Teaching and learning adapt to floods

GD&TĐ - Based on the weather situation in recent days, the local education sector has proactively developed plans to both maintain the learning rhythm and ensure safety for students.

Evacuate the game to avoid the flood

According to information from the Department of Education and Training of Tuyen Quang , in the recent flood, 43 schools were affected (1 school had 1 student drowned at home), 42 schools suffered damage to facilities, total damage of about 10.5 billion VND; the number of schools that had to let students stay home was 462, the total number of students staying home was 212,763.

Mr. Vu Khac Lan - Principal of Thuan Hoa Primary Boarding School B (Thuan Hoa Commune, Tuyen Quang) said that from the evening of September 30, when realizing the complicated flood situation, the school decided to send more than 200 boarding students home to avoid the flood. In the early morning of October 1, floodwaters began to rise into the school. Teachers had to evacuate to a hill 500m from the school to ensure safety.

Despite efforts to move equipment and property, the floodwaters rose too quickly, reaching over the roof, so all the furniture was damaged. All textbooks, student notebooks, and library equipment were completely destroyed under a layer of mud; many teachers' records and books were damaged. The classroom walls were stained with dark mud stains...

Due to the influence of storm No. 11, from the night of October 6 to the morning of October 7, Thai Nguyen province experienced heavy and prolonged rain. The heavy rainfall in a short period of time caused serious flooding and power outages in many localities, directly affecting teaching and learning activities at educational institutions in the province.

Heavy rains caused localized flooding in many areas. Many central roads were deeply flooded, the water rose rapidly, causing traffic congestion, and students could not go to school. In this situation, many schools from kindergarten to high school proactively gave students a temporary break. This is to ensure absolute safety for students, teachers and staff.

At Quang Vinh Kindergarten (Quan Trieu Ward, Thai Nguyen ), the rising rainwater flooded the school yard, breaking a section of the fence, causing danger. The school principal, Ms. Trinh Thi Thanh Binh, said: "On the afternoon of October 6, we urgently moved documents, computers, and printers to a safe area. The school also informed students to stay home from school early in the morning to avoid risky situations."

Ms. Le Thi Anh Dao - Vice Principal of Tan Long Primary School (Quan Trieu Ward, Thai Nguyen) informed that the entire first floor was flooded. On the morning of October 7, 518 students were notified to stay home from school. Equipment such as televisions and projectors were dismantled and moved to higher floors, however, a part of the student desks and chairs were flooded and at risk of damage.

Similarly, heavy rains caused the river to rise, completely cutting off the only route into Na Ri Boarding School for Ethnic Minorities (Na Ri Commune, Thai Nguyen). More than 270 students are staying in the school grounds, unable to move outside. Teachers have proactively moved students to higher floors to avoid flooding. Food and necessities were promptly supplied by the local authorities, enough for the day. However, access and further support are difficult due to strong water currents and cut-off access roads.

Quang Vinh Kindergarten (Quan Trieu Ward, Thai Nguyen) is deeply submerged in water. Photo: Phuong Thao

Join hands to overcome the consequences

Up to now, the work of cleaning up the school after the flood at Thuan Hoa Primary Boarding School B (Tuyen Quang) has basically been completed, but the question of when students can return to school cannot be answered. The work of adding teaching equipment that was soaked in water, repairing damaged facilities... has encountered many difficulties due to lack of funding.

Principal Vu Khac Lan said that the school has more than 400 students at the main campus, most of whom eat and sleep at school. Currently, all blankets and school supplies have been damaged due to water damage. Therefore, the teachers' greatest wish at this time is to have school supplies and daily necessities so that the students can go to class with peace of mind.

The school needs to be supplemented with desks, chairs, cabinets, books, teaching equipment, blankets, kitchens, etc. to be able to welcome students back to class. Local authorities, the education sector and functional forces are still urgently supporting the cleanup and overcoming the consequences. However, for the school to be able to operate again, it is very necessary to have the support of organizations, individuals and kind-hearted people near and far.

“We sincerely look forward to the support of the community. Every donation, be it a book, a pen, a table and chair set, a mat, a warm blanket… is a great source of encouragement for teachers and students to continue going to school to maintain the teaching and learning rhythm after the storm and flood,” said Mr. Vu Khac Lan.

In Thai Nguyen, in response to the complicated weather developments, the Department of Education and Training has issued an urgent dispatch, requesting educational institutions across the province to organize 24/7 on-call duty to monitor the situation and proactively update information to staff, teachers and students.

Schools should urgently review their facilities, especially those in remote areas that are at high risk of landslides or flooding. Equipment, records, and machinery should be moved to a dry, safe place. At the same time, units should be ready to implement online teaching if the weather continues to worsen.

The Department of Education and Training also requested schools to coordinate closely with local authorities and be ready to receive people to take shelter from the storm in school grounds if safety conditions are ensured. Floods may continue in the coming days. In that context, the spirit of initiative, flexibility and high responsibility of the entire Thai Nguyen Education sector will continue to be promoted to ensure the safety of students and teachers.

Authorities and local people help Thuan Hoa Primary Boarding School (Tuyen Quang) clean up after the flood receded. Photo: Long Anh

Do not let the learning rhythm be "broken"

According to the directive document of the Hanoi Department of Education and Training dated October 6, to ensure absolute safety for students, teachers and school facilities, school principals and heads of units must base on actual weather developments in the area, conditions of facilities and traffic safety to proactively decide on appropriate teaching and learning methods; ensuring absolute safety for students, staff, teachers and employees.

Located in Son Dong commune (Hanoi), Van Canh Secondary School has issued a notice since 6am on October 7 requesting teachers and students to continue teaching and learning online until there is new information based on the actual weather situation every morning. More than 1km from the school is the Cau Nga area (near the Coast Guard Command) intersecting with Thang Long Avenue, which was deeply flooded due to heavy rain last night.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Kim Dung - Principal of the school emphasized that the school yard was not flooded and had good drainage, however, the residential area around the school was flooded due to slow drainage due to heavy rain from night to morning. Many teachers who live far from the school were also flooded when traveling, switching to online learning is the optimal solution in the flood situation.

Emphasizing the safety factor, Ms. Van Thuy Duong - Vice Principal of Luong The Vinh Secondary and High School (Yen Hoa campus, Hanoi) said that the school continues to let students study online. Homeroom teachers recommend that students and parents should not go out unless absolutely necessary, especially in deeply flooded areas.

“On the morning of October 7, the electricity agency went to the Tu Mo - Pham Hung intersection to check because this area was flooded, suspected of having an electric leak that caused some people passing by to have numb limbs. This is clearly a safety risk. Therefore, the school will maintain online teaching according to the schedule in classes to ensure safety as well as the curriculum,” said Ms. Van Thuy Duong.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Van Hong - Principal of Chuong Duong Secondary School (Hong Ha Ward, Hanoi) said that due to the heavy rain on the morning of October 7, many streets were flooded, making it difficult to travel. The school sent a notice to all staff, teachers, employees and students of the school to stay home to ensure safety. The school will arrange a make-up class schedule for students at an appropriate time.

“In the school year, there is always a reasonable time frame so that the school can flexibly use it for activities if there is an unexpected situation. Online teaching is also not a bad solution when facing extreme weather, but in my opinion, letting students take time off and study at home so that teachers can arrange to make up for it in class will be more effective,” said Ms. Nguyen Thi Van Hong.

Source: https://giaoducthoidai.vn/day-hoc-thich-ung-voi-mua-lu-post751597.html