Don't miss the opening bell

GD&TĐ - These days, all over the country, preparations for the new school year are taking place urgently.

Teachers not only encourage students to go to school, organize review sessions, create a strong mindset... but also race against time to overcome the consequences of natural disasters on schools and classes. All efforts of teachers and the community ensure that the opening bell rings on time, and students go to school with complete joy.

Chaos after natural disasters

In the first days of September, as the opening bell is approaching, many schools in Thanh Hoa, Nghe An, and Ha Tinh still bear the scars of storms and floods. However, teachers and students in the flooded areas are trying their best every day to prepare for the new school year.

In Thanh Hoa , the border commune of Tam Thanh - one of the localities that suffered heavy damage after storm No. 5 (Kajiki). The Cha Lung hamlet campus of Tam Thanh Primary School suffered landslides, many desks, chairs and teaching equipment were severely damaged. Principal Do Xuan Son shared: "The school still faces many difficulties, we hope to receive attention and support so that teachers and students can feel secure entering the new school year."

Right next door, Tam Thanh Kindergarten was also severely affected. However, thanks to the support of local authorities, functional forces, and teachers' unions, the work of clearing rocks, dirt, and mud from classrooms was completed. These days, the school board joined hands with teachers to redecorate classrooms to welcome children back to school in a safe and joyful atmosphere.

In Nghe An , when floodwaters from the Nam Non River flooded into Xa Luong Secondary School (Tuong Duong Commune), they submerged two rows of grade 4 classrooms. The plywood tables and chairs cracked after being soaked in water, and the IT room lost all its computers.

On September 3, the school received 155 new sets of student desks and chairs mobilized by the Department of Education and Training to support flood recovery. The concern about desks and chairs for students was relieved.

Although the classrooms still had stains left on the walls by floodwaters, the desks and chairs were neatly arranged, the school yard was clean and tidy, ready for the opening day. In addition, the benefactors also donated 3 computers, more than 200 sets of textbooks, notebooks, and pens so that students could go to class with peace of mind.

In Ha Tinh, Son Loc Secondary School (Xuan Loc Commune) - a unit suffered heavy damage due to storm Kajiki. The entire level 4 building with 11 subject and functional classrooms had its roof blown off, collapsed, and the ceiling collapsed. All medical equipment and the library were severely damaged. After the flood, the school was littered with materials.

Mr. Hoang The Anh - Principal said that in recent days, the school and local forces have made repairs to be ready for the opening ceremony. "Up to now, the school is basically clean, ready for the opening ceremony. For the severely damaged items, we will continue to mobilize resources to repair them, ensuring good teaching and learning", the school Principal informed.

Teachers at Nguyen Binh Khiem Secondary School for Ethnic Minority Boarding Students clean the classroom to prepare to welcome students back to school.

The government and the education sector are focusing their efforts

After the storm, the Education sector and local authorities quickly took action, both to ensure safety and to ensure conditions for students to make it to the opening day of school.

According to statistics from the Thanh Hoa Department of Education and Training, storm No. 5 caused damage to 46 schools, of which 15 were flooded, many had roofs blown off, fences collapsed, tables, chairs, and equipment damaged. The total damage was nearly 1 billion VND. Unfortunately, 2 students died due to floods.

Faced with the above situation, the Department of Education and Training has issued many urgent directives, requiring its affiliated units to proactively respond and ensure the safety of teachers and students. At the same time, the entire sector mobilized cadres, teachers, and employees to coordinate with armed forces and people to actively overcome the consequences, clean up schools, dredge mud, spray disinfectants, and repair damaged facilities.

In addition, schools conduct damage statistics and review students' learning conditions to provide timely support. Students in difficult circumstances and affected by natural disasters are mobilized by schools to support with books, school supplies, clothes, etc., so that no student is unable to go to school due to lack of resources.

First grade students at Nguyen Ba Ngoc Primary School (Tra My Commune, Da Nang City) are being taught by a teacher to "prevent shock" before entering the new school year.

The Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee also directed departments and branches to coordinate to overcome, allocate funds, ensure traffic, and support students to get to school safely.

In Nghe An, not only Tuong Duong but also many communes such as Hung Nguyen were heavily affected by storm Kajiki. After the storm, schools proactively cleaned up, the government supported pruning fallen trees, removing roofs, and repairing urgent items. The Department of Education and Training said that despite being hit by two consecutive storms, Wipha and Kajiki, most schools have now basically recovered, ensuring conditions for the simultaneous opening of classes on September 5.

