Summer vacation, rural children thirsty for playgrounds
When urban children entering the bustling summer with gifted classes and playgrounds, in many rural and mountainous communes, thousands of children are still surrounded by rice fields, road edges, and phone screens - amid parents' constant worries about accidents, drowning and distorted development.
Throughout the village...
In Tan Ninh commune (Quang Ninh district, Quang Binh province), summer is the busy season for young people. But amid the laughter is the worry: With 5 villages and more than 1,000 children, the commune does not have a public playground dedicated to the children.
"When the summer comes, many children from other places return to their hometowns. With a playground, the children are less likely to stick their eyes to their phones, and avoid gathering in dangerous places such as canals, fields, and village roads, said Mr. Cai Viet Hoan, a resident of Hoa Binh village.
Unsanitary and un supervised spaces for adults cause many children to gather on the roadside, on vacant land, where they are not covered - posing a potential risk of traffic accidents, drowning or injuries. Meanwhile, parents, even though worried, cannot always be close to their children because they are busy making a living.
Many families in the commune said that not having a public playground makes children easily away from activities: phone addiction, laziness to exercise, lack of communication skills and easily mental isolation.
Ms. Tran Thi Hai Yen (34 years old, residing in Tan Lam Huong commune, Ha Tinh city) said that this summer, she had to send her two young children back to her hometown to be taken care of by her grandparents. "The couple's house is near the pond, I'm not sure. But in the commune, there is no childcare or playground, so it should be, she said.
Mr. Nguyen Van Ninh - Chairman of Tan Lam Huong Commune People's Committee - informed that the commune has more than 18,800 people, of which 75% are engaged in agriculture. "Currently, there is a shortage of private childcare centers in the commune. Parents should send their children to their grandparents, or stay at home with their siblings. The risk of insecurity is real, Mr. Ninh admitted.
Many communes such as Luu Vinh Son are in a similar situation: no playgrounds, few kindergartens, and students play together around the village. "We are very concerned. Seeing a series of abandoned headquarters and old cultural houses and feeling sorry, while children have no place to play, parents do not dare to take their eyes off their children during the long holiday," a local official shared.
Following your father to become a cook or stick your eyes to your phone
In Quang Tri, many mountainous communes such as Tan Lien and lia commune (Huong Hoa district) have absolutely no public playgrounds. Children entertain by going to the fields with their parents or going into streams and rivers in the opposite water. These are places with a high risk of drowning, while swimming classes organized by the border guards and youth unions are only maintained for a short time.
Ms. Nguyen Thi Tuyet Nhung (Tan Lien commune) expressed: "There is no playground for children here, just hanging around the house. I also want to have a talent class or physical education area for the children to experience, but there is no, very disadvantaged".
Ho Van Toan (12 years old, Li commune) could only hover around watching TV or following his parents to the fields: "I'm small, I can't do anything. I don't have a place to play at home."
In Nghe An province, the situation is not improving, especially in mountainous communes. According to the reporter's records in Ta Ca commune (Ky Son district), the only playground for children is the schoolyard - which is only partially open during the summer vacation. Every afternoon, dozens of children gather in the cramped concrete yard in front of the commune hall, using their sandals as a soccer bridge, amidst the fog and the sunny cement foundation.
In Chau Khe commune (Con Cuong district), a commune Youth Union official said that the whole commune does not have any playgrounds that are properly invested in for children. In the summer, children play together in the neighborhood. When he was older, he followed his parents to roam around and steal rice. But going down the stream and going through the forest is also risky, we are always worried about accidents," he said.
In Thanh Hoa - one of the most populous provinces in the country - the story of lacking playgrounds for children in the summer is repeated in many localities after the merger of communes. In Quang Dong ward (Thanh Hoa city - a new unit transferred from commune to ward), the whole ward only has 1 stadium but it has not been invested in, so the grass is growing wildly, the villages and hamlets only have a dilapidated, simple cultural house. There are no cultural institutions or activities planned for children during the summer. They often play together or their parents have to roll up their sleeves to make a living, lock the door, leave their children at home with... television.
In Nhu Xuan district, mountainous communes such as Xuan Hoa, Thanh Quan, Thanh Phong are also in a state of "empty" playgrounds. The villages and hamlets often have volleyball courts as empty lots or soccer courts, but they are playgrounds for adults every afternoon.
During the days of the sun, reporters from the North Central region - Lao Dong Newspaper traveled to all localities and clearly saw: Playgrounds for children in rural and mountainous areas are a huge gap. Regarding facilities and organizational work, there is a systematic and long-term plan. Children are almost "forgotten" in living space design.
The wishes of "having a slide, a slide, a mini soccer field..." are just a luxurious dream for thousands of children here every summer.
