Decades for children in mountainous areas
As scheduled, every year in early August, teacher Tran Ngoc Hai (born in 1982, teacher at Cao Son Primary and Secondary School, Co Lung Commune, Thanh Hoa Province) is busy preparing equipment and personal belongings to be ready to travel more than 100km from his house in Bien Thuong Commune to the school in Co Lung Commune, starting a new school year.
Having been attached to this mountainous school for 20 years, Mr. Hai cannot forget the hard days, when the road to the village was just a slippery dirt road. "Every time it rains, the vehicle gets stuck to the ground and no one can move. Sometimes I have to leave my car and walk around the school every hour, the teacher said.
Now, the concrete road has been opened to the school, making travel more convenient. However, because the school has not been in the 135 area for the past 5 years, teachers' income has also decreased significantly. "We only have the opportunity to visit our wife and children 1-2 times a month, and the travel costs are expensive. Difficult life makes many brothers worried" - Mr. Hai confided.
Mr. Hai also confided that due to the nature of working away from home, more than 10 years after giving birth to their first child, his family decided to have a second child, currently only 9 months old. "I have thought many times about taking my wife and children to live together, but the conditions here are not allowed. With no job, I have to take care of my children, and I have to work harder, accepting the fact that I only see them a few times a month" - he said, his eyes wide-open.
Scattering words in the midst of hardship
Mr. Nguyen The Tai - Principal of Cao Son Primary and Secondary School - said: "The school currently has 16 teachers, all of whom are male, no female teachers because the highland area has difficulty in traveling and poor living conditions".
Among them, Mr. Tran Ngoc Hai is the person with the longest experience working at the school. After nearly two decades of association, he has always completed his tasks excellently, being a dedicated, exemplary example, and being loved by his colleagues and students.
As a manager, I understand the hardships that teachers at school are going through. Especially for Mr. Hai, when he heard that he and his wife decided to have another child when they were old, everyone was happy and moved. Although we know that the road ahead is still difficult, we always encourage each other to try together, keeping the noble mission of sowing words for children in the highlands - Mr. Tai shared.