In Ha Tinh, after storms No. 5 and No. 6, the whole province had 286 educational establishments affected, with damages of nearly 136 billion VND. The Education Department has urgently directed schools to review facilities, equipment, textbooks, and report to have timely support plans.

Mr. Nguyen Hong Cuong - Deputy Director of the Department of Education and Training emphasized: "No student will have to miss school right at the beginning of the new school year due to lack of books and supplies." Police, military and mass organizations were also mobilized to help schools clean up and repair in time for the opening day.

Students review their lessons before entering the new school year.

Overcoming difficulties and doing good preparation work

Although still in disarray after the natural disaster, from Thanh Hoa to Nghe An and Ha Tinh, the spirit of preparing for the new school year is spreading strongly.

By September 3, most schools in Thanh Hoa had completed their preparations. Eight schools in Bat Mot and Yen Nhan communes continued to recover from the floods, determined not to let students miss the opening day of school. The government, organizations, businesses, and philanthropists all joined hands to support students in disadvantaged areas.

Despite the busy schedule, Xa Luong Secondary School (Nghe An) was able to return to school on August 28 and organize boarding for students from remote areas. Ms. Nguyen Thi Kim Dung - Principal of Xa Luong Secondary School said: "Students can borrow textbooks and return them at the end of the year for the next classes to continue using. Students will not have to worry about lack of books. The good news is that this year, the number of students is more stable, including students from remote villages such as Na Be, Hop Thanh, and Coi village who have come to class in full numbers."

In Ha Tinh, the atmosphere of the opening ceremony was bustling in every classroom that had just been cleaned, the tables and chairs had just been dried neatly, and the trees in the school yard had been re-erected. Teachers, parents, and authorities all contributed, with the spirit of not letting the drum beat to start the school year be interrupted no matter how difficult it was.

With the support and contribution of functional forces and the determination of teachers, Dinh Ban Primary School (Thach Khe commune) is gradually overcoming the consequences of storms and floods to welcome students on the opening day.

Students of Xa Luong Secondary School (Tuong Duong, Nghe An) have returned to school in large numbers.

The storm caused heavy damage to the school, the roofs of classrooms at locations 1 and 2 were blown off, tables, chairs, teaching equipment and supplies were damaged, trees were broken, etc. During this time, the staff and teachers dried tables and chairs, cleaned and redecorated the classrooms to create an exciting atmosphere for students on the opening day.

“The school is urgently completing the cleaning and decorating of the classrooms to ensure the opening day of September 5. While repairing damaged classrooms, we are arranging temporary classrooms according to the direction of the Education sector to ensure the maintenance of teaching and learning activities,” said Ms. Nguyen Thi Tuyet - Principal of Dinh Ban Primary School.

Mr. Nguyen Hong Cuong - Deputy Director of the Department of Education and Training said: "The Department has requested educational institutions in the whole province, especially areas affected by natural disasters, to conduct a thorough review of the situation of facilities, teaching equipment, textbooks and learning materials. Schools need to proactively propose support plans from the locality, and at the same time synthesize and report to the Department for timely handling, so as not to affect the learning of students.

For the People's Committees of communes and wards, we also request that they urgently deploy synchronous solutions, coordinate with units, organizations and individuals to provide timely support to damaged schools. In cases beyond capacity, it is necessary to immediately report to the Department of Education and Training to advise the Provincial People's Committee on effective support plans, ensuring that students have enough books and supplies right from the beginning of the new school year."

Teachers of Hoa Mi Kindergarten (Dak Lak) check teaching equipment.

"Running up" for the new school year

Since the beginning of August, Nguyen Ba Ngoc Primary School (Tra My Commune, Da Nang City) has been bustling. Teachers have divided themselves to visit each village and house to persuade parents to bring their children back to class. At the same time, the school has organized review sessions for students in grades 2, 3, 4, and 5.

“The summer break is quite long, many students have little opportunity to study on their own, so when they return to school they often forget what they learned. We organize review sessions to both reinforce old lessons and practice study habits,” said Mr. Tran Bao Tu, Principal of Nguyen Ba Ngoc Primary School.

