Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Thien Tong: Sometimes it takes 10 people to contribute to 1 scholarship "Giving strength to school"

Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen Thien Tong has been with Tuoi Tre newspaper for more than 20 years in programs to search for and award scholarships to help students - Photo: TU TRUNG

Every early August, as soon as Tuoi Tre newspaper announced the launch of the Support to School program, Dr. Nguyen Thien Tong sent out a letter calling for scholarships for new students in Thua Thien Hue .

I met Mr. Tong in Ho Chi Minh City in August 2024 when the letter had just been sent. Every now and then, the 78-year-old teacher's computer and phone would notify him of new messages and emails. The story with Tuoi Tre revolved around his feelings during nearly 20 years of campaigning for thousands of scholarships.

* Hello teacher. This year, will the number of scholarships that you mobilized for Hue students increase or decrease?

- Teacher Nguyen Thien Tong: I am trying to mobilize, so that if it cannot be increased, it will not be reduced, it will still be 80 seats like last year.

Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen Thien Tong, former head of the Department of Aeronautical Engineering at Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology, was the one who, together with Tuoi Tre newspaper, founded the program "For tomorrow's development" in 1988. He contributed to the Support to School scholarship, and was the one who founded and operated the Support to School Club in Thua Thien Hue from 2008 to present.

The economic situation in recent years has been difficult, affecting my activities, especially since I am not a billionaire and do not have a business club to support me, but only rely on my relatives, friends and students.

Last year, the number of scholarships mobilized decreased a lot, I used up all the family scholarship fund that my wife saved to make up for it. This year, that reserve fund is gone, I am trying to interact on my personal page to find more sponsors.

Teacher Nguyen Thien Tong continuously received emails and messages after the open letter inviting contributions was sent - Photo: TU TRUNG

* Since the day he and Tuoi Tre started the program "For a Developing Tomorrow" in 1988, he has started to build many scholarship projects. Always volunteering and proactively helping many students like that, "doing scholarships" for him seemed to bring a lot of joy, but it also seemed very hard and full of worries...

- It's fun, but also very hard, just like Tuoi Tre newspaper itself. Every year, thousands of scholarships are announced, so readers and new students can easily get the impression that the newspaper always has tens of billions of dong to spend, but that's not the case.

If someone rolls up their sleeves, joins the campaign and contributes with us, they will see that getting a scholarship requires a lot of effort.

"The number of students who have graduated from Relay to School is more than a thousand, the whole program is more than ten thousand. I wish that only 1% of them will return to the program, that would be the greatest happiness and encouragement for us - the organizers."

Mr. Nguyen Thien Tong

As for the new students of Thua Thien Hue that I am in charge of, I always try to make them feel that. Not only by words, along with the scholarship, the students and the sponsors will receive a full list of who contributed to this scholarship.

That way, donors know exactly which student has received 100% of their contribution. Students know whose scholarship they are receiving, and that sometimes up to 10 people contributed to the scholarship.

By doing so, I add another meticulous and arduous task for myself, but with the hope of sowing the seeds of gratitude, spreading kindness, so that everyone has more motivation: benefactors will stick around longer and students will be willing to return to the scholarship later.

Hope more alumni will come back to Tiep suc den truong

Doing the School Relay is "very fun, but also very hard" - teacher Nguyen Thien Tong - Photo: TU TRUNG

* Your open letter was written with great care, clearly showing the unique features of the Support to Schools scholarship in Thua Thien Hue area. Is there anything you still cherish and have not said in this year's open letter, sir?

- There are many. Only after getting started and working for a long time will you understand. The number of our scholarships is small, very small compared to the number of poor, studious students in Hue. Therefore, the review of each scholarship is a "brain-weighing" evaluation.

I use a 100-point scale, in which: family background is 60 (including age, occupation of parents and siblings), education is 30 (admission score is 15, average score of three years of high school is 15), personal qualities and efforts are 10 (awards, social community activities, part-time jobs).

In addition, I also give 2 priority points for the majors you choose: medicine, dentistry, science and technology, and agriculture because these are the most practical majors for the future and require a lot of effort to study.

Many people in the organization complained that I often delayed the finalization of the scholarship list, but I always waited until the last minute. Delaying one more day, one more hour was to wait for the opportunity to get 1-2 more scholarships.

