Shrimp noodles, cold rice are the main meals
In the midst of the great Truong Son, there is a small school named Hong Thuy Primary and Secondary School. The school is located in the old Hong Thuy commune, now in A Luoi 1 commune (Hue city) - where most of the people are Pa Co ethnic people, life is still difficult and arduous. From the old town of A Luoi up here, the road is bumpy and steep, the village is isolated from the central area.
Mr. Ho Xuan Tai - Principal of Hong Thuy Primary and Secondary School shared that the school in PA Ay village has three classes, teaching grades 1, 2, 3. Meanwhile, students in grades 4 and 5 have to study at another school. Because the number of students is small and there are not enough conditions to build classrooms, the older students are forced to travel long distances to study at the main school.
Students here who want to go to school have to travel for kilometers, cross the muddy road carrying rocks, in the dry season, the red and dusty, and the rainy season, the muddy. Not to mention the pass, the most dangerous road section in the region, with many potential risks of accidents and landslides when storms come.
The small legs and sandals are already soaked in plastic, and they still regularly cross the pass and the forest every day. Not because of forcedness, but because of the desire to learn to read, write, calculate and dream of a better tomorrow.
Some days, they have to study 2 sessions, morning and afternoon, many friends are far away, no one takes them, so they have to stay at school. Sometimes they carry a handful of rice with sesame salt, sometimes wrap raw instant noodles, and sometimes even have nothing to wear until noon.
"There is currently no policy to support lunch for students. A few years ago, there was a Nourishing Project that supported meals of 7,000 VND/day, but the project stopped. Now they mainly bring cold rice and instant noodles. Sometimes I have to wait until the afternoon to continue studying" - Mr. Tai was excited.
Teacher Le Thi Lan, who has been with the school for many years, said that many times teachers had to spend money to buy fried kimchi, sticky rice, and milk, and if they did not have enough money, they asked for potatoes and cassava from the surrounding people to feed the children.
"I just hope that they will have a decent meal, be able to eat well, go to school regularly, and study well so that they can become useful people in the future" - Ms. Lan expressed.
Labor shortage, schools lack all aspects
Not only are students in difficulty, but the school's facilities are also lacking. Lack of classrooms, lack of computers, lack of many equipment, lack of department rooms, no functional rooms, no boarding areas. Meanwhile, the toilets have degraded, the water system and electric lights do not ensure the use of students and teachers.
"The school's biggest wish is to invest in building a new, solid and clean toilet. There are more subject classrooms and boarding kitchens to ensure lunch for the students staying there" - the Principal confided.
Teacher Le Thi Lan said: "The road to school is long and dangerous, and the children have a hard time. I just hope the school has enough facilities and equipment to teach the children better. Teachers also have less hardship, thereby being able to spend more resources to support and help children find their childrens letters.
Despite the hardships, each teacher still maintains faith in their profession and their students. Because they know that only knowledge can help the children here escape poverty. They believe that, whether it is a school in a deep forest or a classroom in the middle of a mountain, if they can sow words, they will reap the future.
