At Reformatory School No. 2 (Ninh Binh), children aged 12 to under 18 who violate the law will have a period of 12-24 months to study, cultivate, and find the right path again before the threshold of adulthood.
Talking to Lao Dong reporters, Lieutenant Colonel Mai Dai Duong said that the school currently has 197 students, of which 97 students are taking cultural classes from grades 1 to 9. Students are classified according to records, transcripts, and academic level right from the time they enter the school.
Talking about the illegal acts of 197 students at Reformatory School No. 2, Lieutenant Colonel Mai Dai Duong said, "For children in reformatory schools, there is only no act of... corruption. And acts such as murder, organizing and using drugs, causing public disorder... are all there.
Reformatory School No. 2 is directly under C10 - Police Department for Prison Management, compulsory education institutions, reform school of the Ministry of Public Security. The school receives education and reform for students who violate the law in provinces from Ha Tinh, Nghe An, Thanh Hoa, to Hanoi and northern mountainous provinces.
Talking to Lao Dong reporters, Lieutenant Colonel Nguyen Tien Dung - Vice Principal of Reformatory School No. 2 said that what makes him and the officials and teachers here most concerned and heartbroken is the rejuvenation rate of juvenile offenders.
In which, stories about children who are addicted to games early, online gambling, racing, organizing drug use, and murders - when children do not have enough awareness - make officials and teachers here ponder and think.
Considering the severity of the law violation, students of Reformatory School No. 2 will be assigned study time here from 6-12 months, maximum 24 months.
Contacting reporters, the children recounted their wrong pasts, the stumbles they had experienced with their faces bowed. The children avoided reporters' eyes, and were silent when they heard the question: "Why did you do that?".
Most children entering reform schools grow up in families with shortages and inadequacies.
Le Minh Quang (character name has been changed) was born in 2009 in Hanoi, entered the school in 2024, when participating in racing causing a fatal accident.
Quang recounted the time of panic and fear, watching his mother cry - rushing to borrow money to compensate the victim's family. Until now, Quang is still haunted. His father died early, when Quang was only 8 years old. His mother sold goods alone to support the two siblings. Quang soon became bored with studying, gathered with a group of friends, raced cars, and dropped out of school.
Quang said: "When I came here, I was taught by the teachers about responsibility to life, to loved ones, to family. I cried when I saw my mother's suffering. I know I was wrong, now I just hope that when I graduate, I can help my mother...".
Reformatory School No. 2 teaches culture, vocational training for children, and orients the path for them after leaving here.
Some images recorded by reporters at Reformatory School No. 2 in the last days of the year, when Tet Nguyen Dan is approaching.
Behind the closed gates of the reform school, children who have been lost are learning to correct mistakes and grow up every day. From classrooms, libraries to simple meals, every daily activity contributes to igniting hope for a road back, where they can start life again with better things.
