According to the Ninh Binh Department of Education and Training, days of heavy rainfall have caused river levels to rise sharply, leading to widespread flooding and temporary isolation in several localities across the province.
Gia Vien Primary School in Ninh Binh Province is submerged in deep floodwater (Photo: Thanh Binh).
A total of 144 schools have either suspended in-person classes or moved to online teaching, affecting more than 16,300 students.
At Kenh Ga Kindergarten in Gia Vien Commune, floodwaters have inundated the school grounds and first-floor classrooms. In some areas, water levels are so high that travel is only possible by boat.
A school in Gia Vien Commune is flooded, leaving pupils unable to attend classes (Photo: Thanh Binh).
Gia Vien Primary School has also been affected, with floodwater entering classrooms and reaching depths of around 20cm in some locations. About 250 pupils have been temporarily withdrawn from face-to-face lessons and moved to online learning because travel and study conditions are no longer considered safe.
A total of 327 pupils and kindergarten children in schools across Gia Vien Commune have been affected by the flooding and forced to stay away from classrooms.
Nguyen Thi Ha, headteacher of Gia Vien Primary School, said 10 teachers had organised online classes for affected pupils. Students continue to follow their full timetable, attending lessons twice a day in line with the school's academic plan.
More than 900 pupils at Phu Son Primary School have also been temporarily excused from attending classes while floodwater remains on the campus.
Floodwater nearly 1 metre deep has inundated Phu Son Primary School (Photo: Thanh Binh).
Dinh Quoc Man, headteacher of Phu Son Primary School, said the school would develop a catch-up teaching plan to ensure students remain on schedule and educational standards are maintained once normal conditions return.
The Ninh Binh Department of Education and Training has instructed schools to closely monitor weather conditions and river water levels, while regularly updating forecasts and warnings to enable a timely response.
The department stressed that schools in flood-prone and isolated areas must not allow students, teachers or staff to travel through dangerous locations with deep or fast-flowing water.
It also said students would only be permitted to return to school when conditions are confirmed to be safe.