When the shell trips "rest"

This year, as scheduled, we were busy contacting the local authorities to work. Each journalist had his or her own “connection”, wishing to exploit the topic in an old yet new direction. In the pouring rain, on the rising water, the militiamen’s green shirts urgently put on orange life jackets for each student; the “vessel bus” that took them back and forth several times a day in the reassuring eyes of parents… was enough to create beautiful, very real-life images and press stories. But then, some of my colleagues said dejectedly: “The topic is broken, this year we will no longer take students to and from the flood season!”, accompanied by a sigh of regret.

I also quietly crossed out this topic in my notebook. But then, I asked myself: "This is a happy story, why should I regret it?". As I thought, Mr. Le Hoang Phong, residing in Vinh Hoa hamlet, An Phu commune, said that the children's schooling this year was extremely special, in a very positive way. His house is deep in Ca Hang mountain of the old Vinh Hoi Dong commune, not far from the road, but the travel was quite difficult, having to take a ferry several times to get to the commune's administrative center.

School trips to flood-affected areas are now just beautiful memories. Photo: GIA KHÁNH

In the past, during Mr. Phong's time, if they wanted to go to school, their parents would take them by boat, crossing the flood and the fields to get to class. But not every family had the patience to accompany their children through the flood season for several months, so the children around were reluctant to go to school and gradually dropped out. For decades, the model of taking children to school in flooded areas has been implemented by An Phu district (before the merger), with the core being officers and soldiers of the commune-level military command. Mr. Phong's eldest daughter, Le Nguyen Phuong Quynh, went to primary school every day thanks to the boat trips that took her home.

“When my children were in high school, they rode their bicycles across the ferry. My youngest child, Le Nguyen Dang Khoa, entered first grade. I planned to take him to and from school every day. But when I saw his friends being taken to and from school by boat, with some militiamen taking care of them, Khoa liked it very much and asked to join them for fun. So my children went to school this way for 3 years. This year, a concrete rural road connecting to Ca Hang mountain was built, 4m wide and 1km long. My family contributed a little bit, and together with the State, completed the road. The roads are clear, the children no longer have to go to school by the water, and their parents feel more secure,” said Mr. Phong.

A few years ago, the Board of Directors of Vinh Hoi Dong Primary School B, Vinh Hoi Dong Commune (now An Phu Commune) kept watching the water level. The higher the water level rose, the more difficult it was for half of the school's students to get to school, relying entirely on the army's pick-up and drop-off trips. But that was a thing of the past, and now the children can go to school "healthily". Mr. Ha Minh Phuong - Principal of the school said: "When the rural road connecting Vinh An and Vinh Hoa hamlets was cleared, students could ride their motorbikes to school, without having to cross the river anymore. We felt much more relieved. However, in flag-salute and extracurricular activities, teachers still remind students to ensure safety during the rainy season and traffic safety."

In addition to performing regular tasks, during the flood season, officers and soldiers of the commune-level military command in the upstream area have an additional heavy responsibility - taking students to find knowledge. Even when the COVID-19 epidemic is complicated, that work is still prioritized. Now, there are no pick-up trips. Comrade Nguyen Phuoc Luan - Commander of the Military Command of An Phu commune said: "In response to the urgent needs of people in low-lying areas, every time the flood season comes, life faces many difficulties, the sub-project "Enhancing the capacity to adapt and manage water sustainably for the upper Mekong River", under the project "Integrated climate resilience and sustainable livelihoods in the Mekong Delta" (WB9) has been deployed and completed. Therefore, the daily life and education of children are more convenient. No longer picking up and dropping off students during the flood season, we consider that journey a very beautiful memory, deeply connecting the military-civilian relationship".

In other neighboring communes, the excitement spread. Ms. Nguyen Thi Hong - Principal of Vinh Hau A Primary School, Vinh Hau Commune informed that every year, about 80 students of the school living in Vinh Ngu Hamlet are separated by floodwaters. This year, they were "sent" to Tan An Primary School. Although the number of students at Vinh Hau B Primary School has decreased (only 6 classes, with 140 students), in return, the distance from home to school for the students is more convenient and safer; they can study at the main school, which is spacious, and have access to a better educational environment. In the future, it will be more convenient for students to study at Tan An Secondary School, without having to travel 5km to Vinh Hau Secondary School," Ms. Hong shared.

Life is a series of days of continuous movement, with new things always appearing and replacing. We arrange the photos of students being picked up and dropped off in the flood zone into the “no longer relevant” archive area, sharing new joys with the flood-prone areas of the past. A humane model is stopped, the boat trip is “rested”. They end their historic mission, to welcome progress - the result of efforts to improve infrastructure and care for education in disadvantaged areas.

GIA KHANH

Source: https://baoangiang.com.vn/khi-nhung-chuyen-vo-lai-nghi-ngoi--a462135.html