Dr. Nguyen Thien Tong

Many philanthropists and I sometimes feel sad when talking to each other because the number of former and new students of Tiep Suc Den Truong returning to the program and helping the younger ones is still too small. Someone suggested to me the form of loans instead of scholarships. I replied: lending is the job of the bank, we do scholarships to spread kindness and social responsibility of each person.

In Hue alone, the number of graduates from Relay to School has been more than a thousand, the whole program is more than ten thousand. I hope that only 1% of them will return to the program, that would be the greatest happiness and encouragement for us - the organizers.

An old friend of mine, who has been donating to scholarships for many years, said that helping scholarships reach the right people is a success, but an even greater success is helping students learn from those who helped them. Our scholarships have reached their 22nd season, it is time to consider that.

Teacher Tong awarded scholarships to new students of Thua Thien Hue in 2023 - Photo: HO TAN VU

* That is also the wish of the Organizing Committee of the School Support Program. Do you have any suggestions for the program to operate more sustainably?

- We should form a group to maintain contact with the students, have activities and support each other in studying and working between students, or through the high schools where they study.

Through that maintenance, students will understand more about scholarships, and through that we encourage them to come back to contribute, first with their hearts, then with material things.

"Although each scholarship of 15 million VND is not enough to cover the cost of one semester of university, it is a very meaningful support for poor new students, at a time when they really need financial support to realize their dream of going to university.

Poor students face countless difficulties. Some are orphans, some have parents who are unable to work or are seriously ill. Many have small, skinny bodies due to poor diet and hardship throughout their youth.

But with the spirit of overcoming difficulties, they have studied hard to change their fate, their family's fate and also to contribute to a common development tomorrow.

Due to the economic situation, supporting a 15 million VND scholarship has become more difficult than before. Some donors support 1 - 2 or more scholarships. Many other donors only support a small amount, but we will combine many people to have enough for a 15 million VND scholarship, helping one more new student who is facing difficulties...".

(Excerpt from the letter calling for the scholarship "Giving strength to school" for new students of Thua Thien Hue 2024 by Mr. Nguyen Thien Tong)

We invite you to join us in School Support.

Tuoi Tre newspaper's 2024 School Support Program launched on August 8, expected to award 1,100 scholarships with a total cost of more than 20 billion VND (15 million VND for new students with difficulties, 20 special scholarships worth 50 million VND/scholarship for 4 years of study, and learning equipment, gifts...).

With the motto "No young person can go to university due to poverty", "If new students encounter difficulties, Tuoi Tre is there" - as a commitment to support new students in the past 20 years of Tuoi Tre .

Please scan this QR code to register and introduce new students in need of support to school. The program will accept information until September 20, 2024.

New students can register online to apply for the 2024 School Transfer scholarship at: http://surl.li/fkfhms or scan the QR code.

The program received contributions and support from the "Accompanying Farmers" Fund - Binh Dien Fertilizer Joint Stock Company, Vinacam Education Promotion Fund - Vinacam Group Joint Stock Company and the clubs "Nghia Tinh Quang Tri", "Nghia Tinh Phu Yen"; the clubs "Supporting School" Thua Thien Hue, Quang Nam - Da Nang, Tien Giang - Ben Tre, Quang Ngai and the Tien Giang - Ben Tre Business Association in Ho Chi Minh City, the German - Vietnamese Mutual Aid and Cooperation Association (VSW), Nam Long Company, Nestlé Vietnam Co., Ltd. ... along with businesses, philanthropists and a large number of readers of Tuoi Tre newspaper.

Businesses and readers can support scholarships for new students by transferring to Tuoi Tre newspaper account:

113000006100 VietinBank, Branch 3, Ho Chi Minh City.

Content: Support "Support to school" for new students or specify the province/city that you want to support.

Readers and businesses abroad can transfer money to Tuoi Tre newspaper:

USD account 007.137.0195.845 Ho Chi Minh City Foreign Trade Bank;

EUR account 007.114.0373.054 Foreign Trade Bank, Ho Chi Minh City

with Swift code BFTVVNVX007.

Content: Support "Support to school" for new students or specify the province/city that you want to support.

In addition to sponsoring scholarships, readers can support learning equipment, accommodation, jobs... for new students.

Graphics: TUAN ANH

Support to School 2024: New students in need, with Tuoi Tre Newspaper. Video instructions on how to register for new students in need, as well as how to contribute to the program.

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/pgs-ts-nguyen-thien-tong-co-khi-10-nguoi-gop-moi-thanh-1-suat-hoc-bong-tiep-suc-den-truong-20240813110210257.htm