A number of schools in Nghi Xuan District, one of the poorest districts of Thanh Hoa Province, have been left abandoned after being used for just a few years.
New tables left unused in Nghi Xuan District
The schools were built under the government’s Programme 135 and foreign-funded projects. Binh Luong Commune, just some kilometres from the district centre, has three schools which were put into use between 2004 and 2005 that now sit empty and quiet.
Among those, the kindergarten in Luon Village cost VND200 million (USD9,520), including VND45 million from a Canadian-funded project, with the rest coming from contributions by local people.
This kindergarten has since been turned into a cultural house for the village. Meanwhile, the two primary schools now serve as a warehouse and a guesthouse.
Some residents said that at one point the primary school in Luon Village was even covered with wild grass; a place for cows to graze and hearses to park.
Schools used as a store
Dinh Tan Tuan, Chairman of Binh Luong Commune People’s Committee, admitted the schools had been left idle. He blamed the situation on a failure of the schools to enroll enough students. After the closures, the schools were left to the communes for management, but no official documentation of the handover was issued.
Le Nhan Tri, Deputy Director of Nhu Xuan District’s Department of Education and Training, asserts that the transfers were certified by a document on asset guarantees, but when asked about this, he refused to produce it.
According to Tri, some other local communes are in the same situation. He promised to provide the reporter with a specific figure about the number of the unused schools, but two days later he would not receive the reporter’s call.
Đăng ký: VietNam News
