Half a Century of "Sowing Knowledge, Reaping the Future"

Since that milestone, generations of teachers and students at Pleiku High School have tirelessly “sown knowledge, reaped the future,” together building a proud tradition over the past half-century.

Beginnings from a historic autumn

In June 1975, as the nation celebrated reunification, the first decisions to restore and rebuild the education sector in southern Vietnam were put into action. Following directives from the Party Central Committee Secretariat, the Gia Lai - Kon Tum Department of Education began reorganizing the school network, separating upper secondary (grade 10-12) from lower secondary (grade 6-9).

Amid this steady, persistent progress, Pleiku Upper Secondary School (the predecessor of Pleiku High School) gradually took shape, marking a new beginning from that historic autumn exactly half a century ago.

In September of the same year, the school was officially established, taking over the facilities of Minh Đức Private Secondary School at 44 Lê Lợi Street, in the heart of Pleiku town.

In its early days, the school had only 34 staff members, including teachers and employees; the principal was also the sole member of the school's management board.

In the first academic year after liberation (1975-1976), the school had 22 classes with 1,020 students, along with three supplementary education classes.

At that time, students came from various lower secondary schools in Pleiku, such as Minh Đức, Bồ Đề, Plei Me, and Phạm Hồng Thái. Every day, they carried their books to school, full of dreams and ambitions, despite the many hardships of their learning environment.

Distinguished Teacher Trần Vẽ, former Secretary of the Pleiku High School Council and Head of the Geography Department, was among the school's first cohort of students. Fifty years have passed, yet the image of the old classrooms and the school itself remains vivid in the memory of this alumnus, now with graying hair.

Mr. Vẽ recalls: After liberation, the school's facilities, which had been inherited, saw little to no further investment. Teaching equipment was severely lacking, especially textbooks. Students had to share the few textbooks available in the library, painstakingly copying them into their notebooks to study gradually.

"Despite the difficulties, our enthusiasm for learning was immense. The teachers were also incredibly dedicated, sharing both the joys and hardships with their students," Mr. Vẽ shared.

As Pleiku developed, the scale of the school continued to expand. In the 1980-1981 academic year, the provincial People's Committee decided to establish Pleiku Upper Secondary School No. 2 by splitting it from the original school.

From then on, Pleiku town had two upper secondary schools: Pleiku Upper Secondary School No. 1 and No. 2. By the 1990-1991 academic year, the two schools were merged again under the unified name Pleiku Upper Secondary School.

As an alumnus from 1981-1984, Mr. Nguyễn Đình Trung—former Principal of Pleiku High School (2018-2024)—reminisces with emotion about his school days.

Mr. Trung recalls: "Back then, Gia Lai - Kon Tum was the second largest province in the country, yet there were only four upper secondary schools, located in Pleiku, Kon Tum, An Khê, and Ayun Pa. I came from Chư Prông, carrying my clothes and books to the city to study.

For students from rural districts like us, attending upper secondary school was no easy feat. So, no matter how tough it was, I always tried my best to overcome the challenges. To this day, I still remember every seat, every teacher's voice in those small but warm classrooms.

Every word of guidance and encouragement from our teachers was a great motivation, inspiring us to strive for academic success and personal growth," Mr. Trung expressed.

Sharing similar sentiments, Distinguished Physician Nguyễn Văn Vinh (58), former Deputy Director of Military-Civilian Hospital 16, reminisced: "From Hà Tam (An Khê), I passed the entrance exam and attended Pleiku Upper Secondary School No. 1 from 1982-1985. At that time, students from rural schools had not been exposed to English, so it became a real challenge for me at the school.

Undeterred, I sought out Ms. Giáng Hương, the English teacher, and asked her for extra tutoring. I attended regular classes during the day and diligently learned new vocabulary at night. Gradually, from knowing no English, I managed to pass the exams through sheer determination."

His three years at the school left Mr. Vinh with many fond memories. There, he found dedicated teachers and friends who were always willing to share difficulties and support each other in their studies.

For him, the old school not only provided knowledge but also taught him resilience and the belief that, regardless of one's starting point, as long as you don't give up, the road ahead will always be open.

