Vietnam broke ground on an elementary school on a small island in its Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelago on Sunday, local authorities said.

Officials, parents, and students attended a ceremony to begin the construction of Sinh Ton Elementary School on the Sinh Ton islet, according to Nguyen Viet Thuan, chairman of Truong Sa, which is a district under the administration of central Vietnam’s Khanh Hoa Province.

Estimated to cost more than VND12 billion (US$568,000), the school measures over 300 square meters in area and will have six classrooms, a library, an academic affairs office, a teacher room, a schoolyard, restrooms, a freshwater container, and other facilities upon completion.

It is expected to be put into operation in April next year.

The school is built as part of an initiative under a scholarship fund chaired by former Vice State President Truong My Hoa.

Funding comes from Vietnamese donors, living in Vietnam and other countries, who have contributed cash to support students in Truong Sa.

Currently, a total of nine students are studying at preschool and elementary levels on the Sinh Ton islet, local newswire VnExpress reported.

After finishing elementary school, Sinh Ton students will be sent to the mainland for higher levels, Trinh Cong Ly, chairman of the islet’s government, said.

A similar school, costing VND10 billion (US$480,000), was inaugurated in the archipelago earlier this year.