The Ministry of Education and Training (MOET) has submitted a report to the Prime Minister detailing damage from recent flooding in the South Central and Central Highlands provinces, and outlined immediate support measures.

According to MOET, the floods have inflicted severe damage on the education sector. Reports from local authorities confirm that four students have died - three in Dak Lak and one in Lam Dong. No casualties were reported in Gia Lai, Khanh Hoa, or Quang Ngai.

2,000 schools affected, nearly $4 million in damages

As of midday on November 24, flooding and landslides had damaged school fences, teaching equipment, retaining walls, parking structures, water systems, and trees. Estimated losses across five provinces amount to more than 97.5 billion VND (approximately USD 3.9 million), with Dak Lak suffering over USD 1.15 million, Gia Lai USD 900,000, Khanh Hoa over USD 1.3 million, Lam Dong USD 370,000, and Quang Ngai USD 170,000.

Many areas remain isolated and waterlogged, delaying the full assessment of damage.

Textbook and school supply losses are also significant. Quang Ngai reported over 38,810 lost textbook sets; Dak Lak, 6,340 sets; Gia Lai, 448,202 damaged books and 6,425 learning toolkits; Lam Dong, 334 textbook sets, 405 toolkits, and 550 notebooks. Khanh Hoa is still conducting a full inventory.

Almost 2,000 schools forced to close

Flooding has disrupted schooling across 1,942 institutions. As of November 24, 360 schools remained closed - 290 in Dak Lak and 70 in Khanh Hoa. Other provinces have resumed classes.

In response, MOET has instructed local education departments to urgently assess infrastructure damage and request emergency funds from provincial governments, prioritizing central support to repair facilities and replace equipment so that students can return to school as soon as possible.

Free textbooks and national mobilization

To ensure all students have access to learning materials, MOET will distribute textbooks free of charge to students in flooded areas. The Vietnam Education Publishing House has already prepared 10 million copies for this purpose. Distribution in Dak Lak is nearly complete, with other provinces - Gia Lai, Khanh Hoa, Quang Ngai, and Lam Dong - next in line.

MOET has also called on police, military, militia forces, and local communities to assist with school cleanup as soon as water levels recede.

A nationwide fundraising campaign among civil servants and staff within MOET and its affiliated institutions has been launched. Each affected province will receive VND 300 million (approx. USD 12,200), totaling VND 1.5 billion (approx. USD 61,000). Families of deceased students will be provided VND 5 million (approx. USD 200) each.

Throughout and after the storm, MOET has maintained direct communication with local departments via Zalo groups, enabling real-time updates and coordination with international organizations, including UNICEF Vietnam.

Thanh Hung