In particular, for first graders, most of whom are ethnic minorities such as Cor, Muong, Ca Dong, etc., the school organizes for them to attend “audit” classes. During these lessons, children get to know the classroom space, teachers, friends, practice raising their hands to speak, write, and get acquainted with books. The activities seem simple but are extremely practical, helping children overcome their initial shyness and confusion.

Mr. Tran Bao Tu added: “Without this preparation, when officially entering first grade, many students will be shocked because they are not used to the new environment. Thanks to the audit, students are more confident and bold. We want students to come to school in a comfortable state of mind, ready to absorb knowledge.”

At Nguyen Binh Khiem Ethnic Boarding Secondary School (Tra Doc Commune, Da Nang City), the work of mobilizing students to attend class has been vigorously implemented. Teachers "knock on the door" of each family, grasp their psychology, learn about their circumstances to provide timely support.

Mr. Vu Hoang Tam - Principal of the school said: "The school has 716 students and they are mostly ethnic minorities. Maintaining the number of students at the secondary level is not easy, because many of the students are older and their parents want their children to stay home and help with the farming. Therefore, teachers have to carefully check each student, visit each house to persuade them, and in some cases, they have to visit many times. Our goal is to not let any student drop out of school because of difficulties."

Not only mobilizing, teachers also make a list of students at risk of dropping out of school to coordinate with the government and social organizations to find support measures. From textbooks, new clothes to bicycles... will become the motivation for students in the highlands to continue their learning journey.

Teachers and commune officials in Dak Lak went to students' homes to encourage them to go to class.

Community involvement

In the border area of ​​Buon Don (Dak Lak province), preparations for the new school year are equally bustling. Villages are bustling, with village elders, village chiefs, commune officials and teachers joining hands to encourage students to go to class.

Hoa Mi Kindergarten - the only school in the commune these days is in the process of completing a new building including a 3-classroom building and a 6 billion VND administrative area. When the project is completed, the school will have 12 classes, enough to accommodate 360 ​​children in the whole commune.

Ms. Tran Thi Thanh Huong - Principal of Hoa Mi Kindergarten shared: "Being able to invest in spacious facilities is a great joy for teachers, parents and students. This is a stepping stone for the school to strive to meet national standards, and at the same time encourages parents to feel secure in sending their children to class."

Not only preschools, primary and secondary schools in Buon Don commune have also been invested in, repaired and supplemented with facilities. At Y Jut Primary School, teachers have completed the enrollment of 125/125 students of school age.

Mr. Ho Si Lam - Principal of Y Jut Primary School shared: "Since the beginning of the year, the Commune People's Committee has closely directed, teachers have directly visited each household to mobilize and complete enrollment procedures. Thanks to that, no student has been left behind. The participation of the government and the community is a key factor in maintaining student numbers."

Despite many improvements, the work of mobilizing secondary school students in the commune still faces many challenges. Due to difficult economic conditions, many students face the risk of dropping out of school early to help their families. Faced with this reality, the government, social organizations and philanthropists have joined hands to donate bicycles, books and computers to poor students.

Ms. H'Đa nê Byă - Secretary of Buôn Đôn Party Cell said: "Every year, the political system of the village coordinates with the school to review and mobilize school-age students to go to school. Thanks to that, for many years now, 100% of the village's children have gone to school at the right age."

Identifying education as the foundation for sustainable development, Mr. Le Thanh Son - Vice Chairman of Buon Don Commune People's Committee affirmed that the commune continues to focus on investing in facilities, supporting teachers to stay in class, and at the same time ensuring that no student has to drop out of school due to difficult circumstances.

In the deprived highlands, maintaining student numbers and improving the quality of education is a big challenge. However, the consensus of teachers, parents, authorities and village communities has become the strength to overcome.

Along with that, with the attention of the State, the efforts of the Education sector and the joint efforts of the whole society, the new school year in the mountainous areas of Da Nang and Dak Lak started with complete joy. That is also the foundation for cultivating the career of educating people in the border areas with many difficulties.

The 2025-2026 school year is approaching, and the highland classrooms are filled with the sound of school drums and the clear voices of students reading their lessons. Each student's face coming to class is a belief and hope that is ignited by the perseverance and dedication of teachers and the sharing of the community.

Source: https://giaoducthoidai.vn/khong-lo-hen-cung-tieng-trong-khai-truong-post746960.html