With a new school, students come to class in large numbers
Previously, the journey to Sang Pao School - Xa Ho Primary and Secondary Boarding School for Ethnic Minorities (Ha Ho Commune, Tram Tau District, Yen Bai Province, now in Hanh Phuc Commune, Lao Cai Province) was a nightmare for many students. The road is muddy, with slippery winds and rain, causing some students to lose their hands.
The classrooms at this school are simple and spacious, temporarily built with wood or bamboo and rattan fences; or better, there are 4 classrooms built with corrugated iron sheets. On days of heavy rain and strong winds, this classroom leaks, the wind blows cold through the skin... As a boarding school, students' accommodation at noon is mainly in classrooms, student kitchens and toilets or teacher accommodation are also degraded, the area is narrow. On hot summer days, students live under corrugated iron roofs over 2m high, and the room can sometimes get hotter outdoors.
Teacher Lo Van Lien, Principal of Xa Ho Primary and Secondary Boarding School for Ethnic Minorities, said: In 2021, since the Golden Heart Social and Cultural Fund and benefactors supported, Sang Pao has changed. On the old land, a 3-storey school with 6 spacious and solid classrooms, with an area of nearly 440m2, was built, with a total cost of more than 3 billion VND".
The new school has helped 487 ethnic minority students more conveniently learn to read and write, reduced the economic burden for people, and shortened the educational gap between disadvantaged and disadvantaged areas, Mr. Lien shared.
According to teachers, when there are new classes, students coming to class are more crowded and much more active. The learning spirit has improved a lot. Currently, the school and parents are renovating the school, moving to the school to prepare for the opening of the new school year.
The joy of teachers and students in the border area
Not only Sang Pao, the Golden Heart Social Support Fund also brings smiles to teachers and students at Phieng Pan school (in Can Nong Kindergarten, Can Yen commune, Cao Bang province).
Previously, classrooms and kitchens were just temporary tents made of corrugated iron, the winter was cold and windy, the summer was hot and hot. Teachers and students are worried about insecurity when the rain and wind come.
In August 2022, the Golden Heart Social Support Fund sponsored more than 400 million VND to build a 1-storey building, 2 classrooms, area of over 100m2, solid walls, corrugated iron roof with insulating plastic ceilings. The project grew right on the old classroom foundation, bringing about clear changes.
"Thanks to the new school, teachers and students no longer have to worry about cold winds or storms. We are urgently decorating and cleaning up to welcome the children into the new school year" - Ms. Ly Kieu Diem, Principal of Can Nong Kindergarten, shared.
140km from Phieng Pan, a border school named Ban Khoong (Ly Quoc commune, Cao Bang province) has also changed its appearance, wearing a new coat when the Golden Heart Fund sponsored upgrading and renovation funds.
In previous years, the facilities of Ban Khoong school still faced many difficulties. The school not only lacks kitchens for students, but the small school yard has not been poured with concrete, there is no roof for children to play, and the surrounding wall around the school has not been built.
Sharing the difficulties of teachers and students here, in September 2023, the Golden Heart Social and Cultural Fund sponsored funds to upgrade and renovate the school.
The project has a total investment of 660 million VND, including a kitchen area, surrounding walls, a covered playground and a gate, contributing to better teaching and learning.
"Previously, when the house was still temporary, the children had to work very hard, especially during the rainy season. Up to now, a new kitchen has been built, a solid surrounding wall, a playground has also been completed, and the facilities are almost complete. Fortunately, the school was not affected by the recent storm and is ready to welcome students back to school," said teacher Tran Thi Vien.
