More than 50 students and teachers died from storm number 3

The Ministry of Education and Training (MOET) has just reported information on the damage caused by storm No. 3 and its circulation to the education sector.

The Ministry of Education and Training said that storm No. 3 (Yagi) and its circulation caused serious damage to people and property in many northern mountainous provinces and the Red River Delta, and the education sector also suffered very heavy damage.

According to reports from localities, many teachers and students died and went missing; many school buildings collapsed, toppled, and had their roofs blown off; teaching equipment, desks, chairs, and books were swept away and severely damaged.

Severe damage caused by storms and storm circulation

According to reports from localities, up to now, 52 students and children have died, 3 students are missing, 8 students are injured; 3 teachers have died, 1 teacher is missing.

Specifically, the students and children who died include the following provinces: Cao Bang (6 students); Lao Cai (35 students, including 1 from Van Ban district; 2 from Simacai district; 24 from Bao Yen district; 3 from Bat Xat district; 5 from Bac Ha district; Yen Bai (9 students, including 2 from Luc Yen district, 1 from Van Chan district, 1 from Van Yen district, 4 from Yen Bai city, 1 from Hoang Van Thu high school); Thai Nguyen (2 children).

Students and children missing in Lao Cai (1 5th grade student from Ngai Thau Primary and Secondary School for Ethnic Minorities missing due to landslide at home; 2 children from A Lu Kindergarten missing and unable to be contacted due to landslide).

The injured students are from the following provinces: Quang Ninh (1 student at Suoi Khoang Secondary School - Cam Pha); Cao Bang (1 second grade student in Lung Ly, Ca Thanh); Lao Cai (6 students from Phuc Khanh commune were injured and are being treated at Bao Yen District General Hospital).

Teachers who died and went missing include the following provinces: Cao Bang (1 male teacher died and 1 female teacher went missing); Yen Bai (2 teachers died due to landslides).

The storm and its circulation also caused a lot of damage to facilities and teaching equipment. Due to heavy rain and strong winds, many educational facilities in the provinces and cities in the mountainous regions of the North and the Northeast (including Hai Phong, Quang Ninh, Hanoi, Bac Giang, Lao Cai, Yen Bai, Tuyen Quang, Thai Nguyen, Lang Son, Cao Bang, Hai Duong) were deeply flooded, classrooms had their roofs blown off, many buildings collapsed, and had broken glass; teaching equipment and students' school supplies were washed away and damaged by water.

The Ministry of Education and Training has directed localities to continue to urgently focus on reviewing, assessing the damage, and synthesizing reports to propose competent authorities to support funding to overcome the consequences. Currently, localities are in the process of making detailed statistics on the damage to classrooms and teaching equipment.

According to initial reports, many schools were deeply flooded, many computers, classroom equipment, and student desks and chairs were severely damaged, making them difficult to repair. In many provinces/cities, students' textbooks were washed away or damaged, making them unusable.

According to the latest statistics, in Yen Bai province alone, nearly 20,000 students lost or damaged textbooks, and the cost to buy textbooks is estimated at over 9 billion VND.

99 schools/school locations in 6 provinces are still unable to teach.

Regarding preparations for students to return to school, the Ministry of Education and Training said that according to reports from 23/27 provinces and cities, water is gradually receding and educational institutions are mobilizing all management staff, teachers, parents, military forces, and local police to clean, disinfect, and sanitize schools to resume teaching on Monday, September 16.

However, there are still 99 schools/school locations in 6 provinces that cannot teach because the water has not completely receded, including: Lao Cai (83 schools/school locations), Cao Bang (1 school), Bac Kan (3 schools), Tuyen Quang (1 school), Yen Bai (3 schools), Bac Giang (8 schools).

On September 11, the Ministry of Education and Training and the Vietnam Education Trade Union launched a campaign for the education sector to support people affected by storm No. 3. Initial results included receiving more than 8 billion VND in cash and 3.5 billion VND in kind (school supplies, notebooks).

On September 13, the Ministry of Education and Training also held a meeting with the United Nations Children's Fund in Vietnam and other international organizations. The organizations also pledged to mobilize support for the education sector with a minimum of 4.05 million USD to support food, drinks, textbooks, and school supplies for students.

On September 14-15, the Ministry of Education and Training organized 3 working groups led by the Ministry's leaders to inspect the work of overcoming consequences and giving gifts from mobilized funding to the provinces: Lao Cai, Yen Bai, Thai Nguyen, Tuyen Quang, Cao Bang, Lang Son.

Following the direction of the Ministry of Education and Training, publishers have actively supported students in flood-affected areas: donating 2,000 sets of books; mobilizing 12.5 million copies of books in stock; proposing to print 10 million additional copies; donating 719 million VND to the Vietnam Education Trade Union; mobilizing contributions from salaries to the Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee of 124 million VND.

Up to now, the Ministry of Education and Training and the Vietnam Education Trade Union continue to call for and mobilize funding to support students.

Regarding solutions to overcome the consequences and support the sector, the Ministry of Education and Training directed publishers to prepare textbook supplies for localities affected by the storm, ensuring that learning is not interrupted. At the same time, it called for support from publishers, organizations and individuals to sponsor textbooks for students.

The Ministry of Education and Training also requested the Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee to prioritize funding for the education sector when allocating donations to promptly repair and restore damaged structures, purchase equipment and supplies for students, and contribute to ensuring learning conditions for them to return to school soon. At the same time, strengthen conditions to ensure the quality of education in localities damaged by storms.