Speaking at a Sunday online meeting with representatives from provinces and cities and concerned ministries chaired by PM Pham Minh Chinh on addressing Typhoon Yagi's aftermath, Minister of Education and Training Nguyen Kim Son noted that the education sector suffered big losses.
At least seventeen schools in Lao Cai and Yen Bai Province were completely ruined by landslides and flash floods and would need to be rebuilt," Son said. "Another 99 others were also badly damaged and would remain closed on September 16 for repairs."
The education minister asked for financial support from the state budget to build makeshift schools while waiting for funds to reconstruct the 17 affected school projects.
At the meeting, PM Chinh asked for an inspection of all schools that need repairs and ensure that all students can return to classes by the end of September.
The PM also asked concerned ministries to waive and reduce tuition fees for affected students.
On September 14-15, the Ministry of Education and Training sent teams to the most affected localities of Lao Cai, Yen Bai, Cao Bang, Thai Nguyen, Tuyen Quang, and Lang Son to inspect the facilities to plan for reopening.
Statistics from localities show that as of 6 am on September 16, heavy rains and floods, landslides triggered by super Typhoon Yagi, one of the strongest to hit Vietnam in decades, had left 281 dead and 67 missing, and 1,921 injured. Nearly 232,000 houses were damaged. Many shops, offices, and schools were unroofed and damaged.