50 Years of nurturing knowledge and character

Entering a new era as Pleiku was upgraded from a town to a city, local education faced greater opportunities and higher demands. Recognizing the school's growth, the Gia Lai Provincial People's Committee decided to relocate Pleiku Upper Secondary School from 44 Lê Lợi to a new campus at 90 Tô Vĩnh Diện (now 163 Tô Vĩnh Diện, Pleiku Ward), starting from the 2001-2002 academic year.

The new school was built to modern standards, with 30 classrooms and specialized rooms, situated on a 3.2-hectare site, meeting both teaching requirements and the national standards for upper secondary schools at the time.

Building on this foundation and the efforts of teachers and students, by 2013, Pleiku Upper Secondary School became the first in the province to achieve national standards for high schools.

From the 2015-2016 academic year, the school was officially renamed Pleiku High School and has maintained this name ever since. Its facilities have continued to be upgraded to meet the demands of teaching and learning in the new era.

According to Ms. Nguyễn Thị Đông Hải, Party Cell Secretary and Principal of Pleiku High School, all classrooms are now equipped with cameras; each room has a 55-65 inch TV with internet connectivity to support teaching and learning. The school has seven subject-specific classrooms, a multi-purpose hall, an administrative building, a library, a tradition room, online learning/conference rooms, playgrounds, and sports fields.

The school's scale, staff, and student body have also grown steadily. Currently, the school has 101 administrators, teachers, and staff—all meeting or exceeding professional standards. In the 2025-2026 academic year, the school will have 44 classes with 2,079 students.

"Over 50 years of development, Pleiku High School has achieved many accomplishments in education. The school is also a model in the ' Good Teaching - Good Learning' movement; it has been awarded the First, Second, and Third Class Labor Orders by the State, along with many other prestigious honors," Ms. Hải shared.

In addition to improving overall education quality, Pleiku High School has also excelled in nurturing gifted students. The school consistently ranks among the top high schools in the province for graduation exam results (in the 2024-2025 academic year, it achieved a 100% graduation rate, with 107 students scoring 9-10 points).

In some years, the school has led the province in training excellent students; many have become valedictorians and gone on to study at top universities nationwide.

With the trend of educational innovation and rapid technological development, the school actively fosters academic competitions, scientific research, and creativity among students.

Recently, the school's students won third prize at the 7th "Students with Startup Ideas" competition in 2025 with the OKRA Central Highlands project, "Pleiku Youth—Igniting Creativity."

This project researched and developed products from okra—a local plant with significant potential in the Central Highlands region.

Trần Minh Khuê (class 12D2), a member of the award-winning team, shared: "My friends and I are very happy and proud to contribute to the school's achievements, especially on the occasion of its 50th anniversary.

This special milestone also reminds today's students of our responsibility to study and train hard to live up to the school's proud tradition."

Sharing this excitement, Mr. Nguyễn Quang Phú—Secretary of the School Council and Deputy Head of the Mathematics Department—said: "I am proud to be an alumnus and now a member of the Pleiku High School family.

As we enter a new chapter, my colleagues and I will strive even harder to build a progressive, humane, and creative educational environment, inspiring every student with a spirit of self-learning, a desire to live beautifully, and dreams for the future."

Reflecting on the school's proud journey, Principal Nguyễn Thị Đông Hải noted: The traditional values that define Pleiku High School are a love of learning, respect for teachers, gratitude for the past, solidarity, discipline, compassion, resilience, dynamism, creativity, and tireless dedication.

Thanks to these values, over 50 years of development, the school has become one of the province's most reputable educational institutions, making significant contributions to training high-quality human resources locally.

Entering the "era of Vietnam's rise," education continues to play a pivotal role in the nation's sustainable development. Building on its affirmed values, the school continues to innovate teaching methods to develop students' competencies, promote IT application, personalize learning programs, and gradually adopt advanced and international educational models.

"With a broad vision, Pleiku High School aims to train well-rounded students: ethical, knowledgeable, and resilient; proficient in foreign languages and IT, ready for international integration; responsible, compassionate, and committed to community service. These qualities will equip our students to become confident, ambitious global citizens," Ms. Hải affirmed.

Looking back over 50 years, Pleiku High School has not only grown alongside the transformation of Gia Lai but has also established itself through a tradition of academic excellence, unity, and creativity—instilling pride in every generation associated with its name.