School site devastated after storm and flood
More than a year since Typhoon Yagi in 2024 caused many damages, the Hom Tren school point in Nam Chay commune has not been repaired.
The iron gate is closed, the schoolyard is overgrown with grass. Right in front of the gate is a large crack causing the concrete foundation to break, behind is a hillside where a long crack once appeared.
Teacher Hoang Thi Xuan, in charge of Hom Tren kindergarten, said that although the crack has been somewhat covered by trees over time, the worry is still constant.
Just prolonged heavy rain, the risk of landslides can happen at any time. No one dares to risk letting students return to study here," Ms. Xuan recounted.
Faced with that situation, to maintain education for students, the village head Vang A Cha's family (one of the 2 households) voluntarily gave up their house to build temporary classrooms. Simple houses have become places to "guard literacy" amidst many difficulties.
Schools are no longer safe, we are ready to clean houses for children to study. It's cramped and inconvenient, but still more secure," Mr. Cha shared.
However, studying in people's houses is only a temporary solution. Two elementary classes with 21 students have to study crowded in a narrow space.
Boards are temporarily erected at the house's pillars, surrounded by pressed planks, and household items stacked. Electricity is temporarily drawn to serve teaching.
Teacher Phan My Hao (Hom Tren school branch) said that such conditions clearly affect teaching and learning.
In the rainy season, water pours into the classroom, in the winter, the wind blows coldly. Students do not have stable space, so learning is also interrupted," Ms. Hao said.
At the preschool level, the difficulty is even greater. In a level 4 house of less than 100m2, 69 children of many ages have to study in the same room.
Each group occupies a corner, operating overlapping: literacy class, singing class, crying young children... making the space always noisy.
The program is different for each age group but must be concentrated in one place. The area is cramped, so taking care of and teaching children is very difficult," Ms. Hoang Thi Xuan confided.
Not only studying, but also play and exercise activities, an important factor for young children - are also almost "frozen". Children only stay in temporary houses, without running and jumping space, lacking opportunities to interact with nature.
15 billion VND invested in a new school
Faced with this situation, the Nam Chay commune government has proactively sought a safe location to plan the construction of a new school point. However, according to the leader of the Commune People's Committee, local resources are not sufficient for implementation.
Currently, Nam Chay commune has proposed to higher levels, hoping to soon be allocated funds to build a new school point. This is a fundamental solution to ensure safety and stability for children's education.
On March 31, in an exchange with Lao Dong Newspaper, Mr. La Xuan Tham - Chairman of Nam Chay Commune People's Committee said that the locality has a policy to build a new school point, and is currently implementing procedures related to site clearance.
According to Mr. Tham, the project has been included in the provincial public investment plan with a total budget of about 15 billion VND to build a new school point, meeting the stable and long-term learning needs of students. Currently, the commune is implementing preparation steps to soon deploy investment.
