go to another school to ensure safety - Photo: LE TRUNG

To ensure safety, Tay Giang district authorities have organized the relocation of students to temporarily study at Tay Giang High School and temporarily reside at the dormitory of the district's vocational training center.

According to records, Vo Chi Cong High School was built on a hill, now without a single student or teacher, abandoned for four years. The walls are covered with moss, mold, and dust, looking very shabby.

The hill behind this school still has many large cracks from the previous landslide, and to this day the embankment has not been constructed.

Since 2020, teachers and students of the school have had to study in 7 classrooms of Tay Giang High School and stay in a dormitory next to a small, old school. They look forward to the day they can return to their old school.

Mr. Nguyen Cong Tuoi - Principal of Vo Chi Cong High School said that currently there are 233 students with 7 classes studying in classrooms of Tay Giang High School. The dormitory is located next to this school, the district also invested in a kitchen to serve the students.

"Teachers and students hope that the school will be invested in and built safely so that they can return to teaching, creating peace of mind for students," said Mr. Tuoi.

Investment in anti-erosion embankments

Previously, the People's Committee of Quang Nam province decided to approve the adjustment of the investment policy of the Vo Chi Cong school project, the total cost of this third phase is nearly 29 billion VND.

The project will carry out slope leveling, excavation of landslides in 2020, construction of embankments to protect the positive slope, and reinforcement to protect the slope. Thus, compared to the initial investment, this project has now increased in capital to overcome landslides.

Mr. Nguyen Cong Thanh - Deputy Director of Quang Nam Construction Investment Project Management Board said that the board has now submitted a plan to select a contractor to organize a bidding for the anti-erosion embankment project around the school.