"Bus" carrying the dreams of students of Dat Mui

Many students in Dat Mui commune have to go to school by boat.

From 4:30 am, Mr. Nguyen Van Teo, in Xeo Doi hamlet, Dat Mui commune, Ca Mau province, prepares to take his two children, Nguyen Trieu Linh (grade 5) and Nguyen Trung Hieu (grade 6) to school. The house is about 8km from the school, because there is no concrete road, so the boat is the only means of transportation. Every day, Mr. Teo has to spend about 140,000 VND on fuel and more than 100,000 VND on breakfast and lunch for his two children. Therefore, he takes advantage of the opportunity to pick up 4 more students from acquaintances' families and charges 30,000 VND/day for each child to help with some of the fuel costs.

Understanding his father's difficulties, Trung Hieu is always responsible for helping pick up other students. Mr. Teo said: "After taking my children to school in the morning, I go home to take care of the housework. The children are sent to a relative's house to eat, rest at noon and continue studying in the afternoon. Although it is difficult, I always hope that my children will have a good future."

In front of Dat Mui Primary School 1, there is a temporary ferry terminal. This is where many boats come and go to take students to class every morning. It is fine when it is sunny, but when it is windy and rainy, the danger of the river is always lurking. Like many other parents, because they are worried about their children's safety, Nguyen Huu Sang and his wife take their children to school themselves. He shared: "The house is about 6km from the school. I have to go to work on normal days so my wife drives the boat to take the children to class. My wife and I would rather work hard than let our children drop out of school halfway."

Dat Mui Commune has 7 schools, with more than 3,300 students, about 600 of whom have to cross the river on a boat to get to school. Dat Mui Primary School 1 alone has more than 870 students, about 100 of whom have to go to school by boat. Mr. Doan Van Tiep, Principal of Dat Mui Primary School 1, said: “Here, people mainly live along the canals, some places do not have roads so the children have to go by boat. Although the economic conditions of some families are still difficult, parents still persevere in taking their children to school. That is a great sacrifice of parents so that their children can access knowledge.”

Mr. Tang Thien Tinh, Vice Chairman of Dat Mui Commune People's Committee, said: "Although there is investment in traffic infrastructure, there is still a lack of bridges to connect the route, and rural traffic routes have not been invested in. In the coming time, I hope that the superiors will pay attention and invest, making it easier for students and people to travel, and for trade to be convenient. The commune also has a pilot orientation for the school to organize boarding schools for students to help reduce the burden on families."

Article and photos: HIEU NGHIA

Source: https://baocantho.com.vn/-xe-bust-cho-uoc-mo-cua-hoc-sinh-dat-mui-a192780.html