In recent days, heavy rains have continuously fallen on the northern provinces, causing many localities to be submerged in water, including Lang Son province.
In Thien Hoa commune, floods from upstream flooded quickly, causing flooding in many areas of crops and cutting off traffic. In particular, in Me village, students' travel is difficult.
In a small classroom at Na Quang school (Yen Lo Kindergarten), the light is still bright all night, while outside it rains heavily.
Inside the classroom, teacher Nong Thi Cham and her colleagues were on duty to take care of two children whose parents were stuck because they could not come to pick them up.
"The water rose high, the whole road was flooded, so parents could not pass, forcing Trieu To Uyen (4 years old) and Nong Manh Quan (3 years old) to stay in class. Fortunately, the children were well-behaved and did not cry.
This morning, parents had their first clothes in their backpacks, so tonight we have something to replace them, Ms. Cham shared.
Without a public house, teachers use the school's kitchen to cook rice and use firewood as a sleeping place for students.
"When the floodwaters rose rapidly, we were very worried about the safety of the children. The school held an urgent meeting and agreed to let the students stay.
Teachers divided their meals to cook, prepare blankets, and take care of the children like their own children. Parents also coordinated and encouraged the children to sleep overnight with peace of mind, Ms. Cham added.
According to Ms. Hoang Thi Nhuyen, Principal of Yen Lo Kindergarten, there are currently 4 schools in the old Yen Lo commune, of which 2 have to go through Ban Me stream - a branch of the Bac Giang river.
This is a unique route but there is no bridge over it, so every time there is a flood, the 4 villages across the stream are almost isolated. The flood also forced 16 teachers of the school to stay at the school.
Mr. Hoang Dinh Hien - Chairman of Thien Hoa Commune People's Committee said that on September 29, the authorities directed kindergartens, primary schools and secondary schools to arrange for students to stay at school and have meals taken at classrooms or official housing to ensure safety. Teachers volunteer to be on duty, directly take care of meals and take care of students.
At the preschool level, there are about 10 teachers and many students who have to sleep in school. Some primary school students and parents also stayed because of rising flood waters. It was not until the next morning, when the water receded, that the children returned home, Mr. Hien informed.
In many villages of the old Yen Lo commune, students still have to cross the river every day on bamboo rafts to get to school because there is no bridge. On the other side of the river, there are currently 4 villages with 2 kindergartens and 2 primary schools.
During the rainy season, the journey to class is even more dangerous. The local government has advised parents to equip students with life jackets and recommended that superiors soon build a bridge about 100m long to ensure safety.
During this flood, communes and schools have proactively responded, putting the safety of students first. However, we hope that all levels and sectors will soon have a long-term solution, especially the construction of bridges, so that the learning of students in flooded areas is no longer interrupted, emphasized the leader of Thien Hoa commune.
