Father and son 'stay in the village'

Ms. My is the biological daughter of Mr. Tuan. The father and daughter teach together at Nuoc Nia school (Tra Bui commune, Tra Bong district, Quang Ngai). Every day, the father and daughter teach together, take care of each other and encourage each other to overcome difficulties to bring literacy to the Kor children in the remote, cold land at the foot of Ca Dam mountain.

Father and son in the kitchen

The Nuoc Nia school is located on a tiny hill, hidden in the middle of the forest. Here, everything is divided in half. The front teaches primary school students, the back teaches kindergarten children. In the front are two classrooms, the daughter teaches on the right, the father on the left. In the two classrooms, the blackboard is also divided in half, the daughter divides the board to teach grades 1 and 2 (total 17 students), and the father divides the board to teach grades 3 and 4 (total 13 students).

Lonely School of Nia Country

We crossed the mountain pass with endless white reeds, and when we arrived at Nuoc Nia school, it was almost noon. The mist had not yet cleared, the air was still cold, and water still dripped from the tops of the trees and blades of grass. We were greeted by the clear, innocent black eyes of the students and the gentle smile of Mr. Tuan.

Ms. Y My holds hands to teach letters to first grade students.

Ms. My said that in 2020, she returned to teach at Nuoc Nia School. When she first arrived, she was always worried at night, especially during the rainy season. Back then, there was no place to sleep, so parents put a board and a blanket in a corner of the preschool classroom for the teacher to lie down. Many nights, the rain poured down heavily on the corrugated iron roof, and Ms. My sat huddled in a corner of the room waiting for morning. "The scariest thing was when I had to go out, there were leeches everywhere," Ms. My said.

As for Mr. Tuan, for several years now, he has had to use broken student desks and use planks as a bed. His sleeping place is right in the corner of Mr. Tuan's classroom. "There are many rainy days when the roof leaks everywhere, so he has to sleep in the newly built classroom. He wakes up early in the morning to rearrange the desks and chairs so that the students can go to class," said Mr. Tuan.

Staying here for a long time, I got used to it. I felt sorry for the students and the people here, who were disadvantaged in many ways but treated their teachers with all their sincerity. From young to old in the village, everyone was eager for knowledge. The hardships of Mr. Tuan and his father passed day by day.

Teacher Nguyen Thanh Tuan teaches students how to write

Teacher Tuan said that parents in this area know how to take care of their children but are too poor. At the beginning of the school year, parents did not have money to buy books, so he spent his own money to buy enough for the students. When the government paid the parents, they paid him back. However, that was just one of many difficulties. Right in Teacher Tuan's class, there was also a student named Ho Minh Thai who was born deaf and mute.

Student meals at school

Students of Nua School

Ms. Dinh Thi Thu Huong, Head of the Department of Education and Training of Tra Bong District, said that there are still many difficulties in remote schools like Nuoc Nia that local resources cannot fully cover. Therefore, the education sector of Tra Bong District is looking forward to investment support from outside to build facilities and purchase teaching equipment for schools that are still facing difficulties.

Source link: https://thanhnien.vn/cha-con-cung-cam-ban-185231212205213186.htm