"Sowing the seeds of knowledge" in the Western region of Nghe An

On the towering mountains in the western part of Nghe An , many teachers have devoted their youth to bringing letters to ethnic minority areas. Overcoming many hardships and difficulties, teachers are still lighting up the dreams and ambitions of poor students with the belief that letters will dispel hunger, poverty and backwardness in the remote border areas.

Lesson 1: Warmth of teacher-student relationship in the highlands

"Many children come to boarding school but do not know how to take care of themselves. At night, they still cry and want to go home. After the first day of school, with 3rd grade students, teachers have to do "3 together" (eat together, live together and study together) with the students", teacher Nguyen Thi Hien - Luong Minh Primary Boarding School, Tuong Duong district (Nghe An) - shared...

At 6:30 a.m. on September 8, hot sandwiches were placed on the dining tables by teachers and kitchen staff. Following the school's command, hundreds of students from the boarding house lined up in the dining tables, took their places, and said in unison: "We invite teachers to eat sandwiches, we invite our friends to eat sandwiches."

After only 2 days of opening, although the school was still in disarray due to the new construction, Luong Minh Primary Boarding School for Ethnic Minorities immediately organized meals for the students. The students were all very excited and enjoyed the first breakfast of the new school year with enough nutrients in a delicious way.

A nutritious meal for students of Luong Minh Primary Boarding School

On the afternoon of September 17, the school organized the Mid-Autumn Festival for all students in the school. Although there was no lion dance, no performances, no music festival this year, the students still felt the warmth, happiness and most of all, shared the pain and loss with the northern provinces that had just suffered heavy damage from storm No. 3.

This is a particularly difficult school with the majority of students being from the Khmu and Thai ethnic groups. Luong Minh Primary Boarding School was newly established in 2023 on the basis of a school in Minh Thanh village, Luong Minh commune, so the facilities are still very poor. The current classrooms are renovated from a wooden house that was previously the teacher's residence.

"Although the school still has many difficulties, we always try not only to bring knowledge to the students but also to help them firmly on the path of learning. Most of the students at the school come from difficult circumstances, from poor or near-poor families. From grade 3, they have to leave their parents to live in the boarding area. They are too young, and the conditions are difficult, so from a young age they have not been properly guided by their parents. Many students when they come to study at the boarding school do not even know personal hygiene," Ms. Nguyen Thi Hien - in charge of the boarding area of ​​Luong Minh Primary Boarding School for Ethnic Minorities - confided.

Teachers diligently "sow knowledge" to students in mountainous areas

Ms. Hien has worked for 13 years in Luong Minh commune, the poorest area in Tuong Duong district. "As an IT teacher, I have to teach at all the schools. In the past, the road to the villages was a dirt road, and during the rainy season, you could only walk 4-5km to get to the remote school," Ms. Hien said.

Although in recent years, the transport infrastructure in Luong Minh has been significantly invested, but currently the two villages of Ca Moong and Xop Chao are still like oases. Students in these two villages have to go through 3 stages to get to school. First, they walk from the village to the hydroelectric reservoir, then take a boat for nearly 1 hour on the reservoir and finally "tang bo" by motorbike for another 20km to get to school.

According to Ms. Hien, the biggest consolation for those who "sow letters" in this difficult land is that in recent years, families have realized the importance of going to school. Although life is still very difficult, families still create conditions for their children to go to school. Of course, to ensure that children's education is not interrupted, we cannot fail to mention the dedication of teachers as well as local authorities, especially the State's attention to education in difficult areas.

Young students in Luong Minh have to leave their village and go to the boarding school when they are very young.

"3 together" with students

Luong Minh Primary Boarding School currently has 522 students, of which more than 300 have to stay at boarding schools, concentrated mainly in Ca Moong, Xop Chao and Cham Puong villages. These are also particularly difficult villages. Ca Moong has 166 Khmu households. Due to the remote location, there is almost no land for production, the life of the people here is extremely difficult. Most of the households in the village are poor (125 households) and near-poor.

Cham Puong village, although only about 10 km from Luong Minh Primary Boarding School, is also a very poor village. The whole village has 190 households (186 Khmu households, 4 Thai households) but has more than 1,000 people, of which 143 are poor households, 34 are near-poor households and only 12 have escaped poverty.

Because of poverty, in the past, it was a difficult journey for local authorities and teachers to persuade families to send their children to school. Because young families lived far from school, they did not have the means and conditions to send their children to school. Because of poverty, families also did not have money to buy clothes for their children even though the State had fully sponsored their children's food, accommodation, and education. However, with great determination, Ms. Hien and her colleagues succeeded.

Mr. Nguyen Van Thanh - Principal of Luong Minh Primary Boarding School for Ethnic Minorities - gives gifts to students on the occasion of Mid-Autumn Festival

Getting the children to go to school is a miracle, but keeping them there is equally difficult. Ms. Hien said that many students come to the boarding school with only the clothes on their backs and no other personal belongings. The school is still facing many difficulties, teachers' salaries are also low, but teachers still have to manage to provide for the children from toothbrushes to towels.

The most difficult thing is for the third grade students. According to the new regulations, the school currently only has first and second graders. Students from third grade must go to Luong Minh Primary Boarding School in Minh Tien village to stay in boarding school. However, they are still too young to live independently. Ms. Hien and her colleagues have to teach them the most basic things like how to brush their teeth and how to fold clothes.

"Every year after the opening ceremony, we have to "do 3 together" with the third graders. We have to eat together, study together, and many nights we have to sleep with them. Many children have just left their parents, and when night falls, they cry and want to go home. I have to be there to encourage them, treat them like my own children, and gradually they will stabilize their psychology," Ms. Hien shared.

(To be continued)

Source: https://phunuvietnam.vn/geo-mam-tri-thuc-noi-mien-tay-xu-nghe-20240919230919897.htm