Classroom in the clouds
At dawn on September 5, more than 70 houses of the Ca Dong people in Ong Phung village, Tra Don commune, Nam Tra My district, Quang Nam province were bustling.
Primary and kindergarten children in the highlands dress up in new clothes, carry school bags, and happily and excitedly go to school for their first opening ceremony in their lives.
In the middle of the clouds, surrounded on all sides by high mountains and deep forests, Mr. Phung's remote school, belonging to Tra Don Commune Boarding Ethnic Minority School, is called a school, but for many years, the sound of drums has never been heard.
Here, transportation is difficult, schools are makeshift, there is no national electricity grid, unstable phone signal, no Internet, no clean water, and the shortages are indescribable.
Teacher Huynh Thi Ha (28 years old, Co ethnic) said that this school has only 50 students, including kindergarten and primary school, taught by 2 Co teachers and 1 Kinh teacher. Currently, there are still 2 teachers who teach on contract, have been in the village for more than 5 years, with a salary of about 6 million/month.
Due to the difficulty, in previous years the opening ceremony was simple with a brief ritual, teachers used pots and pans to make noise instead of the school drum.
"The students are all from the Ca Dong ethnic group, and their circumstances are very pitiful. The people here live against the mountains and depend on the forests for food and shelter. For them, sending their children to school is a story of great effort. Here, only by learning to read and write will the children suffer less in the future," said teacher Ha.
Simple opening ceremony
Today is a special day at Ong Phung roof, because this is the first time they hear the school drum to start the new school year and the children will study in a new, spacious school, sponsored by the Friends Club (Da Nang), which has just been inaugurated before the new school year.
Teacher Ha was moved: “Having this new, solid school will ensure safety not only for studying but also for accommodation for teachers and students during the rainy season. There will no longer be the scene of leaking rain, drafts, and anxiety while teaching like before. The facilities are also more complete than in previous years. In general, teachers and students are very happy, words cannot describe it all.”
While the opening ceremony in the plains schools is always bustling with flags, flowers, and music, the opening ceremony at Ong Phung roof was simple, without microphones, podiums, or even flower baskets, just teachers, students, and Cadong people in the middle of the steep mountains and forests. However, it was still solemn, cozy, and full of rituals.
After the flag-raising ceremony, teacher Than Thi Hoa (54 years old), with 32 years of experience in teaching at schools in Tra Don, represented the country by reading the congratulatory letter from the President, the speech welcoming the new school year, and giving instructions to students...
Ms. Hoa's voice was filled with emotion: "This is a historic opening ceremony, when for the first time here the sound of the school drum resounded amid the curiosity and unfamiliarity of the children. I hope that from now on, every child will have enough books, clothes, and enough to eat, so that the road to school will be less bumpy and arduous."
