More than 30 years since volunteering to go to Tho Chau island, Ms. Vo Thanh Kieu has been tirelessly spreading knowledge, cultivating love for the sea and islands, and educating students about protecting sovereignty.
Tho Chau (or Tho Chu) archipelago is the farthest island cluster in the Southwest Sea. This archipelago consists of 8 large and small islands, of which Tho Chau is the largest island with an area of about 14 km2 and a population of more than 2,000 people. Here, teacher Vo Thanh Kieu, a primary school teacher at Tho Chau Primary and Secondary School, has spent more than 30 years tirelessly teaching children.
Durable attachment
There are no direct passenger ships to Tho Chau from the mainland. To get to this island, we have to be in Phu Quoc City and wait for Tho Chau 09 to depart from Bai Vong port. There are only about 5-6 ships to Tho Chau per month, the travel time is about 4-6 hours, depending on the weather and sea conditions, so travel is generally still difficult. But that does not make the teachers on the island feel discouraged or discouraged.
When we visited Tho Chau Primary and Secondary School, Ms. Vo Thanh Kieu said that the school is now more spacious than before. Tho Chau before 1992 was a deserted island, guarded only by soldiers because it was illegally occupied by Pol Pot's army and the entire island population was captured and killed. In 1992, the first 6 households were mobilized to the island; by April 1993, Tho Chau island commune was re-established.
In March 1996, Ms. Kieu - who had just graduated from a teacher training college - volunteered to work on a remote island from Rach Gia, Kien Giang. At that time, traveling between the mainland and Tho Chau was very difficult.
"From Rach Gia, if you want to go to Tho Chau, you have to go to Phu Quoc first, then hitch a ride on a cargo ship or fishing boat, sometimes it takes a whole day to get there. In the summer, from Tho Chau to the mainland, you also have to wait, when you hear there is a boat, you bring your luggage to the beach and wait, but you can't always catch the boat" - Ms. Kieu recalls.
In addition to transportation, life in Tho Chau was also difficult in the past. The island lacked fresh water, electricity, and communication facilities were not up to date; medical conditions and health care were always a challenge. Not to mention that Tho Chau had two windy seasons every year, so people living on the two beaches had to move their homes twice. The island was remote and often affected by storms, so fishing and aquaculture were not easy.
Ms. Kieu recalled: "When the weather was unfavorable, the cargo ships were slow, and there was a shortage of rice, so people had to share it with each other. Transportation was difficult, and vegetables and fruits could not meet the needs of the growing population, so they were very expensive."
When she first came to Tho Chau, Ms. Kieu had to stay temporarily in a warehouse storing old equipment. Her husband had also been attached to this island for several years, but then he transferred to Phu Quoc for work, so sometimes they could only see each other every few months.
Overcoming homesickness and difficulties in living conditions, transportation..., Ms. Kieu has persistently stayed in Tho Chau for 30 years now. "It is the wild nature, friendly, gentle, honest people and especially the polite, well-behaved students that make me feel like this place is my hometown" - Ms. Kieu confided.
Ms. Vo Thanh Kieu and soldiers plant trees on Hon Nhan in Tho Chau island cluster. (Photo provided by the character)
Special classes
When it was re-established, Tho Chau island commune only had a few households, so the first class had only 2 students. When Ms. Kieu first came to work on the island, the school was a very simple hut with thatched walls. There were not enough students in the class while there was a shortage of teachers, so the teachers had to combine classes and teach multiple shifts each day. With no place to teach, they had to borrow temporary houses, the army's communal house or the commune People's Committee hall. The class was also very special because it had a blackboard on both sides, and the teachers had to prepare 2 lesson plans at the same time...
Later, the infrastructure on Tho Chau island was gradually completed with electricity - roads - schools - stations. Currently, Tho Chau Primary and Secondary School teaches from grade 1 to grade 9. The kindergarten school is also built spaciously.
"Seeing the appearance of the school in Tho Chau gradually being completed, meeting the teaching and learning requirements of teachers and students, I am very happy. I hope to have more multi-purpose halls for students to play" - Ms. Kieu expressed.
The schools are complete, but many classes are still very special because there is no regular fixed number of students. The students on the island are mostly immigrants, following their grandparents and parents from other places. Many families stay on the island for a while and then move to another place, another island, or to the mainland. There are also cases where parents send their children to the mainland for their grandparents to take care of. Not to mention, many children, despite their young age, have to help their families make a living by running boats, raising fish in cages, and carrying things for hire. Many children go to sea with their parents for 10 days or half a month. If the boat is unlucky enough to encounter a storm, it will take nearly a month for them to return to school.
With no other choice, Ms. Kieu and the teachers had to split up and go to the parents’ homes to persuade the students. Many times, she had to go to the children’s homes in the evening to teach.
On weekends, Ms. Kieu often organizes trips for the students to go fishing at sea or to pick vegetables in the forest. Occasionally, the teacher and students go to the radar station to visit the soldiers. During the field trips together, she confides and talks with the students to understand each other better, foster their love for the sea and islands, and educate them on protecting sovereignty.
Despite hardships, deprivation, and many extremely difficult times, Ms. Kieu has never had any intention of leaving Tho Chau. For her, her presence on this outpost island, in addition to spreading knowledge for future generations, also has a great meaning: Together with the soldiers and people, she sticks to the island and the sea, firmly protecting the sovereignty of the sea and islands of the Fatherland.
Ms. Vo Thanh Kieu in a class
"Although it is much more difficult, arduous, and deprived than on the mainland, we still stick to our classes and schools. That is the responsibility and heart of teachers when they are attached to the island outpost of the Fatherland" - Ms. Kieu confided.
Source: https://nld.com.vn/geo-chu-noi-dao-tien-tieu-19625030121192713.htm
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